On April 29, Kurt’s AC & Heat and YORK® Factory Direct partnered with Building Homes for Heroes during a Welcome Home ceremony in Ocklawaha, FL., for Army Specialist James Lipscomb. During a mission in Iraq, Specialist Lipscomb was injured when his truck hit an IED. He suffers from degenerative joint disease, PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. For his service to his country, Specialist Lipscomb was awarded a Purple Heart.

To support Specialist Lipscomb, Johnson Controls and YORK Factory Direct donated a YORK heating and cooling system with a Wi-Fi® enabled YORK touch-screen thermostat to better assist him with adjusting his home’s temperature without the need to get up. Kurt’s AC & Heat donated the HVAC installation services for the veteran’s new home.

“We’re so grateful to be able to give back to our community by supporting a real local hero through Building Homes for Heroes,” said Rye Purdy, Manager, Kurt’s AC & Heat. “Contributing our services to Specialist Lipscomb’s home is an honor.”

Building Homes for Heroes is a national organization that recognizes those who serve in the United States Armed Forces by supporting the needs of severely wounded or disabled soldiers and their families. The organization strives to build or renovate quality homes and donate them, mortgage-free, to injured veterans nationwide.

“The customized amenities that Johnson Controls brings to these homes provide not only a foundation for these heroes, but a hopeful path to a bright future with the opportunity to reach dreams they may have never thought imaginable when injured,” said Andy Pujol, founder and CEO of Building Homes for Heroes. “We are honored to partner with Johnson Controls, Kurt’s AC & Heat and YORK® Factory Direct to gift a home to Specialist Lipscomb and his family.”

The YORK brand of Johnson Controls has been a proud sponsor of Building Homes for Heroes since 2014. The company has been recognized by US Veterans Magazine as a top veteran-friendly company. Johnson Controls is also committed to hiring veterans and military spouses. Veteran employees are honored to design, engineer and assemble systems that help improve the lives of fellow veterans.

Building Homes for Heroes invites anyone wishing to volunteer or donate to the organization to contact Building Homes for Heroes at info@buildinghomesforheroes.org. To learn more about Building Homes for Heroes www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.

To learn more about Kurt’s AC & Heat, please visit www.kurtsacandheat.com and follow them on Facebook.

For additional questions about Building Homes for Heroes or the ceremony, please contact David Weingrad, senior communications manager, at David.Weingrad@buildinghomesforheroes.org. For questions about Johnson Controls, please contact Ryan Nolan, global public relations program manager, Johnson Controls, at Ryan.P.Nolan@jci.com, and for questions related to YORK, the HVAC contractor or distributor, please contact Liz Sternby, public relations manager, Godfrey, at lsternby@godfrey.com.

About Building Homes for Heroes
Counting fourteen consecutive years of record-setting growth, Building Homes for Heroes® builds and gifts mortgage-free homes, and completes home modifications, for veterans and their families, and provides further services along their road to recovery to help them live a promising and fulfilling life ahead. The organization is strongly committed to rebuilding lives and supporting the brave men and women who were injured while serving the country after September 11, 2001, during the time of the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. The organization has received a perfect 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for five straight years, including a 100% in transparency and accountability. It’s our honor to support the men and women who have loyally and courageously served our country. To learn more about the organization, visit www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.

About Johnson Controls
At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet. With a history of more than 135 years of innovation, Johnson Controls delivers the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through its comprehensive digital offering, OpenBlue. With a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world`s largest portfolio of building technology, software and service solutions with some of the most trusted names in the industry. For more information, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com or follow us @johnsoncontrols on Twitter.