Originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, Randy earned degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Masters in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina in 1971 and 1978. He was commissioned in United States Navy in January 1972 and served aboard the destroyer USS Cone, DD-866 as First Lieutenant, Gunnery Officer, & Navigator; including a combat tour in the Tonkin Gulf 1972-1973. He completed active duty in July 1977.

Randy entered the HVAC business in 1978 with Johnson Controls. He Worked for Hoffman & Hoffman, manufacturers representatives, in Columbia and Charleston from 1980 to 1994. In 1994, Randy started the Chapman Company. The Chapman Company currently has offices in Mt. Pleasant SC, Lexington, SC, Raleigh, NC and Charlotte, NC.

Currently Randy is an active member of the SC Mechanical Contractors Association, and ASHRAE. He has been president of the South Carolina chapter of ASHRAE and is currently the ASHRAE Chairman for Research Promotion.

Mike was born and raised in the Columbia area of SC. He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Mike holds a master plumbers card, a SC General Contractor’s license and a NICET Level III in Fire Protection sprinkler design. He owned his own business as a Mechanical Contractor from 1984 to 1993. He then went to work with the SC Dept of corrections where he served as Construction Coordinator until joining the Chapman Company team in June 2002. Mike belongs to the Columbia Chapter of ASHRAE and ASPE. He and his wife Rhonda have three daughters and one grandson. They live in Lexington, SC.

Ken Tursam, PE
PRODUCT SPECIALIST

Originally from Eastern, NC, Ken earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from NC State University and went on to work for Hill-Phoenix, a supermarket refrigeration company as a product designer. He worked in the product design field for 10 years and was the Engineering Manager of a major architectural hardware division of Yale Security before coming to the Chapman Company in January of 2005.

Since coming to the Chapman Company Ken has handled the Raleigh territory and has also earned his Professional Engineers License in North Carolina. He is an Active Member of the Triangle ASHRAE chapter and is currently the Committee Chair for Student Activities. In 2007 he was awarded the Lamp of Knowledge from ASHRAE region IV for his efforts helping with Student Activities.

Darren W. Pallesen
PRODUCT SPECIALIST

Born and raised in the city of Racine, Wisconsin, Darren had decided to pursue a career in engineering after graduating from high school in 2001. He enrolled at the Milwaukee School of Engineering in the fall of 2001 which he attended for approximately one year. Darren then transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he completed four additional years of education and received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in May of 2006.

Immediately upon graduating from college Darren and his wife decided to become Southern Yankees. They moved to the Charlotte, NC region, where his wife's family had taken residency a few years earlier, to establish their careers. Darren was then fortunate to join the Chapman Company team in August 2006. He has been an active member of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) for over 5 years. Darren also has a background in the sales industry.

Chad Bryant
PRODUCT SPECIALIST

Born and raised in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Chad attended the University of Central Oklahoma and received a Bachelors of Business administration in Finance. He began his sales career in the wholesale foods industry with Blue Bell Creameries. He then switched industries into Construction sales with Hilti, Inc. Chad spent 8 years in sales, product management, and Sales Management roles in Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina. He joined the Chapman Company in January of 2008.