COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Heating, Airconditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) board of directors voted unanimously to create a new Hydronics and Radiant Heat Council.

According to HARDI, this new council will be especially important for members in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Mountain regions where the residential markets in particular rely heavily on such products. Randy Tice of APR Supply in Lebanon, Pa., has been named the council’s inaugural chairperson, and Bill Bergamini of ILLCO Inc., Aurora, Ill., as its vice chair. The council is expected to hold its first formal meeting at the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting in Galloway, N.J., May 6-9. It is speculated that the new council will seek to forge partnerships with other industry organizations focused in this product group, including manufacturer and service associations.

Out of its 450 total distributor members, it is estimated that nearly a third of the membership sells hydronic/radiant heat products. Participation in HARDI councils is open to any distributor, manufacturer, or service vendor member company. The councils generally hold two in-person meetings per year at the Annual Fall Conference each November and at the Mid-Year Business Meeting, this year being held in conjunction with the Southwestern/Western Regional Meeting in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, June 17-21. The councils and committees alike hold frequent teleconferences throughout the year as new information or new topics arise.

HARDI’s councils are centered on specific product groups to bring together the manufacturers of such products and current or interested distributors to discuss product and system-focused issues, challenges, and trends. This new council will join the current HVAC Systems & Equipment Council, the Refrigeration Council, and the Controls Council.

For more information, visit www.hardinet.org.

Publication date:01/29/2007