Title: Engineering Manager
Company: National Comfort Products, National Refrigeration & A/C Products, Inc.
Location: PA/USA
Education: MSME, Wichita State University (2021); BSME, Wichita State University, Magna Cum Laude (2018)
Career History: Engineering Manager, National Comfort Products, National Refrigeration & A/C Products, Inc., Bensalem, PA (2024-Present); Senior Project Engineer, National Comfort Products, National Refrigeration & A/C Products, Inc., Bensalem, PA (2021-2024); Mechanical Engineer, Residential HVAC System Design, Johnson Controls, Wichita, KS (2020-2021); HVAC Design Engineer I, Johnson Controls, Norman, OK (2018-2020); Product Management Intern, Johnson Controls, Wichita, KS (2016-2018); Student Assistant, Wichita State University (2016-2018)
Zehdan Qidwai, Engineering Manager at National Refrigeration & A/C Products, Inc., has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field of engineering.
Guided by his ability to focus and perform well in challenging situations, as well as his passion for solving problems, Mr. Qidwai has excelled at NRAC since 2021, where he began as a senior project engineer. Before advancing to his current role in 2024, when the company needed to raise the efficiency targets for its products and one of the product lines was having difficulty meeting the new standards, he drew on his expertise in refrigeration and HPC product design to devise a solution that allowed them to achieve compliance without delaying the production schedule.
Since 2024, Mr. Qidwai leads a team of engineers, designers, and lab technicians to develop and sustain through-the-wall products for multi-family construction. In addition, he keeps track of engineering development projects to ensure new products are released on time; is heavily involved with manufacturing, quality, operations and continuous improvement teams to improve production processes; and works directly with the sales team to develop a product roadmap for future development.
Originally from Pakistan, Mr. Qidwai relocated to the United States in 2015 to pursue an education at Wichita State University, where he excelled as a student assistant and served as president of the Pakistani Student Association. He ultimately earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, graduating magna cum laude in 2018. While pursuing a master’s degree at the institution, which he completed in 2021, he held various positions at Johnson Controls, including product management intern, HVAC Design Engineer I, and mechanical engineer for residential HVAC system design.
A member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Education and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, Mr. Qidwai strives to remain in the heating and cooling industry over the next five to 10 years. Additionally, he is considering entering the nuclear plant industry and aspires to be a business representative and mediator between business and technical teams. Believing in the importance of mentors, he enjoys helping aspiring engineers and guiding them navigate the industry. He always advises those starting out to first explore and identify the specific field they want to pursue, given the wide range of options within engineering. Once that decision is made, he encourages giving full effort—even going beyond expectations—to achieve success.