COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) recently recognized U.S. Rep. Todd Young, R-Indiana, with the HARDI Small Business Champion Award.

The Small Business Champion Award is given to elected officials who promote and protect the interests of small businesses, which represent more than 80 percent of HARDI wholesalers.

“On multiple fronts, I’m honored to receive this award,” said Young. “First and foremost, it’s validation that our approach to helping small businesses cope with over-burdensome regulations is the right approach. When small businesses can grow unimpeded, jobs and wages can grow along with them. And as the son of a small business owner in the HVAC industry – and as someone who learned the value of hard work doing janitorial work there as a kid – it’s particularly rewarding to be named the Small Business Champion by HARDI.”

Since being elected in 2011, Young has continuously supported small businesses. Most notably, in 2012, he took over as lead sponsor of the Regulations From the Executive In Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which has been a longtime HARDI priority due to it creating increased transparency and accountability in Congress. The act puts more authority in our country’s elected officials hands instead of unelected administrators making large-scale decisions that impact small businesses. The bill passed the House last July.

Recently, Young announced he will not run for re-election in the House in order to run for the U.S. Senate, for which HARDIPAC has officially endorsed him citing his willingness to fight for common sense policies which will help grow the economy and create opportunities for workers.

“Rep. Young is a tremendous defender of small businesses,” said Karen Madonia, CFO of ILLCO Inc., which runs a branch in Hammond, Indiana, and who serves as co-chair of HARDI’s Government Affairs committee. “As someone whose entire life has revolved around a small business, I have complete faith in Rep. Young to lead Indiana and our nation in a way that encourages the growth of small businesses.”

“Rep. Young comes from a family-owned HVAC business,” said Brian Cobble, president of Indiana-based G.W. Berkheimer and former HARDI president, “He understands our struggles better than most and, on Election Day, we have a great and rare opportunity to put him in a position to make a big difference for us.”