Wednesday, April 30
The Sandri Companies is a local, third generation business, which has grown and grown over the years. AR Sandri Inc. began at a single gas station at 155 Main Street in Greenfield, when A.R. Sandri was offered a lease on this station, in 1930.

By 1962 this company was a Cities Service distributor in all of Franklin County, with 26 stations, and a growing fuel oil business. In 1964 Sandri became an impendent Sunoco distributor, and is now the largest Sunoco distributor in the nation. In 1960 William (son of A.R.) joined the company, and became president in 1973. In 1976 Sandri bought out all of the Sunoco gasoline

stations in Vermont and Southern NH. The companies grew, with the addition of golf courses and restaurants.

The third generation was

welcomed on April 1, 2005, with the addition of Timothy Van Epps (William's son in law),

who became president in August of 2007.

The Sandri Companies now has around 100 retail gas

stations thoughout Western Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Eastern New York. Some of these are leased out and some the company manages. Other areas of expansion over the year for this company have been

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Commercial and Industrial Lubricants and Fuels Division. This division covers the above-mentioned territory, and goes into Connecticut. They provide such products as cutting oils, hydraulic oils, industrial lubricants, etc.) They also offer "Clean Burn" furnaces and boilers, which burn waste oil for the production of heat.

The Sandri Heating Division is for residential or commercial customers. They have experts who can service all your heating/cooling needs. They sell and deliver heating oil, install heating and cooling equipment, service this equipment, install fuel tanks, and perform duct cleaning. All of their technicians are licensed and certified in all three states they service (MA, VT and NH). In Massachusetts and

Vermont they are licensed through the State. In the States of New Hampshire and Vermont the technicians are NOHRA Certified (National Oil Heat Reliance Association). Skip Dunnell, the Head of the Heating Division at Sandri Companies, says that the technicians also undergo ongoing training, both in house and at specific seminars/trainings. They service an area of just about a 50-mile radius of Greenfield.

Dunnell says that Sandri does offer Bio Heat (B5). This bio-fuel can be burned in conventional heating systems that are properly tuned up. He said that one customer, a college in Vermont, is burning exclusively bio-fuel in all of their buildings.

Skip Dunnell said a reminder for customers with oil burning warm air furnaces is that they should have the "system tune up" in the spring, especially if they are only heating with the system (if the system will be shut down all summer). He says that the ash that sits in the flue passages can be detrimental to the heating

system.

With a warm air system, or an air conditioning system, you should also consider cleaning your ducts. Cleaning your ducts can increase your heating / cooling costs and clean your air of pollutants (the mold, pet hair and dirt and dust which collects in the ducts). The need for duct cleaning depend on the usage and

efficiency of the filters, but the rule of thumb is at least every 10 years for residential usage, and every 5 years for commercial.

Sandri Companies has a self-contained trailer mount cleaning system. They connect this to the duct system in your home at the furnace or air handler. The

vacuum is hooked up, and air whips (with little fingers) are put into the registers. With

compressed air, these "whips" are then pulled through to the

vacuum. Skip says that for a "standard ranch" with about a dozen registers, the price is in the range of $500, and the process takes about 6 hours. When

the ducts are cleaned, they

are then sanitized.

The Sandri Companies are located at 400 Chapman Street

in Greenfield. Their telephone numbers are (413) 772-2121 or (800) 628-1900. Their web site can be viewed at: sandri.com.