Mount Vernon, NY – Ice Air, a leading provider of energy-efficient climate control solutions, has announced the promotion of Jason Dowdy to Chief Operating Officer. The announcement was made by Ric Nadel, Founder and CEO of Ice Air, as the company continues expanding its manufacturing footprint and product innovation strategy nationwide.
“Jason has proven himself to be a transformative leader since joining Ice Air,” said Nadel. “His track record in manufacturing and supply chain leadership, coupled with his strong cultural alignment with our team, made his promotion to COO both natural and essential as we scale up operations—including the new South Carolina plant.”
Dowdy originally joined Ice Air as General Manager to lead the company’s Spartanburg, South Carolina expansion, where Ice Air is building a new 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility dedicated to next-generation heat pump systems. That role allowed him to apply his decades of experience to a high-impact startup effort—one backed by a $35 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to support domestic HVAC manufacturing.
“Scaling a business is never without risk,” Dowdy said, “but what drew me to Ice Air was the culture: a team-first, all-hands-on-deck mindset that reminded me of the best environments I’d worked in. Our lean structure means we each wear many hats, but also that we get to shape the future of the company with agility and purpose.”
Dowdy brings over 20 years of leadership experience in global manufacturing operations. Prior to joining Ice Air, he served as COO of House of Design Robotics and as Vice President of Global Operations for Munters, a multinational climate control manufacturer. At Munters, he managed a $400 million budget and directed more than 900 employees across seven plants throughout the Americas, including mission-critical projects in the data center sector.
“In every role, I’ve focused on building teams and systems that last,” said Dowdy. “At Ice Air, we’re not just building HVAC units—we’re building a smarter supply chain, a stronger domestic manufacturing base, and a customer experience that reflects real partnership.”
As COO, Dowdy will continue to oversee the Spartanburg buildout while guiding national operations strategy, engineering integration, supply chain expansion, and long-term product growth across Ice Air’s increasingly electrified equipment portfolio.
His current leadership team in South Carolina includes Mahfuz Imam (Director of Engineering), Jeff Lyda (Production Scheduler and Project Manager), and Tabitha Peck, who leads supply chain management across both the South Carolina and New York facilities.
Dowdy is currently based in Spartanburg, where Ice Air has leased a 20,000-square-foot interim facility to begin operations ahead of the full plant construction. Equipment procurement is underway, and initial buildouts—including advanced environmental testing chambers—are expected to be in place by late summer.
“Jason’s strategic mindset and operational intensity are exactly what we need to meet the growing market demand for decarbonized, electrified building systems,” said Nadel. “This promotion reflects not only what he’s already delivered—but where we know he can take us next.”
