York International, a strategic ally of Excellence Alliance Inc. (EAI), has partnered with the Excellence Alliance Foundation (EAF) to award a $2,000 scholarship to Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) in Eau Claire, Wis.

The board of directors of Nexstar, a professional training and business development organization serving independent contractors of plumbing, HVACR, and electrical services, has unanimously created a lifetime membership in the association for co-founder Frank J. Blau Jr.

Mechanical contractor T.H. Eifert Inc. of Lansing, Mich., has been awarded the STAR Contractor designation from the Mechanical Service Contractors of America (MSCA). According to MSCA, the STAR qualification ensures quality service from technicians that provide heating, cooling, refrigeration, piping, and temperature control systems in every size building.

The Sheet Metal Contractors of Iowa (SMCI) has selected three students from Iowa State University to receive $3,000 from the Ed Lord II/SMCI Scholarship Fund.

Grunau Company employees want to be big losers - big weight losers that is. Grunau's Healthy Living Committee organized the "Biggest Losers Weight Loss Challenge," a new initiative to promote healthy lifestyles and employee involvement.

Across the nation, companies are enforcing drug-testing policies - and while these policies have helped improve employee performance in most work settings, they are especially crucial on construction sites. Employing a drug-free workforce improves the bottom line and, most importantly, saves lives.

These days, sex is used to sell everything, from wristwatches to sports cars to hair conditioner to ... worksite safety? The Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Chicago is using mildly suggestive imagery and humor as part of a "top-of-mind awareness" Safety Stuffer campaign to reach construction workers.

The Missouri Valley Community School District is faced with a problem: the continual breakdown of 30-year-old rooftop HVAC units at its Missouri Valley High School. The rooftop units have a specified life of about 20 years, and the district's maintenance staff said that they do their "best to keep them on-line."

An Indianapolis couple and their dog were found dead in a mobile home in early March. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is suspected in their deaths.

On March 15, 2005, the Illinois Senate Housing and Community Affairs Committee passed a bill that would require the installation of carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in all residential dwellings. Sponsored by state Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), Senate Bill 2086 was sent to the full Senate for consideration.