GAMA awards industry leaders at annual conference.
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Press Release Summary:
GAMA 2007 service awards, presented at the 72nd Annual Meeting in St. Petersburg, FL, recognized outstanding contributions to industry and the public interest. The 2007 Distinguished Service Award was presented to Richard Hannan, Chairman of the Board, Mercury Instruments, Inc. Werner Specht of Thomas & Betts Corp. received the GAMA Technical Service Award, and Thomas Donohue of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce received the GAMA Public Service Award.
Original Press Release:
GAMA Honors Three Industry Leaders at 72nd Annual Meeting
ST. PETERBURG, FLA., May 7, 2007-GAMA honored three industry leaders with its 2007 service awards at the association's 72nd Annual Meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla., at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club. The prestigious awards recognize outstanding contributions to industry and the public interest. GAMA is the national trade association representing manufacturers of appliances, components and related products used for space heating, water heating and other building services.
GAMA presented its highest honor, the 2007 Distinguished Service Award, to Richard Hannan, Chairman of the Board, Mercury Instruments, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio. The award celebrates lifetime achievements in the industries served by GAMA and its members.
Mr. Hannan has served the industry in numerous association leadership roles, including the past 14 years on the GAMA Board of Directors. He was Chairman of the Board, GAMA's top elected leadership position, during 1994-95, after serving a one-year officer term as First Vice Chairman (1993-94). Under his stewardship, GAMA approved its consolidation with the Hydronics Institute, forming a new product division for hydronic heating manufacturers. In addition, a new product division was established for CO detector manufacturers. Mr. Hannan remains on the GAMA Board as a Chairman Emeritus.
Mr. Hannan is renowned for his innovative leadership in product development and devotion to customers, employees and their families. He founded Mercury Instruments as a family business in 1964 and developed a universal mounting bracket that revolutionized the mounting configuration of gas meters and instrumentation. Later, with the introduction of the EC-AT electronic corrector in the late 1980s, Mercury continued to innovate. The company's success has been attributed to Mr. Hannan's "Customer is King" philosophy. By listening to customers' suggestions, Mercury has pioneered product designs that meet customers' ever-changing needs. Engineering products that communicate wirelessly with remote instruments (via the company's new MI Wireless Division) is another example of Mr. Hannan's commitment to the future growth of the natural gas industry. By helping the industry evolve, Mercury has become a world leader in measuring devices for the natural gas industry, selling instruments to 95 of the top 100 natural gas distribution companies in North America, often as the sole supplier.
Mr. Hannan's background includes serving on active duty in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War, for which he enlisted as a private and was promoted to the rank of Captain following the end of the war. He has been happily married to Jeanne M. Hannan for 53 years.
Werner Specht, who recently retired as Director of Engineer, HVAC Division, Thomas & Betts Corporation, Mercer, Pa., was announced as the recipient of the 2007 GAMA Technical Service Award. The award recognizes outstanding contributions in industry technical advancement and standards. Because Mr. Specht could not attend the Annual Meeting, the award will be presented at a later date.
A respected contributor to the development of various industry standards, Mr. Specht has been a member of the Joint Z83/CSA Heavy Duty Heater Technical Advisory Group for more than 20 years. In that capacity, he earned the reputation of always acting in the best interest of the industry, putting aside any motivation to seek competitive advantages for his company. Mr. Specht was instrumental in developing the first draft of the harmonized North American standard for unit heaters and duct furnaces. His personal role in this activity was combining the performance sections of four standards into one comprehensive draft standard along with the rationale statements for the combined draft. His commitment to this task produced a comprehensive and clear document that greatly expedited the harmonization process. In addition, Mr. Specht served as Chairman of the Technical Committee of GAMA's Industrial Forced-Air Heating Division for 16 years from 1985 to 2001. From 2002 to 2004, he served as Chairman of the Industrial Forced-Air Heating Division.
The 2007 GAMA Public Service Award was presented to Thomas Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, D.C. The award recognizes his outstanding advocacy of the interests of manufacturers and the business community.
Since assuming his position in 1997, Mr. Donohue has built the Chamber into a powerful lobbying and political force with expanded influence across the globe. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing GAMA and more than three million businesses and organization of every size, sector and region. Under Mr. Donohue's leadership, the Chamber has helped to secure many legislative victories for business, including major tax cuts, more sensible workplace and environmental regulations and increased funding for transportation. On the international front, the Chamber has become a leader in knocking down trade barriers, winning new free trade agreements and fighting protectionism both at home and abroad. The Chamber has also become a major player in election politics, helping elect pro-business candidates to Congress through financial support and voter activism.
Founded in 1935, GAMA has been an established force in the heating industry for nearly 75 years. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., GAMA is the national trade association representing manufacturers of gas-fired, oil-fired and electric space and water heating equipment, components and related products used for residential, commercial and industrial applications. GAMA member companies account for more than 90 percent of U.S. sales of gas and oil-fired space heating equipment and gas, oil and electric water heaters. Combined U.S. sales of GAMA member companies exceed $9 billion per year. In addition, GAMA member companies employ more than 190,000 workers in the United States. GAMA's membership reaches beyond the United States to include companies in Canada, Japan, China, Europe and Australia.
