HOUSTON — Goodman Mfg. Co., a member of the Daikin Group, made an investment into the future of the HVAC industry by donating money to Woodlands, Texas-based Lone Star College.

Lone Star College is the fourth-largest community college in the U.S. with six campuses, two university centers, and an enrollment of 95,000 students. In July 2016, the school broke ground on a new construction and skilled trades technology center. The new building will be used to teach HVAC, pipe fitting, field service technology, and electrical technology. The building features 55,000 square feet of floor area that will contain six classrooms and 8,000 square feet of laboratory area for the HVAC program.

Lone Star College offers a two-year associate degree program in HVAC. Graduates have found ready employment in Houston, which is one of the most air conditioned cities in the world. In addition to air conditioning, there is a large amount of process and industrial refrigeration in the Houston metro area. As the equipment used in HVAC and refrigeration continues to increase in complexity, Lone Star College has adapted and increased the courses and laboratories to keep pace with the industry. The new building, dedicated to the skilled trades, is the latest investment Lone Star College is making into this vital area of our economy.

While attending the groundbreaking for the new building, Edward Neumann, Goodman national accounts manager, spoke with Michael Burns, dean of instruction, career, and applied technology, Lone Star College, about the need for HVAC equipment to equip the new HVAC laboratory. The discussion was joined by Dr. Gerald Napoles, president, Lone Star College, and it was agreed that Goodman and Daikin would donate equipment for the laboratory. The management team at Daikin was instrumental in procuring the equipment and approving the transfer to Lone Star College.

On Aug. 28, the equipment was picked up from the Goodman plant in Houston and taken to the new facility located on the Lone Star College North Campus. The equipment included heat pumps, condensing units, furnaces, ductless split systems, and Daikin variable refrigerant volume (VRV) units. The units were offloaded into the new HVAC laboratory where they will be installed and used as training aids for the HVAC students.

Publication date: 10/9/2017

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