SMART ENGINEERING. TRUSTED PROTECTION. RUGGED RELIABILITY.

There’s a reason why Bryan, Ohio has been voted one of the 100 best small towns in America. Situated in the Northwest corner of Ohio, in the heart of the Industrial Midwest, Bryan is a place where people’s faith in what matters most is modeled daily. Family, community, religion and education - these are the institutions that Bryan residents like Herbert and Agnes Kerr valued and embraced.

St. Patrick School in Bryan is a place where children learn about their community, their world and what it means to live out their lives in faith.

These principles are what forever linked the Kerr’s with the children of St. Patrick School. In 2005, Father Charles F. Ritter was contacted with news that the Kerr’s had made a significant financial donation to both St. Patrick Church and School. Eighty-Five percent of their contribution, $330,000, was to be used to further provide for the educational needs of the students.

“We were amazed because this couple had no children but apparently were impressed over the years with the quality of the education our children received,” said Father Ritter, Pastor of St. Patrick Church. “It became clear that their wish was to contribute something to make sure that our school continued its tradition of teaching excellence."

The Kerr’s contribution couldn’t have come at a better time - St. Patrick School realized they were in need of a new heating system. The current system, which was over 40 years old, was beginning to fail after systematic malfunctions in recent years.

“This became the perfect time to not only replace the old system, which was hugely inefficient both in terms of operating cost and quality of consistent heating,” added Ritter. “We also wanted to provide cooling if at all possible."

That’s when St. Patrick School turned to Glen Bowen of Stark’s Plumbing & Heating, the local Bard dealer.

Bard’s Contribution

“In 2007, St. Patrick School asked us to come up with an independent design for redoing the school’s HVAC system,” said Glen Bowen, Stark's Plumbing & Heating. “It was difficult because we were dealing with vintage 1960’s equipment and we found we couldn’t come through the roof or the floor due to issues related to the original design and construction."

That’s when Stark's Plumbing & Heating decided to utilize the wall mounted design of Bard’s 3-ton, Quiet Climate 2 unit. “Our company specializes in energy efficiency and alternative energy sources such as geothermal, and high-efficiency air-to-air heat pumps, so we were excited to use the Quiet Climate 2 in St. Patrick School,” added Bowen.

Utilizing the Quiet Climate 2, Stark's was able to provide each room and teacher with individual control over their room’s temperature.

“This added to the efficiency in a couple ways," said Bowen. "First, it allowed for better and more even \ temperature control throughout each classroom. Second, if one unit were to go down it wouldn’t mean the whole system was down. Plus, if certain rooms weren’t being used those units could be turned off or on as needed.”

Stark's became even more impressed when they learned of the QC 2 low ambient noise operating capabilities, as well as its overall energy efficiency.

“I’ve been in the business 15 years and so I’m not easily impressed, but when I walked into the classroom I can’t tell you how excited I was – they were extremely quiet and the rooms were very comfortable," said Bowen. "Thanks to Bard, the whole project played out perfectly.”

Why Bard?

Over thirty years ago, Bard began solving the comfort needs of schools across the country by providing wall-mounted heating and cooling equipment. Bard’s products offer a combination of quiet operation, and energy efficiency, with unsurpassed quality and dependability that make them the #1 choice for schools.

With three, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and a global distribution network, Bard’s commitment to quality and product innovation begins with its commitment to research and development. With features like self-diagnostics and self-programming energy monitors, Bard delivers products that provide tangible solutions for any school.

St. Patrick School’s Results

“With the Bard units in place our teachers and students never have to worry about room temperature interfering with classroom learning,” said Lisa Cinadr, Principal, St. Patrick School. “They also give us the flexibility to turn on or off any number of rooms we choose – such as on the weekends, during the summer months, or when we’re hosting a conference and only use a few rooms.”

"The efficiency of the Bard heat pumps allowed St. Patrick School to add cooling to their classrooms and greatly improve indoor air quality at practically no added operational cost." said Bowen.

“As a former teacher myself, I understand the tremendous value and generosity of the Kerr’s financial donation, as well as the contribution made by Stark’s Plumbing & Heating and Bard,” said Cinadr. “They’re a tremendous blessing to our students and teachers and to our continuing legacy of teaching excellence.”