Archive for the ‘Latest News’ Category
11.30.2012
The Best Christmas Tree Ever
Fall brings leaves. Leaves bring colder weather. Colder weather brings… Food trees? Yes, it does! It’s time again for the annual Festival of Trees at the Aurora Theatre in Historic Lawrenceville. In case you’re not up on the Festival, let me explain. Each year, local businesses are invited to fill the Aurora Theatre’s lobby with decorated Christmas trees to usher in the holiday season during their fabulous Christmas Canteen show – which started the weekend after Thanksgiving. Patrons who attend the theatre are asked to bring either nonperishable food for our local Gwinnett food banks or toys for Toys for Tots. The tree which “collects” the most food and toys underneath its branches is declared the “Best of the Fest”! For the third straight year, all food collected during this event is part of the Gwinnett CAN Challenge sponsored by Holtkamp HVAC and will be donated to our area food banks. So here’s the crazy part. Each year, Theresa and I have to come up with a new Christmas tree design. You can see the previous year’s design here. It gets harder each year to do something bigger and better! This year, we were inspired to construct the tree entirely […]
11.27.2012
Welcome Humidity as Temps Cool
As I sit on the couch last night listening to the length of my daughter’s shower (yes, we have two teenagers in the house now; how did THAT happen?) all I could mumble was, “At least she’s filling the house with moisture.” Ha! How’s that for finding the silver lining! This is just your friendly-almost-winter-now reminder to turn off the shower and cooking exhaust fans (unless you plan on cooking something really odorous!). As metro-Atlantans we have been trained to think that all humidity is bad because of our never-ending battle in the sweltering months. The reverse is true during the winter season. Higher humidity helps you to feel warmer and more comfortable at a lower temperature not to mention relieves static electricity, dry mucous membranes and shrinking doors and molding. This means lower utility bills and higher comfort. The optimal indoor humidity is around 45%. So let that shower steam waft out into the hallway and let that boiling pot of soup spread its happiness throughout the house. And the next time your teenager takes a long shower, thank her for being so concerned about your dry nose. The next blog posting? Maybe I will give you the good news about […]
11.06.2012
CAN Challenge Success at the Taste of Home Show
Nothing says fall like cool air outside, comfortable air inside and the cozy smell of home-cooked, comfort meals being made. And what better way to catch up on the latest foodie treats and help fill local food bank shelves than at the Taste of Home Cooking Show at the Gwinnett Arena. This past Thursday, the Holtkamp crew set up shop alongside the delicious vendors and cooking demonstrations to collect donations for the Lilburn Co-op, one of the nine local food banks supported through the Gwinnett CAN Challenge. Everyone who donated was also entered to win a free iPad, and with over 1,100 in attendance, our booth was humming with donations. We were pleasantly surprised when the previous year’s iPad winner came to visit our booth during the show, and especially touched when we announced this year’s winner, Angel, and she came to us in tears explaining how she brought in 67 items for the drive just because she felt called to help this year. We are so glad she was moved to help—and got an iPad to boot! Thanks to the generosity of many, we were able to collect 1,574 items and $512 in donations—which translates into a little over one ton (yes, […]
10.26.2012
October 2012 Busy Month for Holtkamp CAN Challenge
There’s been such a nonstop calendar of activity this month with our CAN Challenge that’s it hard to know where to begin giving updates! Thought I would spend a few minutes telling you about the Holtkamp Homeschool Day at the Aurora Theatre this past Monday, Oct. 22. Once again, the Children’s Playhouse of the Aurora Theatre outdid themselves with their production of “Robin Hood”. The event was sponsored by Holtkamp HVAC and tickets were free but patrons were asked to bring nonperishable food items for The Quinn House – located only blocks from the Aurora in Historic Lawrenceville. 1090 food items were collected from over 500 in attendance! Thank you homeschoolers for helping to feed our hungry. Here are a few highlights from the performances.
10.08.2012
Holtkamp Heating & Air Keeps the Aurora Theatre Reaching High
What’s that up in the sky? It’s a bird… it’s a plane… no, it’s Trane air conditioner! Just wanted to show you the beautiful picture of the unit flying through the sky thanks to the crane. It was a rooftop replacement and so our techs were able to enjoy a nice view of Historic Lawrenceville while completing the immensely important job. (Did I mention how Matthew really likes cranes? I had to practically hold him down in his seat after he learned the job would require bringing in the big guns.) As the Official Heating & Air Company of the Aurora Theatre, we were more than happy to help keep the stage on fire while cooling down the audience!
08.02.2012
Students of Aurora's Summer Camps take on the CAN Challenge
Congratulations to the students of the Aurora’s summer acting camps beginning in June. Each 2 week camp was given a goal of collecting 1,000 items for our local food banks. The students and staff passed the goal and celebrated the victory with an ice cream party (hosted by Holtkamp Heating & Air) at their end-of-camp performance for family and friends. Thanks Aurora for cheering the students on, thanks Jaclyn for being such an awesome coordinator and thanks to Theresa from Holtkamp for being a supreme party hostess. Is your group a nonprofit? Join the fun, help feed the hungry and earn grant money for your nonprofit. Check out the Gwinnett CAN Challenge!
07.17.2012
Temperatures in the high 80's Welcome Respite
Just thought you would enjoy a small glimpse into Matthew’s napping habits. After several weeks of record Atlanta temperatures, we’ll cut him some slack!
07.13.2012
Vote for Holtkamp Heating & Air for Best of Gwinnett 2012
The ballot box is open once again for Gwinnett Magazine’s Best of Gwinnett. We have won this the last three years running in the “Home Services” category. We don’t take this honor lightly and want to thank all those who have voted for us in the past. This is a fantastic way to support local businesses and we highly encourage you to vote! Here’s the link to vote. Please don’t forget to mark “Home Services” category and fill in Holtkamp. Thank you!!
07.11.2012
Local Food Banks Need Our Help
The summer months are days we all relish with plans for vacations, time off from school and splashy times at the pool. However, the summer months are also the toughest time for food banks. The demand stays the same with just as many families to feed but supply goes way down as donors shuffle off to vacation and those in greatest need no longer receive assistance in local school lunch programs. Read about our local needs here. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a wonderful organization and one we have always supported both professionally and personally. Please consider donating directly to an Svdp location or another local food bank. Accept the CAN Challenge and organize a food drive while earning grant money for your own 501(c)3. Want to learn more? Call the office 770.271.7511 and ask to speak to Theresa from Holtkamp Heating & Air, the coordinator of the Gwinnett CAN Challenge.
06.29.2012
What You Need to Know During This Atlanta Heatwave
I don’t need to tell you it’s hot. While I can’t tell you the correct percentage of electrolytes you should have in your body to prevent dehydration, I can give you some tips on your cooling system. 1) Go ahead and set your thermostat a couple of degrees cooler than normal in the morning to get a headstart and be prepared for your cooling system to run constantly all day during this hot weather. 2) Use your blinds and curtains. Keep doors and windows completely closed. 3) Limit or eliminate use of heat and humidity producing appliances. This includes the oven, hairdryers, clothes dryers and excessive showering. Hey, what’s a little extra stinkiness anyway? It’s HOT outside! 4) Go to the pool or lake! Then you can get rid of your stinkiness at the same time. Just a thought… FYI – As a rule of thumb, a perfectly designed A/C should run constantly anytime it gets above 92 degrees if your tstat is set to 75 degrees. It would then be considered normal for the thermostat to raise 1 degree inside for every one degree outside above 92. Yes, you read that right. If it’s 104 outside, your A/C should be sized to […]
