FabricAir, Suwanee, Georgia, the original manufacturer of fabric HVAC duct, honored Stan Weaver Co., St. Petersburg, Florida, with its 2022 Top Manufacturer's Representative Performance Award at the AHR Expo 2023 (International Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigerating Exposition) Feb. 6 in Atlanta.

FabricAir vice president of sales, Charles Justice, presented the award to Derrick Roberts and Mike Foley, Stan Weaver Co.'s president and general manager, respectively.   

The 45-year-old manufacturer's representative firm operates five Florida offices in Jacksonville, St. Petersburg, Miami, West Palm Beach and Orlando. Stan Weaver Co. specializes in air movement with more than 40 product lines and has represented FabricAir since 2010 throughout Florida with the exception of Fort Meyers and Pensacola areas.

"The advantage of fabric duct is never having to address a product manufacturing or handling quality control issue in the 13 years we've offered it," said Roberts, who has 40 years HVAC industry experience and 34 years with Stan Weaver Co.

Weaver's strength is its eight mechanical engineers, that complement a staff of 17 outside salespeople and 40 sales assistants, estimators and accountants to get fabric ductwork specified for projects.

"Our mechanical engineers assist consulting engineer clients to get FabricAir specified on their project drawings that ultimately become the basis of design, which in turn helps our salespeople promote it to end-users," Roberts said. "That combination helped land more than 50 fabric duct projects in 2022. Furthermore, fabric duct is increasing accepted today as an alternative in many different applications."

One application example is the Florida's increasing cannabis grow-op trend as more cultivators are discovering fabric duct's uniform air dispersion qualities and other benefits help produce larger harvests, according to Roberts.