JACKSONVILLE, FL: "Great conference! What a worthwhile investment!" was one attendee's comments
regarding the 7th Annual NCI Summit. This year's event was a tremendous success in Jacksonville.

The NCI Summit played host to innovative pre-conference training including the ESI Exclusive - CommonCents™. This groundbreaking program created incredible energy and excitement for all attendees looking at the future of field testing. One of the biggest challenges for the attendees was deciding which breakout session to go to. This year's breakout sessions truly ran the gamut from growing a service agreement base to energy incentives to marketing strategies. Our faculty of instructors featured an all-star cast with 19 instructors, many NCI members - on hand to share their knowledge and ideas to help attendees shine in 2010.

Both the networking reception and opening welcome reception with exhibits were successful. The vendors
added a special flavor providing an opportunity for attendee's to take a look at new products and existing services available through NCI's ContractorsOne™ member rewards program. Technical Excellence members mingled with Business Leadership members, made new acquaintances and contacts, shared stories and insight, and found a bountiful networking opportunity during the conference. Sponsors for this year's Summit include TSI, Goodman, Field Controls, Service Net and To Your Success.

NCI CEO Dominick Guarino, set the tone for the conference with his message, "Don't Drop The Ball." His statement brought this year's theme of Implementation into the spotlight for all attendees. Keynote speaker and 25 year HVAC industry veteran, John Garofalo, kicked off the opening session and wowed the audience with his powerful presentation about Leadership. John walked the audience through what it takes to become a true leader, and how with strong leadership coupled with the right implementation steps they can weather any economic storm and thrive in our fast-changing industry.

The awards banquet was a true celebration of our fellow member's passion for Performance-Based Contracting and their sustained success in the HVAC industry. As NCI President Rob Falke put it, "These companies are the best of the best and we are proud to have them associated with National Comfort Institute." Emotions ran high for many of the nominees and award winners.

NCI members were honored in the following Contractor of the Year categories for training excellence, outstanding achievement in testing, quality service, implementation of NCI best practices and efficiency standards.

Congratulations to the following 2010 Contractor of the Year recipients:

Technical Excellence Contractor of the Year (small business category)
Jim Brown of The Jim Brown Company in Mountain Home, AR
www.jimbrowncompany.com

Technical Excellence Contractor of the Year (large business category)
Jim Glennon of Modern Service in Fort Meyers, FL
www.modernservice.com

Business Leadership Contractor of the Year (small business category)
Scott Shubert of Miller Heating & Cooling in Waterloo, IL
www.justcallmiller.com

Business Leadership Contractor of the Year (large business category)
Michael Davis of Davis Services in Spartanburg, SC
www.davisservicesinc.com

The highlight of the awards banquet was the presentation of the award named in honor of the late David Debien for his pioneering work in HVAC system design and installation. This year's David Debien Technical Excellence Award was presented to Tom Spall of T.E Spall & Son in Carbondale, PA. The award was presented by NCI President Rob Falke.

A new award at this year's event was the NCI National Training Excellence Award. President Rob Falke presented this award to Hal Smith of Halco Heating in Phelps, NY. Halco with its state-of-the-art facilities and dedication to training was honored with this prestigious award.

The Partner of the Year went to Goodman Mfg. for their contributions and ongoing efforts in training and education for our members and contractors within the Goodman A-Plus Dealer Program.

CEO and Chairman Dominick Guarino presented Daniel Squires of Vincent's Heating & Plumbing in Port Huron, MI with the 2010 NCI Chairman's Award. Daniel Squires was honored with this award due to his staunch support of NCI's mission, company wide implementation of Performance-Based Contracting, and a contributor of industry knowledge.

National Comfort Institute thanks its members, guest speakers, sponsors and faculty for making the Summit such a success. At NCI, our mission is to help contractors grow and succeed in their marketplace by offering them every opportunity for success through performance-based training, resources and business services. We look forward to the year ahead and helping our members continually thrive and excel in this competitive industry.

Our next Summit will be held in Phoenix, AZ March 2011. See you there!