RICHBORO, Pa. — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) has entered into an agreement with Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) that will make it one of the biggest contributors to HFOT, a Massachusetts-based organization that provides mortgage-free, specially-adapted homes nationwide to severely injured veterans post-9/11, to enable them to rebuild their lives.

The three-year agreement will see HARDI support HFOT through 100 builds. For each home, HARDI members will provide all HVAC equipment and coordinate the installation, at no charge.

“There’s an emotional component to this, of course; obviously, it’s a badge of honor for us to partner with Homes for Our Troops,” said HARDI CEO Talbot Gee. “There’s also a very practical reason for this partnership: our members are in a position to acquire high-efficiency equipment for these homes, which can lower a veteran’s utility costs and provide better indoor air quality. This is the perfect partnership for us.”

“We are proud to announce this morning that we will be adding HARDI as our Official Supplier of HVAC for Homes for Our Troops. Support from partners like HARDI is crucial to completing our mission of building homes and rebuilding lives,” said Tim McHale, HFOT president/CEO.

HARDI first began supporting HFOT in 2011. In 2012, the association began hosting a veteran at each year’s annual conference and, in 2015, HARDI donated more than $60,000 to HFOT.

“As a veteran myself, I am particularly honored to support Homes for Our Troops and to witness the launch of this major partnership. This is an extremely meaningful day for me,” said Mike Braun, vice chair of HARDI’s Impact Committee and director of marketing for Gustave A. Larson Co. “I can speak for those of us at Gustave A. Larson Co. when I say that it’s a privilege for us to make a tangible difference in the quality of life for these injured soldiers.”

Dave Chatmon, owner of The Lettering Machine and chair of HARDI’s Impact Committee, said, “With HARDI distributor members’ expertise in logistics and with the manufacturers’ HVACR knowledge and resources, this partnership has the potential to completely transform both organizations. Also, as this partnership gains momentum, stay tuned as the Impact Committee puts together a few supplemental programs to run alongside it.”

HARDI and HFOT are in the process of determining the first build locations for the partnership and will announce details later this year.

For more information about HARDI, visit http://hardinet.org.

For more information about Homes for Our Troops, visit www.hfotusa.org.

Publication date: 9/1/2016

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