GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - One lucky HVACR contractor recently walked, err, drove away from a distributor event in a new 2008 GMC Sierra 4x4 pickup truck. But he wasn’t the only one who got lucky that day. On May 16, the Behler-Young Co., an HVACR distributor based in Grand Rapids, gave the truck away to one of five qualifying key holders during a special event at their location.

Doug Young, president of Behler-Young, said the event was to show appreciation for his customers and draw some potential new prospects to the business. Several dozen contractors and their employees showed for the noon lunch and mini-vendor show, too.

The winner of the truck was Garry Haisma, owner of Haisma Heating & Cooling in nearby Comstock Park. His entry was submitted by one of his service techs, Larry Brown Jr. Five people were chosen from over 8,000 contest entrants to hold one key each to the truck’s ignition. Only one key, picked by Haisma, started the truck. Contest entrants qualified for every order of $150 or more of service parts at the counter of one of several Behler-Young locations throughout Michigan. As an added bonus, the employee, Brown, who submitted the entry which led to the winning key was given a $1,000 Best Buy gift certificate. But the winning didn’t stop there.

Haisma was so excited about winning that he told Brown to go out and shop for a big screen television, as a thank you for helping him win the truck. Brown said he planned to go out shopping “right away.”

“This feels fantastic,” said Haisma, who was joined by his wife, Brenda, immediately after the key turned the ignition. “The truck I am driving has 165,000 miles on it. I have never won anything this big in my life.”

If you want to see the winning moment, click on the video at The NEWS’ home page, www.achrnews.com.

Publication date: 06/23/2008