phc april 2011 www.phcnews.com


GREEN SYSTEMS


twice as many ¾" fin tubes placed in parallel for low resistance to flow. Larger diameter fin tubes are also a good alternative and available commercially. The owner of this system willingly tended to some minor


seasonal adjustments. We no longer design systems that require manual intervention such as collector covers or seasonal valves and switches. The success of a heating system should not be personality dependent. Only high temperature pipe insulation withstood the test


of time at this job. The only solar pipe insulation that survived for the duration


out in the weather was the stuff covered by metal foil. These articles are targeted toward residential and small


commercial buildings smaller than 10,000 square feet. The focus is on pressurized glycol/hydronic systems, since these systems can be applied in a wide variety of building geometries and orientations with few limitations. Brand names, organizations, suppliers and manufacturers are mentioned in these articles only to provide examples for illustration and discussion and do not constitute any recommendation or endorsement.


Bristol Stickney is the chief technical officer for SolarLogic


LLC in Santa Fe, N.M., where he is involved in development of solar heating control systems and design tools for solar heating professionals. Visit www information. l


.solarlogicllc.com for more


HYDRONICS RHEEM — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 66


a part of enjoying life. When the temperature is just right and you feel comfortable, when you feel good about your home and what’s in it, you just can’t help but smile. That’s the inspiration behind the new look and feel of Rheem. Our innovative new products, sleek new designs, the integrity of Rheem products and the trust the Rheem brand has earned over the years are all expressed in the new Rheem look and feel. More specifically, all future Rheem products will feature a


soft, grey paint scheme, rounded edges accented with polished metallic elements. All Rheem products will display the vivid bright red Rheem logo, as well as a distinct, vertical indented line down the middle of the product. This element — the Rheem logo matched with the indented vertical line — creates a visual “thermometer,” associating the Rheem brand with the soothing and reliable comfort result all consumers are looking for. A curved line at the bottom of each product portrays a smile, which symbolizes the Rheem commitment to people, making them comfortable and helping them enjoy life. It also signifies how Rheem views itself as a company; one of integrity that is easy to do business with. Combined, these new design elements create a more contemporary, appliance-looking product, with attractive style features that are pleasing to today’s homeowner.


Is social networking an important aspect of Rheem’s business? Absolutely. With the rise of Internet usage and social


media, more consumers are going online to find information about products. This is a great thing; consumers are proactively making themselves better informed about water heating, HVAC and pool heating product options. So it’s becoming increasingly important to focus our efforts on


engaging consumers in social media platforms. As Rheem evolves its new brand identity, social media will be


more prevalent in our marketing efforts. For instance, as part of our racing sponsorship programs, we will launch an iPhone®/iPod Touch®/ iPad® racing game app in the second quarter of this year. We debuted a sneak peek of the app at the AHR Expo 2011; top NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick demoed the game along with three lucky AHR attendees. For more information on Rheem, visit www.rheem.com. l


FROM THE DESK OF... John Hazen White, Jr.


Taco gives back to the community!


JOHN HAZEN WHITE, JR. President & CEO, Taco Inc.


Companies have no choice but to invest in the indus- tries they operate in be- cause business success really depends upon those industry associations. But that doesn’t mean that a company also has to invest in the community it calls home. Companies can limit their involve- ment and outreach to their local community, should they not care to become involved or see such involvement simply as a calculation of re- turn on investment. If a company operates in a large industrial park, surrounded strictly by other businesses, it may be quite easy to see itself as an island in an archipelago, with any notion of the surrounding community as over-the-horizon.


For a company like Taco, however, which has been operating since 1954 in the same building in a dense urban environment, community involve- ment is very much an active notion – in fact, be- ing a good neighbor and giving something back to the community is part of our mission statement.


“For Taco... community involvement is very much an active notion”


Like many businesses, we started small – joining the local chamber of commerce and sponsoring a little league team – Taco Heaters – back in the 1960s. Fifty years later, I am proud to say, we are involved in a host of community-related activi- ties which involve not only the company per se but many of our employees individually. We sup- port many community activities at all levels – in Cranston where we’re located and across the state of Rhode Island – and a number of our employ- ees serve community organizations in their spare time.


Taco has an obligation, first and foremost, to our employees. They are the engine of our success, so their welfare – and that of their families – is an important consideration for us. By extension, the welfare of communities they call home is also important to us. That’s why my family started a charitable foundation, now called The White Family Foundation, more than a decade ago to provide grants to local organizations involved with various areas of civic life, be it the arts, healthcare, social services, and the environment. This is one way we actively give back to the com- munity.


Of course, in this regard it helps to be a privately held company, with local ownership, with a board of directors who support our community mission. As we ensure a company with a sound balance sheet, we can then provide the “value-added” of community involvement, which completes what I like to think of as the “circle of responsibility.” Improving the community around us returns the favor by providing a better place for all of us to live and do business.


You can do this as well, at your own level. Con- sider what your company can give back to your community.


e Circle 44 on reader reply card 69


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