Horizons Fall 2015

7 NSU HORIZONS This year, the legacy of innova- tion that Hill York and the Lafferty Family Foundation established with NSU more than 25 years ago reached a new level. NSU’s Central Energy Plant—the third largest in the United States— has renamed the chiller facility in honor of Robert S. Lafferty, Sr. Designed and built for the univer- sity and recognized as one of the largest energy storage systems in the United States, it is now named NSU’s Robert S. Lafferty, Sr., Central Energy Plant. The modern, three- story structure is expected to save the university millions of dollars over the life of the plant. It provides cooling that is both energy efficient and, at the same time, environ- mentally friendly. In addition, a generous gift fromHill York and the Lafferty Family Foundation has established the Charles W. Daniels Endowed Scholarship Fund to benefit NSU undergraduate students. Charles W. Daniels was the father- in-law of Robert S. Lafferty, Jr., chairman of Hill York. The first scholarship recipient is Lauren Alfino, a freshman from Denver, Colorado, who is studying marine biology and spoke at the energy plant naming ceremony. (Story on Lauren Alfino on page 38.) “Charles W. Daniels, whose nickname was Chip, taught me about relationships, and doing deals based on trust,” said Chip Lafferty, chief executive officer of Hill York. “It’s not a coin- cidence that this is how we do business at NSU.” Hill York’s relation- ship with NSU dates back to the early 1990s when Chip Lafferty, who had just passed his pro- fessional engineering exam, bid to install the cooling unit at the Shepard Broad College of Law. Within five years, Hill York placed the first thermal energy storage unit on the NSU campus. “Hill York has been part of NSU’s design, development, and construction team as the campus has grown, and they continue to be at NSU every day to keep us cool,” said George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., NSU’s president and CEO. A full-service, commercial air-conditioning company, Hill York was founded in 1936. The company is considered a pioneer in the air-conditioning industry as Hill York designed and installed the first air-conditioning systems in Miami Beach hotels after World War II, changing the course of Florida’s comfort history. n AROUND NSU THE LAFFERTY FAMILY FOUNDATION HONORED From left: Robert W. Lafferty, Jr.; George L. Hanbury ll, NSU president and CEO; Robert S. Lafferty, Jr., chairman, Hill York; Jacqueline A. Travisano, NSU executive vice president and COO; and Robert W. (Chip) Lafferty, Sr., chief executive officer, Hill York.