ORLANDO, Fla. — Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) named four champions for their outstanding contributions to one of the HARDI pillars. The following champions in Advocacy, Benchmarking, and Education were recognized at the Annual Conference in Orlando.

• Advocacy: Mingledorff’s and Geary Pacific Supply

The Advocacy Pillar Champion was shared by Mingledorff’s and Geary Pacific Supply, accepted by Bud Mingledorff and Russ Geary, respectively. “Bud and Russ are staunch supporters of HARDI and have been instrumental in the success of this year’s Congressional Fly-In,” said Jon Melchi, HARDI vice president of government affairs and business development. “In the interest of affecting positive change for the entire industry, both companies rallied fellow members to head to Washington for valuable exchanges with their representatives.”

• Benchmarking: Benoist Bros. Supply Co.

The Benchmarking Pillar Champion was Benoist Bros. Supply Co. According to Brian Loftus, HARDI market research and benchmarking analyst, “Benoist Bros. Supply Co. is a leader in adopting benchmarking tools and has been an invaluable member providing feedback for the various new projects in Benchmarking. The strength of HARDI is in the sharing of ideas. So when someone uses and contributes to all the benchmarking tools and provides feedback, every HARDI member benefits.”

• Education: Sid Harvey

The Education Pillar Champion was Sid Harvey. In 2015, Sid Harvey made an impressive commitment to education and training. The company worked with HARDI to create a dedicated Sid Harvey cohort of the Sales Manager Certification Program, enrolling more than a dozen managers. “They’re sending a clear message that they’re dedicated to training and development,” said Emily Saving, HARDI vice president of professional and program development. “A bold move like that reaps the benefits of the training program itself, but more importantly, it also ignites a company culture hungry for first-rate performance.”