Paul Hallmann

COLUMBUS, Ohio– Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) this month hired full-time economist Paul Hallmann to its Benchmarking department.

Hallmann, who will be based at the HARDI headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, previously served as a corporate strategist for Scotts Miracle-Grow Company, a multinational, publicly-traded corporation.

“I look forward to bringing added-value to HARDI members with these exciting programs we offer,” said Hallmann. “My near-term goal is immersing myself in the HVACR distribution industry to learn about it as quickly and thoroughly as possible, so I can start bringing actionable economic insights to the table.”

Hallmann received his undergraduate degree, masters and doctorate each in economics from Virginia Tech.

In this economist role, Hallmann will be working closely with Market Research & Benchmarking Analyst Brian Loftus on delivering macro-level and market-specific insights.

“Having an internal economist in Paul on staff at HARDI gives us the opportunity to comprehensively tailor the information we deliver to HARDI members in our Benchmarking resources in a more fine-tuned way,” said Loftus. “This is a big step in our efforts to continually give members directly-applicable information for HVACR distributors.”

“Having our own economist that will be directly integrated into our data analysis offerings is an exciting prospect for us and our members who take advantage of them,” said CEO Talbot Gee. “With Paul on board, we’re eyeing some pretty lofty goals for expanding the benefits of HARDI Benchmarking and HARDInomics services, and we look forward to presenting them to members here in the near future.”

For more information, contact Anthony Lagunzad at alagunzad@hardinet.org.

ABOUT HARDI
HARDI (Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International) is the single voice of wholesale distribution within the HVACR industry.

HARDI members market, distribute, and support heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration equipment, parts and supplies. HARDI Distributor members serve installation and service/replacement contractors in residential and commercial markets, as well as commercial/industrial and institutional maintenance staffs. HARDI proudly represents more than 480 distributor members representing more than 5,000 branch locations, and close to 500 suppliers, manufacturer representatives and service vendors.