Jun 23 2005
For the past seven years, it has been difficult to recruit volunteers for the Heart to Heart global distribution center in Olathe, Kan., because the building that houses the global humanitarian organization was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. For similar reasons, the organization has been unable to obtain a license permitting them to store pharmaceuticals and temperature-sensitive medical supplies onsite.
All of that is about to change, as the second phase of a five-phase warehouse renovation nears completion. With phase I complete, phase II includes improvements to the electrical system and the installation of a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. When phase II is complete, organization officials expect volunteer recruitment to improve, and they look forward to consolidating their pharmaceutical and medical supplies in one facility.
Several area contractors are making the renovation of the warehouse possible.
Air Design Heating and Cooling, Gardner, Kan., is installing 13 York(R) Sunline(TM) and York Predator(R) rooftop units.
CFM Distributors, Kansas City, Mo., and York International Corporation's Unitary Products Group (UPG), which operates a major manufacturing facility in Wichita, delivered the heating and air-conditioning equipment at a savings of 75 percent.
Air Design performed its work below cost. The 13 units replace an aging boiler system that cost Heart to Heart $10,000 in monthly heating bills. The new system will provide 149 tons of conditioned air to the 100,000-square-foot facility.
"Heart to Heart has a tremendous reputation in our area as a local organization that reaches out and impacts our world in a positive way," said Air Design president Greg Schmidt.
"If we can help them provide much-needed relief by donating our services to this renovation project, then we want to be there for them." Added CFM president Tom Roberts, "It's nice to know that our local effort will have a long-term effect on the world community."
The 50-year-old distribution center serves as Heart to Heart's shipping, receiving and storage facility, as well as the launch pad for the organization's volunteer initiatives. "This facility is our most valuable asset and is literally the nerve center of our humanitarian operations," said Jon North, Heart to Heart's CEO. "Through this renovation project ... we are simply trying to bring the capabilities of the global distribution center into the 21st Century."
For more information about Heart to Heart, visit http://www.hearttoheart.org. For more information about York UPG, visit http://www.yorkupg.com.