Bill Harrison, CEO of Harrison Energy Partners of Little Rock, sees air conditioning as one of the revolutionary advances of his lifetime, and he’s proud of the hand he’s played in an innovation that opened the South to economic development.

“People throw rocks at air conditioning because we use so much energy; it’s true we do,” he told Arkansas Business. “But air conditioning really allowed the American South to have productive buildings, industrial plants, banks and offices. It’s one of the most outstanding developments of the 20th century, enabling people wherever they live to have healthy, productive and safe buildings.”

Now he wants to “think deeper” on recyclable sourcing and systems that promote a healthy environment.