ENID, OK - The Dense Cares HVAC Giveaway, which takes nominations and uses an independent committee to select recipients, is looking for nominations for their next recipient.
Dense Cares will provide the HVAC giveaway to one family this summer. David Lawrence, president and owner of Dense Mechanical & Dense Comfort Solutions, said he wanted to help someone that might not have a working system to keep their home cool this summer.
Lawrence first started the HVAC giveaway when he bought Dense in 2019, as a way to give back some of the blessings he’s received. Lawrence asks members of the public to help by nominating families in need.
Send nominees name and why they deserve a free HVAC system to densecomfortsolutions@densemechanical.com (subject: “DenseCares”) or mail to Dense Comfort Solutions, 409 E. Broadway, Enid, OK 73701. Deadline is June 15.
Lawrence and Dense employees have no say in which nominee is selected. An independent panel of local residents gather together and decide which nomination will be awarded the free HVAC system.
DENSE CARES PANEL
Jennifer Bauman is a small business owner in Enid (Harmon’s Electric, Inc.). She was born in Enid and moved away as a small child and grew up in NW Arkansas. She received her BS in Organizational Management from John Brown University.
After a successful career in account management with Kellogg’s Company and VF Corporation (Walmart Accounts), Jennifer decided to move back to Enid and join the family business. In 2017, Jennifer, her husband JJ, and 2 daughters: KayLee (22) and Jaye Katherine (10), moved to Enid.
Jennifer serves on the board of directors for many different organizations in Enid, including YWCA Enid, Rotary of Enid, and Junior Welfare League of Enid. She is a past member of Leadership Greater Enid’s class XXVII (aka Best Class Ever) and participates in the United Way Golf Tournament, Day of Kindness committees, and Oakwood Country Club’s Finance Committee.
James W. Shepherd is an attorney from Enid. He moved to Enid as a child and is a product of Enid Public Schools. He graduated from Enid High School in 1994; the University of Oklahoma, with a Bachelor of Arts in Letters, in 1998; the University of Oklahoma Michael F. Price School of Business, with a Masters of Business Administration, in 2000; and Oklahoma City University, with a Juris Doctorate, in 2003 He was admitted to practice law in the State of Oklahoma the same year and admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for Tenth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Northern and Western Districts of Oklahoma.
After being admitted to the bar, Mr. Shepherd worked in Oklahoma City for three years before returning to his hometown in 2006 to start and family with his wife Molly. Mr. Shepherd has practiced law for more than fifteen (15) years, and his practice is focused on facilitating solutions for businesses and employers on a wide array of legal issues. He represents businesses, including financial institutions and creditors, in transactional and litigation matters. He also represents employers in Title VII and ADA actions and before the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Labor.
During his time in Enid, Mr. Shepherd has had the pleasure to serve on numerous boards of local organizations, including the Board of Directors for the Enid Chamber of Commerce, Hospice Circle of Love, the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, the Grand National Quail Club, and Oakwood Country Club. Mr. Shepherd also serves on the Board of Directors for Soldier’s Wish, a national organization that works to meet needs of active-duty service members, veterans and their families through private donations and corporate sponsorships.
Mrs. Denise Smith, is the youngest daughter of Retired US Army Command Sergeant Major Dennis Davis and Mrs. Jennifer Davis. She was born at Fort Dix, New Jersey and moved frequently throughout her childhood years as a military dependent during her dad’s long and distinguished military service. Denise and Anthony met at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and married on 8 March of 1997. Throughout Anthony’s military career, Denise has been highly successful at making each move a smooth family transition. After a short two years in Enid OK, the Smith’s will once again be on the move to Scott AFB in Illinois. This move will make 12 moves in 24 years, with 4 of the moves in the last 6 years. Denise is a loving mother of two wonderful teenagers, Nathan 17 and Julian 13 and has been a fantastic military spouse that supports military members and specifically, passionate about supporting other military spouses.
Kristen Johnson is the wife of Colonel Jay Johnson and mother to three amazing children; Sydney (22), Logan (19), and Carter (😎. Kristen is a registered nurses and a retired Air Force Nurse Corps officer where she spent 20 years in various clinical and executive roles to include Critical Care Air Transport Team nurse and Headquarters Air Staff Executive Nurse Fellow. She currently is involved in several base and community volunteer organizations and is a group fitness instructor at the local YMCA. She loves spending time with her family and being active within her community.
Col. Anthony Smith is the Commander, 71st Mission Support Group, 71st Flying Training Wing, Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. As the Installation Manager, he is responsible for a $470M base operations contract and all support for the Vance mission and community; including procurement, civil engineering, firefighting, security and law enforcement, communications, personnel, supply, transportation, housing, recreation and services activities. Prior to Commanding the 71st Mission Support Group, Col Smith served as the Chief of the Budget and Analysis Division, Resources Directorate at Headquarters Air Force Installation and Missions Support Center, Air Force Material Command. In this role, he led a team of 96 financial management professionals and managed a budget of 6.9 billion dollars. He was responsible for maximizing a constrained budget to fund installation and mission support requirements at Air Force installations worldwide.
Col Smith entered the Air Force after receiving his commission through Reserve Officer Training Corps at Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina in May 1997. He has served in a variety of positions at the wing, center, major command, Air Force and Defense Agency levels. He deployed in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in 2006.
Col Smith and his wife, Denise, have two children, Nathan (15) and Julian (11).
Colonel Jay A. Johnson is the Commander, 71st Flying Training Wing, Vance Air Force Base, Okla. He leads a wing of over 2,700 personnel conducting specialized undergraduate pilot training for more than 400 U.S. Air Force and Allied student pilots each year. The wing operates a fleet of over 200 aircraft, flies more than 55,000 sorties and logs over 80,000 flying hours each year. He is also responsible for executing $550 million in flying and base operations contracts.
Colonel Johnson graduated from San Francisco State University and received his commission as a distinguished graduate from the University of California at Berkeley in 1999. His service and leadership experience spans several key operational and staff positions at the Squadron, Wing, and Joint Staff levels. He is a graduate of Air Mobility Command’s Phoenix Mobility program and the Defense Legislative Fellowship. He served as Joint Staff, J-5, Strategic Plans and Policy Action Officer, Executive Assistant to the Director, Pakistan Afghanistan Coordination Cell and International Training, Education and Policy Division Chief, under the Director of Policy, Programs & Strategy, Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force (International Affairs). He most recently served as the Vice Commander, 71st Flying Training Wing.
His deployment experience includes Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
