Army Veteran & Father of Three Receives a New Boiler Just in Time for Winter.
We would like to think we make a difference in our customers lives on a daily basis. Whether their indoor environment is too hot or cold, we respond to make sure our customers are comfortable.
Then there are those exceptional moments when we hear about someone who is dealing with unimaginable hardship but are unable to help themselves. This is when we respond by providing comfort to our customer’s heart, as well as the heart of the home.
Recently, we took part of Lennox’s “Feel the Love” Program. Lennox donated an HVAC system to Emerson, NJ resident Lisa Ercolano. Our Reiner employees not only donated their time to install a new HVAC system, but also to help take care of a few necessary home improvement projects.
The program received such a positive response not only from our community, but also from within our Reiner family. Within weeks of Feel the Love, I was notified that we had another request for a charitable installation.
Mario Urriola, one of our Residential Install Mechanic discovered that a fellow parishioner at his church was badly in need of a new boiler. Alex Yepes asked Mario if he could look at his boiler to see if it could be fixed, or if it needed to be replaced. Mario inspected the boiler and told Alex that it was on its last legs and would most likely not make it through another Winter. This was not good news for Alex and his family. After recently losing his wife to cancer, Alex had not been in the frame of mind during her treatment to have the boiler serviced and was not in the financial position to have it replaced. He felt helpless.
Mario was compelled to find a solution for Alex and decided to ask Reiner Vice President, Tony Gasparovich, if Reiner could help. Based on Alex’s story, Tony graciously offered to provide a new boiler for Alex. Mario quickly gathered volunteers to assist with the installation. Jesus Trujillo, parts agent and former Reiner technician, as well as Commercial Installation Mechanic, Billy Gregg offered to help.
Alex was overwhelmed by the news. He couldn’t believe Reiner was willing to step up to help his family. While visiting Alex’s home during the pre-installation process with some of our Sales Engineers and Field Foreman, I was able to speak to him more about his life story.
Alex joined the military after high school in 1995 and became a parachute rigger. He enjoyed serving in the military and loved serving his country. After receiving an honorable discharge, he returned home to marry his childhood sweetheart Virna and had three beautiful children.
Unfortunately, Virna became ill in 2017 and succumbed to her illness in 2019. However, Alex and his family remained strong and have been brought even closer together though their faith and love for one another.
Reiner believes in giving back to people such as Alex, who is an extraordinary example of strength and selflessness.
This Veteran’s Day we recognize Alex, along with all Veterans who have served our country.
Thank you all for your service.