Mr. Chairman, I am extremely honored to be here today to provide you and the other distinguished members of the Small Business Committee testimony regarding an issue that has tremendous impact on the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industry. Chairman Talent, I am the President and CEO of Copeland Corporation, whose global headquarters are located in Sidney, Ohio and is also home to the world's largest compressor research and development center.
Compressors are integral components of all heating and cooling systems.
Mr. Chairman, Hussmann Corporation, one of our largest customers and a major producer of commercial refrigeration equipment, is located in your district. Copeland is a subsidiary of Emerson Electric Company which is a global leader in the application of innovative technologies in commercial, industrial, and consumer markets worldwide. Headquartered in St. Louis, Emerson has more than 60 divisions selling products in more than 150 countries and employs 117,000 people. In the past year, our association has made one of our primary goals addressing the shortage of skilled labor in our industry. Attracting and retaining skilled and qualified workers is perhaps the most critical issue to come before our industry in recent years.