Purpose
The HARDI Foundation, founded in 2003, exists to launch and support educational and research programs in the field of distribution and other related disciplines within the HVACR industry. Traditional examples of these activities involve scholarships, grants and market research.
The foundation has among its priorities:
- to increase productivity and marketing skills among distribution managers and employees;
- to explore effective methods of delivering continuing education; and most importantly,
- to stimulate careers in HVACR distribution.
Governance
An independent Board of Trustees, who serves without compensation, manages the HARDI Foundation. Trustees are drawn from among the members of the Heating, Airconditioning, & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) who express a strong interest in the work of the Foundation.
Current Foundation Board of Trustees
Chairman - Bill Shaw, Standard Supply & Distributing Co., Inc.
President - Chrissy Nardini, American Metals Supply Co., Inc.
Vice-president - Richard Cook, Johnson Supply
Treasurer - L. B. "Bud" Mingledorff, Mingledorff's, Inc.
Trustees
- Brian Cobble, G.W. Berkheimer Co.
- Dan E. Hinchman, Aireco Supply
- Joe Thompson, O'Connor Company, Inc.
- George F. Wheelock, III, Geo. F. Wheelock Company
- Sam Roti, Arkema, Inc.
- Richard N. Foster, Jr., ZONEFIRST
- Brad Barksdale, Mueller Industries
Executive Vice-President, Talbot Gee, HARDI
Foundation Staff Administrators
Secretary - TBD
Development - TBD
Accounting - Mary Gustafson, HARDI, Columbus, OH
Vision Statement
To maintain a focus in the selection of products and programs undertaken by the Foundation and through the use of the Lawson Scholarship Fund, Wilder Fund and Research and Education Fund, HARDI Foundation Trustees will –
- Financially support the education of students in the industry or desiring to enter, in the form of stipends or scholarships.
- Undertake the sponsorship or implementation of research projects directly related to the heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration industry and the wholesale distribution of those products.
- Pursue projects that will enhance the value and image of the industry.
And through good governance will – - Pursue opportunities for contributions and industry financial support of programs.
- Pursue good, safe investments of funds and have a yearly financial review performed.
View the Foundation Bylaws
Current Activities
Employees of member firms are awarded HVACR/Supply chain tuition scholarships in memory of David M. Lawson, who for many years was a major supporter and contributor to wholesaler programs. Up to $8,000in scholarships may be awarded annually.
Grants named in memory of James D. Wilder, former association executive vice-president, may be awarded to graduate or undergraduate supply chain students to fund class capstone or individual research projects. Funding may vary from $500 to a maximum of $3,000 per approved project.
Foundation sponsored or funded projects listed below:
The Foundation co-sponsored a four-session industry-wide webinar on the impact of 13-SEER equipment on business.
Published a reference listing entitled "Quick Guide to Market Research Resources for the HVACR Industry" as the result of a summer graduate student grant to Eastern Michigan University.
The Foundation supports the Pathway program to develop distribution-based curriculum in local community colleges. This is an alliance of multiple distributor organizations to help assure interested students can obtain a distribution career- focused education right in their home-town.
In conjunction with the HARDI Management Methods Committee funded and developed the Profitability Assessment Tool (P.A.T.) in partnership with the Profit Planning Group in Boulder, CO. The P.A.T. is a CD-ROM Excel format that helps the user identify and measure value-added costs per individual customer. It features three-levels of analysis with a detailed user’s guide and companion report describing the theory behind the template.
Most recently, the Foundation has funded two consortia through the Texas A&M School of Industrial Distribution to ensure that HVACR was represented in the two research projects. First completed in April 2010 is the Consortium on Sales & Marketing Optimization; the second for 2010-2011 is Optimizing Distributor Market Growth and Share.
Order the Latest Foundation Project: Profitability Assessment Tool
Meeting New Challenges
To maintain world-class HVACR distribution, the HARDI Foundation must continually research pressing issues and learning needs of the industry and uncover effective tools to respond to new challenges in delivering equipment, parts and supplies to the construction trade and institutional market.
No single business entity is fully capable of undertaking important industry-wide projects. Only through the collective power of the membership as manifested through the HARDI Foundation, and in turn, the Foundation's ability to reach out to other like-minded industry organizations, can distributors continue to refine and improve the channel.
Gifts to continue and expand the work of the Foundation are solicited. As an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable organization, contributions are tax deductible. Fed. I.D. 38-2108052.
