[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5781]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRANE COMPANY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 23, 2013

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the 100th 
anniversary of the Trane Company. Trane is an innovative global leader 
in the area of heating and air conditioning systems and employs over 
29,000 in over 400 locations, including 300 employees in White Bear 
Lake, Minnesota.
  A true American success story, Trane was started by Norwegian 
immigrant, James Trane. After working some time as a plumber and 
steamfitter, James opened a plumbing shop in 1885 in La Crosse, 
Wisconsin. He drew inspiration from the cold winters and invented a new 
low-pressure heating system named the Trane Vapor Heating System. His 
son Reuben was born the next year. Following Reuben's completion of a 
degree in mechanical engineering in 1910, father and son went into 
business together in 1913 and incorporated the Trane Company. Reuben 
Trane's invention of the convector radiator in 1923 is what cemented 
Trane as an innovator and paved the way for the company's success in 
the years to come.
  As many are aware, Midwest summers can be as hot as our winters are 
cold. Therefore, it was fitting that in 1931, the Trane Company 
pioneered air conditioning technology to give people relief from the 
blistering summer heat. The company further revolutionized the concept 
of air conditioning in large buildings with the 1938 launch of the 
Turbovac, the first hermetic, centrifugal refrigeration machine. This 
model paved the way for the CenTraVac', a revolutionary 
technology which has become the industry standard for large commercial 
air conditioning systems and the most energy efficient of its kind. 
Trane continued to grow with the acquisition of Sentinel Electronics in 
the 1970s, entering into the building automation and management field. 
This allowed the company to be the first to offer integrated controls 
for all their products. In 1984, Trane was able to acquire General 
Electric's Central Air Conditioning Division and continue its success 
into the area of residential air conditioning.
  Trane's 100 years of groundbreaking work has not only generated 
quality heat and cooling systems, but created a brand that is renowned 
for superior quality and excellent customer service. Trane is equally 
committed to pursuing energy efficiency and has been recognized by the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the ``Best of the Best'' in 
commercial air conditioning systems.
  Mr. Speaker, many people both inside and outside the industry are 
aware of the Trane company motto, ``It's hard to stop a Trane.'' In 
honor of the thousands of employees who have built Trane from a small 
family plumbing company to a century old global leader in high 
efficiency and innovative technology in the heating and cooling 
industry, I am pleased to submit this statement.

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