hilmor®, a leading brand of the DiversiTech family and a manufacturer of innovative tools for heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration technicians, has announce the winners of the 2019 "Fastest Hands in HVACR" Challenge. The four winners were crowned at the DiversiTech exhibit during the AHR Expo on Tuesday, Jan. 15.
Now in its third year, the competition timed participants on their ability to complete swaging and other common HVACR repair and installation tasks using a variety of innovative hilmor tools, including three new products introduced at this year’s expo. More than 230 participants vied for the “fastest hands” title during the expo on Monday and Tuesday. The top 16 qualifiers competed head-to-head late Tuesday afternoon.
Besting all competitors and taking home the first place prize was Taylor Wansing of Brinktown, Mo. A Marine Corps veteran and student at State Technical College of Missouri, Wansing is receiving $1,000 in hilmor tools. In a first for hilmor, Wansing was also selected as a recipient of hilmor’s 2018 Retool Your Future Scholarship. Wansing along with four other scholarship recipients received an expense paid trip to this year’s AHR Expo, an HVACR Starter Kit and a $5,000 scholarship to help continue their HVACR education.
No one has ever won both the Fastest Hands Challenge and been selected as a Retool Your Future Scholarship recipient.
Michael Turnage of MW Services Inc. in Temecula, Calf., captured second place and is receiving $500 in hilmor tools. Scot Olah of White Sands Mechanical in Gulf Breeze, Fla., and Vondragus Johnson of DHR Mechanical in Sanford, Fla., tied for third place and each are receiving $300 in hilmor tools.
“This competition is always a great way for HVACR technicians to get a hands-on experience working with our newest product innovations and have some fun,” said DiversiTech Brand Director Andrea Halpin. “We thank all who participated, including our finalists and our first place winner, Taylor. We hope the scholarship and the tools will further retool his future into a successful HVACR career.”