"This event was a convergence of the strengthening economy paired with the official sales release of the new drive for HVAC, the ACH550 Series," said Jeff Miller, HVAC sales manager. Attendance was up more than 35 percent, the company reported.

A number of distributors earned awards because their drives business with ABB exceeded $1 million in 2003. In addition, "the interest in technical training was very high," said Mike Olson, manager - HVAC applications.