As temperatures continue to rise, local businessman Steve Nail said he wants to help local residents beat the heat in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  “Henry County’s been good to us,” said Nail, president of Nail Heating & Air Conditioning in Hampton. “We just feel like it’s our obligation to give back where we can.”

  The company is giving away an HVAC unit to a local healthcare professional in need. Nail said the contest enables him to thank such individuals for their efforts during the pandemic.

  “We’re not going to limit it to someone who’s a doctor or nurse, just anyone who needs it,” he said. “We were trying to think of some way we could show our appreciation. After watching a newscast of some of the professionals being furloughed, we just wanted to do something.”

  Nail Heating & Air Condition launched in the early 1990s, and serves the heating and air needs of homes and businesses in the area. As part of the contest, the company will furnish major components of an HVAC unit for the contest winner, as well as installation.

  Nominations for the contest are open to all healthcare-related occupations. Nail said he hopes other business owners in the area will follow his lead and come up with ways to help residents to cope with the pandemic.

  “We figured we’d let people nominate someone who was deserving,” he said. “It’s just a way we felt like we could help out, and make them more comfortable for the summer. It could be the lady who goes into the office and answers the phone, as well as the doctor or surgeon. The intent is to focus on someone who could really use this – someone who, without this service, they’d be sitting there and sweating.”

  For more details on the contest or to submit a nomination, visit the Nail Heating & Air Conditioning page on Facebook.