For immediate release
March 10, 2009
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The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has announced the winners for the 2009 ACCA Awards for Excellence and the 2009 Spirit of Federation award. ACCA is the nationwide trade association representing heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) contracting businesses.

"We received an unusually large number of nominations this year from some exceptionally professional companies," said Paul T. Stalknecht, ACCA President & CEO. "Our judging panel of past ACCA chairmen told us that this was by far the most difficult time they've ever had in selecting finalists because the caliber of entries was so high. Making it this far is a very high honor for each of the eight finalists in two categories." 

The winners were announced during ACCA’s 41st Annual Conference and Indoor Air Expo at the Fort Worth Convention Center, in Fort Worth, TX at the end of February.

Apollo offers a total satisfaction guarantee, and they have more than 125,000 satisfied customers. They take pride in offering excellent service and doing the little things that set them apart from other HVAC companies.

Other finalists for the residential award included:

• Air Conditioning by Jay (Scottsdale, Arizona)
• Frymire Services (Dallas, Texas)
• Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning (Rochester, New York)

The Excellence in Commercial Contracting Award went to Harrington Engineering of Ole Saybrook, CT. Harrington Engineering, Inc., or HEI, has been in business since 1991. They have grown into a company of 200 (plus) employees with headquarters in Old Saybrook, CT and satellite offices in Providence, RI and Rocky Hill, CT. 

Harrington is a privately held company owned by the Wilkie brothers who both have extensive experience in the industry. They pride themselves on being a family-owned business offering responsive and personalized customer service to over 1,000 clients annually throughout Rhode Island and Connecticut.  Over the years, Harrington has evolved into an Integrated Building Services company, meaning that they offer virtually any regulatory system needed to run a facility.  Harrington has earned a solid reputation in the industry for quality workmanship and a superior work ethic.

Other finalists for the commercial award included:

• A/C Technical Services (Castroville, Texas)
• Newcomb & Company (Raleigh, North Carolina)
• Peaden Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing (Panama City, Florida)

Stalknecht presented the 2009 Spirit of Federation award to Amanda Jones, executive director of the ACCA Greater Houston Chapter. Presented occasionally since 2002, the Spirit of Federation Award is bestowed on an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the success of the ACCA Federation at all levels -- state, local, and national.

In presenting the award, Stalknecht said, "Based on everything she has done since the day she was hired, and her tireless dedication to supporting not only her chapter, but national and other chapters, we already knew that she was a bit of a miracle worker – and then we saw the miracles she performed after Hurricane Ike hit the Houston area.

"Amanda worked around the clock to get assistance to her members and information to contractors all over the country. Here’s the thing – a massive hurricane hit the chapter area… the entire country goes through a recession, and – through all that -- this chapter continued to grow! In fact, today, it is the largest local chapter in the ACCA Federation."

The 2010 ACCA awards will be presented at the association's 41st Annual Conference, March 7-9, 2010 in Tampa, Florida. For more information about ACCA awards programs, contact Kelly Ercole at kelly.ercole@acca.org.

For more than forty years, the Air Conditioning Contractors of America has served the educational, policy and technical interests of the small businesses that design, install, and maintain indoor environmental systems. ACCA is a non-profit organization with members in all 50 states and over 20 countries. Learn more at www.acca.org.

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