Ellsworth gives away two air-conditioning units
For years, Ellsworth Heating & Cooling, based in North Fort Myers, has given away air-conditioning units and installation to lucky residents throughout Lee County.
This year was no exception as two people, one a North Fort Myers resident, were winners of Ellsworth’s 12th annual Christmas in July promotion, which held a drawing August 3 for an entire central air-conditioning unit installed in their home.
Pam Cupp, who lives in Carriage Village in North Fort Myers, had a 3.5-ton Trane unit installed in her home Tuesday morning, and it couldn’t have come at a better time, as her original unit was reaching the end of the road.
“I have a unit that I bought from them 11 years ago and I heard they typically last nine to 12 years. I drive by there because I go to the community center and I noticed the Christmas in July and I remembered reading about it in the newspaper last year,” Cupp said. “I stopped in and entered my name.”
When William Barnes, president of Ellsworth, called Cupp to tell her she won, she was ecstatic, knowing that a huge upcoming expense was out of the way.
“I was taken aback. Mr. Barnes called and said I had won and I said ‘You have to be kidding,'” Cupp said. “We always enter things but you never hear back.”
Erica Echavarria, of South Fort Myers, won the Daiken unit, which installed runs about $6,000.
Barnes said Ellsworth started the promotion as a write-in contest where people nominated those who were needy to receive an air conditioner. Barnes said that wasn’t fair to everyone, and in the third year the contest was opened to everyone.
“We have people come in and fill out a form, we put it in our newsletters, and we used to drop them off in different communities, but they called that a form of advertising,” Barnes said.
Ellsworth’s gets cooperation from the manufacturers, who donate the units annually.
Perhaps the most astounding thing about the contest is that not many people sign up. About 100 people entered to win either the Trane or Daikin models, and these units and installation aren’t cheap. Cupp would ordinarily have to pay $5,000 or more, which is a lot of cash to have in hand.
“People think there’s a gimmick to it. That there’s no way they can get anything for free. But there are no strings attached. We pull the permits and do a complete installation,” Barnes said. “We don’t harass them on the phone, it’s just a true giveaway.”
Cupp knows firsthand, so she’s telling everyone she knows to enter next time.
“I’m spreading the word. I’m telling everybody I know that I won and they say they never heard of it,” Cupp said. “I don’t have $5,000 to replace my unit. I was thinking about it. And then I won. It’s a wonderful thing.”