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C arlin/Hydrolevel, which recently moved to expand- ed quarters in North Haven, Conn., was been named 2015 Manufacturer of the Year by the Oil and En- ergy Service Professionals. The nomination for Carlin/Hydrolevel that was submitted to the awards committee highlighted Carlin/ Hydrolevel's history of providing "quality products that meet the ongoing needs of the industry," said Judy Garber, executive director of OESP. "The company designs and builds products and provides the technical support needed by those that install and service their products," Garber said via email. "Their field personnel are always ready and willing to train their customers on both older and new products." Garber added, "When invited to do a training session at a local chapter meeting, the answer is, 'Yes.'" A corporate member of OESP, Carlin/Hydrolevel is also a stalwart supporter of the Oil Heat Cares program. Both Carlin and Hydrolevel are divisions of C. Cowles & Co. The parent company recently moved Hydrolevel and other divisions from its long-time base in New Haven, Conn., to the location in North Haven; it moved Carlin from East Longmeadow, Mass., to the new location. Carlin is a relatively recent acquisition, made for a number of reasons that Bill Montgomery, sales director for Hydrolevel, summarized. "We always knew that Carlin made fine products," Montgomery said. "They're an industry standard." Carlin and Hydrolevel are in the same business—hydronics and boilers— so "there were definite synergies," Montgomery said. "We felt that it was a natural." Carlin was the originator of the electronic igniter, Montgomery pointed out. Since Carlin had been based "fairly close to where we were," Montgomery said, "We could retain some key personnel, and of course we wanted to move the factories together for logistical and economic reasons." The new location in North Haven is a former Marlin Firearms factory that features 225,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space and 50,000 sq. ft. of office and training space. Hydrolevel is experienced in the design and testing and manufacture of controls, Montgomery said. It recently updated Carlin's line of primary controls. "That was our first step [after the acquisition]—a full upgrade of their primary controls, which are the controls that operate the burner. Then we did the same with the solid state igniters. We're out with a new one now that we feel is the best one we've put out, ever." Carlin was founded in 1949 by John E. Carlberg and his part- ner, Bernard Lindberg. They derived the company name from their last names. Carlin quickly expanded, developing a thriving export trade in Germany, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Denmark and France in addition to their dealerships through- out the United States. Carlin Co. designed all of the burners it manufactured, and taught its dealers the technical aspects of the oil 34 SEPTEMBER 2015 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com BUSINESS OPERATIONS OESP Manufacturer of the Year Profile Carlin/Hydrolevel BY STEPHEN BENNETT OESP Seeks Nominations for 2016 Awards Annually the National Association of Oil & Energy Service Professionals, recognizes excellence at its annual Awards Banquet held during the Association's conference. The 2015 Manufacturer of the Year award went to Carlin/Hydrolevel. OESP's Awards Committee, made up of six judges representing the association, requests resumes for 2016 Manufacturer of the Year and various other honors it will bestow next year. The resume for Manufacturer of the Year includes, but is not limited to, these criteria: membership in the association, notations of major contributions made in the field of education and examples of ways the company has aided in delivering on OESP's mission of education. Judy Garber, executive director of OESP, said the organi- zation has been recognizing all segments of the industry for most of its 62 years. "It all started with the first award, the Hugh McKee Award, going to Charles Grace back in 1969," Garber said via email. She explained how the selection process for Manufacturer of the Year and other awards works. "Each year we encourage people to submit resumes for all five of our categories. Whatever the category, the key criteria need to be included within that resume and that includes our mission of education." Details can be found on the website www.thinkoesp. org. All resumes need to be received no later than April 1. With a new event next year in Foxwoods, Conn., the Eastern Energy Expo, the annual Awards Banquet will be held on Tuesday, May 24.