The Heating, Airconditioning, and Refrigeration Distributors
International (HARDI) partnered with the Air Conditioning Contractors of
America (ACCA), the Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Contractors (PHCC) and the
American Supply Association (ASA) on a joint blitz on Capitol Hill May 1, 2008.
The four organizations combined to bring over 200 HVACR and PHCP/PVF
distributors and contractors to Washington, D.C., to promote efficiency, the
value and strength of small businesses and awareness of the distribution and
installation sectors of the industry to policy makers.
HARDI and ACCA organized over 100 meetings with House and
Senate offices. Sixty HARDI members participated in the distributor
association’s first Congressional Fly-In widely praised as a complete success.
“Not only does HARDI have to do this again next year, but I might
fly back myself within the next year to finish some of the conversations I
started today with my representatives,” pronounced Russ Geary of Geary Pacific
Supply.
A fellow HARDI distributor from California, Kelly Trolia,
CEO of Burke Engineering, echoed Geary’s sentiments saying, “This was fantastic
because I connected with several of my representatives that I expected to have
nothing in common with.”
Trolia said she had already discussed follow-up meetings
with a number of her elected officials, many with whom she was able to find
middle ground despite great differences in political philosophies.
“Distributors have flown under the radar in our industry for
many years, often intentionally,” stated HARDI EVP & COO, Donald Frendberg,
in his opening remarks at the Fly-In, “but having so many of you here as part
of our first Congressional Fly-In is a testament to today’s new and unique
challenges that demand HVACR distributors stand up and represent their
interests in Washington and the industry.”
Frendberg’s statement rang true with HARDI’s 2008 president,
Randy Boyd of A/C Supply, who acknowledged he agreed to participate primarily
to support the association in its inaugural advocacy effort but left Washington
anxious for HARDI’s next Fly-In and with a better understanding of how
important HARDI’s role in advocacy efforts has become today. “I never had any
interest in getting politically active before this experience where it became
so obvious how important building a relationship with my representatives is to
my business. We say that this is a relationship business all the time, and now
I really see how that also applies to our elected officials.”
HARDI members focused primarily on pressing
issues such as pending climate change/HFC legislation, certainty and sanity in
estate tax policy, promoting incentives and credits to advance energy
efficiency and reinforcing the value of the LIFO accounting system among other
issues. HARDI is already working on next year’s Congressional Fly-In.
Information about HARDI’s policy positions can be found at the association’s
Government Relations center on www.hardinet.org.
