The Plainfield Park District announced today that TR Miller Heating, Cooling & Plumbing was honored as Best Friend of Illinois Parks – Mid-sized Business by the Illinois Association of Park Districts. Park District and TR Miller representatives officially received the award at the IAPD’s Best of the Best Awards Gala held October 14 at Chevy Chase Country Club in Wheeling.
“TR Miller has been a great supporter and partner to the District,” said Plainfield Park District Executive Director Carlo Capalbo. “I think we get along so well because we both have a commitment to community as part of our core values.”
“Giving back at every opportunity has always been a core value for me and the organization,” said TR Miller President Brian Sloan. “We’re always willing to spend to support the community and hope they support us back.”
TR Miller is a longtime supporter of the Park District, sponsoring events dating back to 2016. This past summer, in addition to sponsoring Party at Prairie Activity & Recreation Center (PARC), TR Miller rented a dunk tank at their own expense to add even more fun to the event. Their staff manned the tank, which delighted participants.
TR Miller also joined the District’s banner and poster advertising program in 2022, with banners/posters put up at PARC, Ottawa Street Pool and Village Green Park.
“The best thing about TR Miller is not only do they sponsor and advertise with us, but they always add something extra to the events,” said Park District Director of Marketing & Community Outreach Josh Hendricks. “The dunk tank was a tremendous addition to our summer kickoff event. I can’t wait to see what they do for our December holiday event.”
In February of this year, TR Miller began holding their weekly service team meetings at PARC, the District’s primary recreational facility. As part of the partnership, TR Miller receives a discounted rate to rent the room. In the meetings, members of the service team practice people skills and hard/tech skills, including role play where employees act as technicians and customers – all to ensure best practices with regard to customer/public interaction.
The Plainfield Park District is not the only beneficiary of TR Miller’s generosity. The company spreads its wealth, also working with other park districts, libraries, villages, schools, non-profits, chambers of commerce and more in its large service area.
“Community partnerships like what we have with the Plainfield Park District are more about the impact we can have in our community than any return on investment,” Sloan said. “It goes back to our core values that we are always willing to support our community and volunteer.
“The Plainfield Park District has some of the best programs for families, and it’s such a great way to engage with so many different community members. The best thing is seeing our customers at Park District events come up to us and talk about the service we’ve provided. It’s very rewarding to have those interactions.”
