Metro Air Awards Community Heroes!

In 2016, Metro Air was proud to provide a free furnace to Pat and Kim Koss in Lakeville! Pat has served in the United States Air Force for 13 years and has been deployed multiple times overseas while his wife and three kids have patiently awaited his return. The family is active in their community and serves other military families with love.

This new furnace will provide them peace of mind while Pat is away on his next deployment.

Each year, Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems provides communities the opportunity to nominate local “heroes” that could benefit from a new heating system for their home. Communities around the country step up and nominate very deserving people, and this year, we were proud to partner with Bryant again to participate in giving away a free furnace to a hero in our city.

In 2017, we were proud to be a participating dealer in this great giveaway and we were able to install a new furnace for Staci Cihlar. We would like to introduce you to her and show you what amazing things she is doing in our community.

Staci is actively involved in working with troubled youth through YoungLife. She doesn’t “preach” to the kids, but instead, takes action by showing them a better way, bringing them hope.

Here is what her husband has to say about her: “She seeks out youth in the community who are lost and broken and brings them hope. Bloomington as of late has had many cultural shifts in its population and with that comes many new challenges, including racial divides in the high schools, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and domestic abuse. These are things that she has become passionate about and has felt led to step into in her city. These passions have led her to walk with two teen moms through their pregnancies, from telling their parents to getting their first ultrasounds. It’s created a heart in her for kids with drug addiction, to lead them on the road to sobriety with regular check in sessions, holding them accountable, and celebrating their milestones. Because of the trust she’s built with the students, she’s often the only one kids will share their stories with and is usually the first step toward them receiving help. She is well known in the community as an advocate for its youth and would be a great recipient of this award.”

We are proud to honor Staci and her commitment to kids and young adults in our local area. It’s people like this that make our world a better place! Staci, we hope you and your family love and enjoy your new furnace for many years to come!

The Bryant Community Heroes Program honors people doing extraordinary things in their community. Auer Steel, a Bryant distributor, has run the Community Heroes Program for the past three years, providing approximately 30 free furnaces each year to deserving families across Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Upper Michigan.

In 2018, we partnered with Bryant and were honored and excited to be able to provide a new, installed Bryant high efficiency gas furnace to Kate Quinn. Kate has been the Cook Manager at Burnsville Senior High School for 30 years. Between preparing healthy meals for students, adhering to strict nutrition standards, navigating student food allergies, and offering service with a smile, school lunch professionals are true heroes. “It was a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday season and to give back to the communities where we do business,” said Chris McBride, President, Metro Air Heating & Cooling.

Every year, we team with Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems to provide a local community hero with a new heating system for their home. Communities and Bryant dealers like us around the country participate in nominating deserving men and women who could benefit from a gift like this. And this year, we were able to install a FREE furnace to a hero in our city.

In 2019, we were able to install a free furnace to a hero in our city. We’d like you to meet Justin Johnson from Eden Prairie! Justin is a Minneapolis Fire Captain who started a fundraising program called Coats for Kids or Operation Warm. Justin is a Minneapolis Fire Captain who started a fundraising program called Coats for Kids or Operation Warm. He provided thousands of brand new, US made winter coats for kids around Minneapolis to Native American reservations. Justin started with just an idea and had no backing from anyone, and now there are large local sponsors for the fundraiser. Ken Johnson, who nominated Justin for the title of “Bryant Community Hero” says this about him:

“His goal is to provide every needy kid with a winter coat for the winter months. This has been his passion. Justin never asks for a ‘thank you’ from anyone.” Justin’s heart has been to help those in need. And now, our team at Metro Air Heating & Cooling was able to help him in return. We are proud to honor Justin and his commitment to the local community. People like him make our world a better place! Justin, we hope you enjoy your new furnace for many years to come!