WASHINGTON — Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., conducted a site visit at HARDI member Johnstone Supply’s Kenilworth, New Jersey location to meet with employees.

Johnstone Supply President and Co-owner, Bob Zimmermann, stated, “Engaging with government leaders may not be top of mind for most business owners, but there is a real value in discussing these issues with our elected officials, and we appreciate Congressman Lance being accessible to our team and willing to engage.”

Lance spoke to Johnstone Supply employees on a range of topics that included tax reform, health care, and workforce issues. He also took time to discuss the issue of online sales tax avoidance, displaying his expertise on the subject from his place on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and, by extension, the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee.

“I enjoyed visiting Johnstone Supply in Kenilworth and seeing firsthand the work the company does in the sale of heating, air-conditioning, ventilation, and refrigeration products,” said Lance. “I was pleased to be briefed on the issues facing the industry and what I can do in Congress to work toward improving the business climate. The Zimmermanns and their colleagues had excellent questions on public policy and impressed me as being very civic-minded.”

“We appreciated the Congressman taking the time to come visit our company, meet our employees, and learn about what we do,” said Kate Zimmermann, Johnstone Supply director of benefits & training development. “It was a great opportunity to discuss some of the challenges that face our company and our industry with Congressman Lance, but what we truly appreciated was his willingness to talk about solutions to those challenges.”

“Johnstone Supply and many other HARDI members have really ramped up their engagement with elected officials in recent years,” said HARDI Vice President of Government and External Affairs, Jon Melchi. “It was great to see Congressman Lance show his attention to HARDI members and display his understanding of issues that affect the HVACR industry.”

For more information, visit www.hardinet.org.

Publication date: 8/15/2017