Scott Strawbridge, executive vice president of the Mechanical Contractors' Association (MCA) of Northern California, has become only the fifth person in the HVCA's history to receive its Distinguished Service Award, the highest honour which the Association can bestow on an individual.
HVCA chief executive Robert Higgs explained that the reasons for conferring the award on Mr Strawbridge were that - over a period of 18 years - he had:

· played an important role in developing relations between the HVCA and the Mechanical Contractors' Association of America (MCAA);

· facilitated the expansion of contractor and executive participation in the International Alliance of Mechanical Contractors' Associations (IAMCA), of which he is past secretary;

· secured for IAMCA affiliate membership of the European umbrella bodies GCI-UICP and CEETB, and successfully encouraged IAMCA member participation in Europe;

· acted in an 'ambassadorial' role in hosting and supporting the HVCA delegation at MCAA annual conventions.

'Scott Strawbridge, along with his wife Christina, can accurately be described as true and valued friends of the HVCA, as successive presidents over the past two decades can attest,' Higgs confirmed.

And he added that Strawbridge's relationship with the HVCA was summed up in the inscription that appears on a plaque presented to the Association by the MCA of Northern California during an 'information exchange visit' in April 1993, and which hangs in the reception area of the HVCA's headquarters.

This inscription includes the words, 'separated by miles, but together in sharing ideas for the industry'.

The four previous winners of the HVCA Distinguished Service Award have all been past presidents of the Association - Donald Russell Naylor, Peter How, Edgar Poppleton and Chris Sneath.