The Spirit of Independence Award is the highest honor in the HVACR industry, bestowed occasionally on a man or woman who has made a profound impact on the contracting industry and ACCA nationwide.

Past Winners

2008: Hank Rutkowski, HTR Engineering (Dover, OH)
2006: Skip Snyder, The Snyder Company (Upper Darby, PA)
2003: Jeff Forker, Penton Publications (Cleveland, OH)
2002: Larry Taylor, Air Rite Air Conditioning (Fort Worth, TX)
2001: Aaron York, Sr., Aaron York's Quality Heating & AC (Indianapolis, IN)
2000: James P. Norris, GroupMAC Corp. (Englewood, CO)
1999: Dan Thayer, Thayer Corporation (Auburn, ME)
1998: Dick Shaw, Ferris State University (Big Rapids, MI)
1997: Walter Reckinger, Reckinger Heating & Cooling (Dearborn, MI)
1996: Maury Jacobson, Florida Heating & AC (West Palm Beach, FL)
1995: Dr. Emol Fails, Fails Management Institute (Tampa, FL)
1994: Doc Rusk, Rusk Heating & AC (Covington, MI)
1993: Norman Edelman, Super Service (Asbury Park, NJ)
1992: Wallace Lee, Lee Company (Nashville, TN)
1991: Cliff McCourt, Day & Night Heating & Cooling (Novi, MI)
1987: James P. McDermott, Contracting Business (Cleveland, OH)
1984: Charles E. Wright, Airtron (Houston, TX)
1983: Dave Gleason, Burns Heating & Cooling Supply (Long Island, NY)
1982: Bob Ritchie, BALCO (Boston, MA)
1981: Al Keats, Metro Detroit ACCA (Detroit, MI)
1980: Warren Farr, Cleveland, OH; Walt McCarty, Sr., Broadview, IL; Harvet Hottel, Rockville, MD; Charles Scatena, San Francisco, CA; Robert Heisler, Santa Fe Srpings, CA; Herbert Tanis, Lansing, IL; Thomas Lewis, Philadelphia, PA; Charles King, W. Palm Beach, FL; Arthur Palen, Minnepolis, MN; Robert Savage, Los Angeles, CA; Sterling Apgar, Bound Rock, NJ; William Donaldson, Graham, NC; Howard Schaeffer, Indianapolis, IN; Maurice Jacobson, W. Palm Beach, FL; Jon Pierce, Ft. Worth, TX; Fred R. Sikyta, Lincoln, NE
1979: John T. Dorfler, Elliott/Lewis Corporation (Philadelphia, PA)