Dan Foley, owner of Foley Mechanical Inc., Lorton, Virginia, was presented the Dan Holohan Lifetime Contribution to Comfort Award at Taco Comfort Solutions’ press conference at the AHR Expo, Jan. 14, in Atlanta.

“It’s quite an honor to win an award named after my mentor, Dan Holohan,” Foley said after accepting the award. “When I started putting in heating systems, I didn’t know what a boiler or circulator pump was, and Dan took me under his wing 30 years ago and helped me along the way.”

In presenting the award, Taco noted Foley's "uncompromising commitment to the quality, comfort and efficiency provided by hydronic systems."

“It’s a thrill and an honor to accept this award on behalf of my craftsmen who are back home in the snow putting in heat and putting in Taco products,” Foley added.

It’s the second prestigious award in as many years for Foley, who was named HVAC Contractor by the PHCC-National Association in 2017. 

“His passion for excellence is seen in Foley Mechanical’s commitment to educating the next generation of PHC professionals through in-house and factory training,” the trade group noted when announcing the award-winner. “Foley has sent techs to Mitsubishi, Trane, Carrier, NTI, Viessmann, Triangle Tube, Uponor, LG, Peerless, ECR, and PHCC’s one-week Project Management course for supplemental training. Four Foley Mechanical, Inc. technicians are even NATE-certified.”

Foley began his career in the heating industry in 1988 after completing his degree in business management from Virginia Tech. After rising to vice president at Arlington Heating and A/C, Inc. in just 15 years, Foley then left to launch Foley Mechanical in 2002. Since then, his company has built an outstanding reputation as one of the country’s top heating contractor.

The company’s slogan, The Art of Comfort, says a lot about the firm, and Foley’s dedication to craft.

Pragmatic approach

And while Foley is maybe best known for his radiant heating jobs, he’s always taken a pragmatic approach to his job.

“I’m not a heating contractor,” he told us after winning the PHCC award. “I’m a comfort contractor.”

As a prime example of this attitude, Foley was a charter member and one of the first president’s of the Radiant Panel Association (now, known as the Radiant Professionals Alliance), all while being an active longtime member of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America where he helped launch the group’s Radiant and Hydronics Council in 2011 as its first chairman. At the council’s first convention, Foley led a seminar on “Selling the Wet and Dry Side Together.”

Over the years, Foley’s work has been featured in trade magazines. And his expertise was also on display every month in PHC News when he shared his knowledge in a popular column.

Foley currently serves on the board of his local ACCA chapter and remains chairman of the Radiant & Hydronics Council. He also serves on the board of the PHCC.  The past president of RPA is certified by the trade group as a designer and installer, and holds master HVAC and master plumbing/gas fitting licenses in Virginia, D.C., and Maryland.

Foley is the fourth recipient of the Holohan award. The award is given annually to an HVAC professional or company that has made a substantial contribution to comfort technology, advancement, or training while displaying the exceptional good humor and love of people exhibited by Dan Holohan throughout his long career. Past award winners include Holohan, Robert Bean and Bruce Marshall.