Companies from Arizona, Ohio, Texas and New York are among the finalists announced by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America for its 2009 Awards for Excellence in Contracting.

"We received an unusually large number of nominations this year from some exceptionally professional companies," said ACCA President and CEO Paul T. Stalknecht. "Our judging panel of past ACCA chairmen told us that this was by far the most difficult time they've ever had in selecting finalists because the caliber of entries was so high. Making it this far is a very high honor for each of the eight finalists in two categories."

In residential contracting, the finalists are:

Air Conditioning by Jay, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Apollo Heating & Air Conditioning, Cincinnati

Frymire Services, Dallas

Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning, Rochester, N.Y.

In the commercial category, the finalists are:

A/C Technical Services, Castroville, Texas

Harrington Engineering, Rocky Hill, Conn.

Newcomb & Co., Raleigh, N.C.

Peaden Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing, Panama City, Fla.

Winners will be announced at the ACCA’s annual convention, Feb. 24-26 in Forth Worth, Texas.