The Hydraulic Institute (HI) 2018 Annual Conference closed in customary fashion with the Gala & Awards Dinner, Friday, March 2 at the Wigwam Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. During the Gala, HI presented awards to organizations committed to advancing their business and the world around them. The three categories include:

• Energy Efficiency – Developed to recognize the company or organization which, through their pump/ system related activities, has made a significant impact on the advancement of Energy Efficiency in North America.

• Innovation & Technology – Developed to recognize the company or organization which, through their pump/system related activities, has made a significant impact on the advancement of Energy Efficiency in North America.

• Workforce Development – Developed to recognize the company or organization which, through their pump/system or related activities, has made a significant investment in developing and training individuals to advance their knowledge and careers by building an infrastructure devoted to improving job skills in North America.

The Pump Industry Excellence Award for Energy Efficiency was bestowed to Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The medical center reduced energy consumption by 27% in five years and achieved a 99% energy star rating in 2017 by installing one of the largest solar-covered parking structures in the United States which now provides 28% of their electricity, adopting a total systems approach for pumping systems from boilers and chilled water units to heating hot water systems and working with vendors and utility partners to solve efficiency problems. The award was sponsored by HI member company, TACO Comfort Solutions, Inc.

The Pump Industry Excellence Award for Innovation & Technology was presented to Chevron Energy Technology Company specifically for driving innovation to new depths with their Jack / St Malo Deepwater Challenge project. Chevron’s project pushed the limits of technology in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico to find oil beneath 7,000 feet (2,134 m) of water and more than 19,500 feet (5,944 m) of earth. A multitude of new technologies were deployed to safely develop and deliver production in extremely challenging, high temperature and high pressure environment. This award was sponsored by HI member company, SULZER.

The Pump Industry Excellence Award for Workforce Development was given to Palo Verde Generating Station for their proactive approach to ensure the availability of qualified workers to build, operate and maintain their nuclear power plant into the future, developing joint training programs with the broader community, making training real by using live-streaming data and monitoring systems to demonstrate real plant operations in real time and forging a workforce development partnership that blends hands-on training with theory, in addition to, partnering with local schools and education centers to build awareness at an early age of the rewarding career opportunities in electricity generation. This award was jointly sponsored by HI member companies, SPP Pumps, Inc. & Kirloskar Brothers Limited.

To learn more about the pump industry excellence awards program, visit www.pumps.org/excellence. The Hydraulic Institute congratulates all award winners.
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The Hydraulic Institute:

Advancing the pump manufacturing industry by becoming the world’s resource for pumping solutions by: Addressing Pump Systems, Developing Standards, Expanding Knowledge and Resources, Educating the Marketplace and Advocating for the Industry. For more information on the Hydraulic Institute, visit www.Pumps.org.