Contractor WR Refrigeration and air conditioning manufacturer Toshiba were two of the big winners at this year's ACR News Awards.
Before an audience of nearly 400 guests from across the air conditioning, refrigeration and end user sectors last night, Leicester based WR was named Contractor of the Year in the over £10m turnover category and also picked up the Training Initiative of the Year award for its alternative refrigerants training centre. In addition, the company won Refrigeration Product of the Year for its joint development with the Midlands Co-operative Society of a combined heating and cooling pack for supermarkets.
Toshiba won the Air Conditioning Product of the Year trophy for its recently introduced refrigerant leak detection systems for air conditioners and also picked up the Environmental Initiative trophy for its efforts in achieving zero carbon status.
The closely contested bid to be crowned Distributor/Wholesaler of the Year came to a conclusion with Nottingham-based Oceanair lifting the trophy for the first time, beating fellow finalists and last year's winner Logicool, five-times-winner Space Airconditioning and national wholesaler Climate Center and Pipe Center.
Guests at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel in London were treated to an evening of entertainment and humour from presenter Rob Beckett, rounding the evening off with a flutter in the charity casino.
The full list of winners is:
Distributor/Wholesaler of the Year : Oceanair
Refrigeration Product of the Year: WR Refrigeration
Air Conditioning Product of the Year: Toshiba Air Conditioning
Contractor of the Year (>£10m t/o): WR Refrigeration
Contractor of the Year (<£10m t/o): A1R Services
Training Initiative of the Year: WR Refrigeration
Environmental Initiative of the Year: Toshiba Air Conditioning
Marketing Initiative of the Year: Space Airconditioning
Consultant of the Year: Stephen Gill Associates
Alan Moor Award: Miriam Rodway