Justin Spradlin of Bellendir Mechanical in Brush, Colo., was selected as the grand prize winner of the 2008-2009 VIP Contractor Showcase from Lochinvar.

In addition, five other Lochinvar VIP contractors have been recognized as this year’s monthly winners for their entries and accomplishments.

The annual VIP Contractor Showcase, which runs from November through April, provides enrolled contractors with the opportunity to compete on a monthly basis to showcase their recent installations of the Knight Heating Boiler at www.knightheatingboiler.com.

After each of the entries are reviewed by a panel of judges, one contractor each month is awarded a $250 gift card to Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shop, or a prepaid gasoline card of the same value.

Originally named the November winner of this heating season’s showcase, Spradlin has been award the grand prize for his handiwork at a high school in Holyoke, Colo. Spradlin and his team removed two large steam boilers from the school and replaced them with a two-pipe system featuring seven 800,000 Btu/hr Knight Heating boilers, as well as an Armor water heater from Lochinvar.

The series of seven Knight boilers were installed in a “cascade” setup, allowing them to fire in sequence until all units are in operation or demand is satisfied. As the grand prize winner, Spradlin will receive a free 80,000 Btu per hour Knight boiler as his award.

“Being named the grand prize winner of the VIP Installation Contest is a great honor,” Spradlin said. “Lochinvar is known in the industry as a leader in innovation, and I couldn’t be happier that they recognized our installation as the best of the year.”

The remaining four monthly winners were named finalists of the 2008-2009 VIP Contractor Showcase, including: Nathan White of White’s Plumbing & Heating in Kenai, Alaska.; Matt Jarchow of Biggerstaff Radiant Solutions in Lincoln, Neb.; Jack Murphy of A-Jack’s Plumbing & Heating Inc. in Sandy, Utah; and Vincent Scialli of Scialli Plumbing & Heating in Hicksville, N,Y.

“Each year, we continue to be impressed by the quality of work submitted by each of the contractors who enter the VIP Showcase,” said Bill Vallett, Lochinvar president. “Congratulations to Justin Spradlin and the four finalists in this year’s competition. You’ve truly earned this recognition, and we applaud all of your hard work.”