In 2014, Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. Cooling & Heating Division (Mitsubishi Electric), a leading manufacturer of Zoned Comfort Solutions™ and Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) cooling and heating systems, embarked on a sponsorship with the respected charitable organization, Operation FINALLY HOME (OFH), New Braunfels, Texas.
OFH works with dozens of home builders across the U.S. to build custom and mortgage-free homes for military veterans. The builders seek donations from suppliers for building materials and labor. Mitsubishi Electric was honored to send its first product donation to Georgetown, Texas, in 2014, where Henley Homes Inc., Liberty Hill, Texas, built a house for U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Ray Coffey and his family.
Coffey retired after becoming severely injured from multiple insurgent attacks while deployed in Iraq – leaving him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a traumatic brain injury and other injuries. Coffey’s brain injury required the temperature in his family’s home to be kept so low that they had to wear heavy jackets while indoors. Henley Homes found a solution for Coffey and his family — they installed a Zoned Comfort Solution. With a Mitsubishi Electric MSZ-GE wall-mounted indoor unit, which provided the technology to cool and heat specific zones, Henley Homes was able to provide both Ray and his family with an environment that suited each of their needs.
In late 2015, Mitsubishi Electric joined forces on OFH’s 100th project and donated another one of its M-Series zoned systems to U.S. Marine Cpl. Jonathan Dowdell and his family in League City, Texas. Dowdell served in both Iraq and Afghanistan where he became critically injured after stepping on a pressure plate of an improvised explosive device (IED), leaving him with serious injuries, including above-knee amputations of both legs. Harbour Classic Builders, LLC, out of the Houston Bay Area, built The Dowdells’ new home.
On January 15, 2016, U.S. Army Sgt. Nathan Young and his family were welcomed into their new 2,285 square-foot home in Luling, Louisiana. While Young served in Iraq in 2010, a pair of Russian anti-tank grenades struck his vehicle. Tyson Construction, New Orleans, Louisiana, built the spacious home for Young and his family, and selected M-Series zoned technology to cool and heat the house.
Mitsubishi Electric’s most recent donation landed in the home of U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Willie Walden Jr. and his family in Valdosta, Georgia. Throughout Walden’s years as a combat medic, he served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and was deployed twice to Iraq. Over his 11-year service, he treated more than 1,000 soldiers and civilians. Walden medically retired from the Army in February 2014 after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic injuries.
In late 2015, Wilson Design and Construction, Valdosta, Georgia, signed on to build a house for the decorated veteran and his family. Through the planning phases, Todd Wilson, owner, selected a Mitsubishi Electric zoned systems to cool and heat the space. In May 2016, the Walden’s were officially able to open the doors to their new home.
“Our veterans, such as Coffey, Dowdell, Young and Walden, have spent many months at a time away from their families to serve and protect our country,” said Atsuhiro Yabu, executive vice president and general manager, Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. Cooling & Heating Division. “Now that our soldiers are back on American soil, Mitsubishi Electric is proud to be part of the team giving back what they gave to so many others — comfort in their homes.”
