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CALSTART today recognized six companies and individuals selected as the 2004 winners of its internationally recognized Blue Sky Awards. Winners were selected for their outstanding marketplace actions in advanced transportation industry.
Winner of the overall 2004 Blue Sky Award is New Flyer Industries Limited, of Winnipeg, Canada (www.newflyer.com), for its pioneering work in implementing both alternative fuel and hybrid drive systems for buses, which now represent nearly half its bus orders. It is the largest transit bus manufacturer in North America.
The Charles R. Imbrecht Blue Sky Innovation Award, named in honor of the first chairman of the California Energy Commission (CEC), recognizes innovative actions to develop future markets for advanced, sustainable transportation. The winner this year is Assemblymember Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, for her leadership on legislation to reduce California’s transportation-related oil consumption.
New this year is the Blue Sky Leadership Award, given to recognize one person’s unique actions to speed marketplace introduction. The first award goes to George Survant, innovative director of fleet services for Florida Power & Light Company. He is recognized for his visionary leadership to take a hybrid-electric utility service truck from an idea to pre-production status.
Three Blue Sky Merit Awards were also selected this year. Merit awards recognize significant and noteworthy marketplace contributions:
- Sysco Food Services of Los Angeles (www.syscola.com) – is recognized for its work to implement an aggressive, voluntary liquefied natural gas truck deployment program from Sysco’s facility in Walnut – the largest of Sysco's 146 facilities in the nation.
- Specialty Solid Waste & Recycling of Santa Clara, Calif. (www.sswr.com) – is recognized for its fleet of five different types of natural gas refuse vehicles, as well as the installation of a public CNG refueling station off Highway 101.
- IdleAire Technologies Corp. of Knoxville, Tenn., (www.idleaire.com) – is recognized for its Advanced Travel Center Electrification technology .The IdleAire system provides heating, cooling and a range of communications and entertainment services to long haul truck drivers, without having to run their engines while stopped.
For tickets to the awards luncheon, or to the entire day-long conference, please contact Monica Alcaraz, malcaraz@weststart.org . The early registration discounts for the conference expire November 19. Visit www.California2020.com for more information. |
