Electrolux is donating hundreds of air conditioners to Springfield residents

As high temperatures remain steady across Middle Tennessee in the final weeks of summer, some locals recently received a “cool” gift to beat the heat.

Last month, hundreds of Springfield residents were given room air conditioners from Electrolux Group, a home appliance manufacturer with a facility located in Springfield.

Electrolux donated more than 500 air conditioners, worth more than $141,000, to be distributed to local residents through local non-profit organizations, according to a press release.

“We understand how important air conditioning is to the overall health and well-being of our community members,” said Tony Fraley, Electrolux Springfield Plant Manager.

He added: “We are proud to help meet this critical need and thank our strong community partners for helping us spread this donation widely to serve the members of our community who need support the most.”

On Aug. 29, Electrolux employees paused in their busy workdays to unload air conditioning units from an 18-wheeler at TNKids Nutrition in Springfield, putting the company’s goal of shaping lives for the better into action.

The air conditioners were then delivered to the United Way of Greater Nashville, whose ultimate goal is to distribute them to the local community and the most vulnerable residents in surrounding areas.

Local nonprofits supporting COPE distribution efforts include Robertson County, Stokes-Brown Public Library, YMCA of Robertson County, United Ministries Food Bank, and Community Action Agency of Mid-Cumberland.

“All it takes for a family to be thrown off track financially is an air conditioner outage, a flat tire, or an unexpected bill. We have many families struggling to cope like… These unexpected costs.

The Electrolux Group has been serving the Robertson community for nearly 50 years, manufacturing cooktops and stovetops under the company’s Electrolux and Frigidaire brands.

In June of 2021, the company opened a $300 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in Springfield, with a warehouse connected to a new factory via a quarter-mile underground tunnel.

The new area is part of the company’s expanded cooking complex in Springfield, which will produce wall ovens and free-standing gas and electric ranges. In addition, Electrolux has a large research and development team on campus that develops and designs culinary innovations to meet the cooking needs of consumers around the world.

The new warehouse also makes a positive climate impact by taking 10,500 18-wheeler truckloads off the road each year that would otherwise be incurred transporting products and supplies to a remote, older warehouse.

“We are extremely grateful for Electrolux Group’s generosity in donating these units to our community,” Thompson said. “If you’ve endured the heat this summer, you know the difference an air conditioner makes. I’m so excited for all our friends who will go home and have these units plugged in and feel the comfort that the Electrolux range has provided.