Majestic Hills Ranch, a 105-acre horse farm in Lakeville, Minn., received an overhaul thanks to local Honeywell employees, students from Cooper High School in Robbinsdale, Minn., and Rebuilding Together Twin Cities. The ranch provides therapeutic horseback riding programs that have helped hundreds of U.S. Military veterans and children with developmental disabilities.

Donating more than 1,000 hours of service, volunteers built a ramp to a hydraulic lift to enable those in wheelchairs to safely board a horse. They also assembled a patio to serve as a safe, comfortable seating area for those watching family members participate in therapeutic classes. The 320-foot fence surrounding the riding arena was repaired and painted, and volunteers also stabilized a manure bunker, laid gravel, and landscaped.

“Helping to address needs in the community is important to Honeywell. We are proud to partner with Cooper High School and Rebuilding Together, and our volunteer day was a wonderful opportunity to make improvements to a nonprofit that is improving the lives of military veterans and children,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions.

For more information, read the press release.

Ascend Performance Materials Operations LLC, the world’s largest on-purpose propylene production facility located on the U.S. Gulf Coast, will use Honeywell’s UOP C3 Oleflex™ process technology to convert propane to propylene, a key ingredient in the production of materials such as nylon, films, and packaging.

Petrochemical makers are installing additional propylene capacity to meet growing demand and to make up for the shortage of production from traditional refining and petrochemical sources. The combined Oleflex projects announced since 2011 will help increase propylene production by nearly 7 million metric tons globally in the next three years.

“Global propylene demand is growing at about 4-5 percent per year. The U.S. is seeing an increase in on-purpose propylene production because of the abundance of low-cost propane from shale gas,” said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of Honeywell’s UOP Process Technology and Equipment business unit. “Compared with competing propane dehydrogenation processes, UOP Oleflex technology provides the lowest cash cost of production, the highest return on investment and the smallest environmental footprint.”

For more information, read the press release.

Honeywell Turbo Technologies, the global leader in turbochargers, is set to accelerate turbocharger growth in China during the next five years following a recent policy announcement from China’s State Council focused on energy conservation and pollution reduction.

This policy prioritization is calling for an increased focus on internal combustion engine efficiency and highlighting turbocharging as a key enabling technology. Turbochargers are an enabler of engine downsizing helping to improve fuel economy – from 20 to 40 percent – and emissions from the larger naturally-aspirated engines they replace and are also capable of enhancing horsepower and torque for improved drivability. Honeywell Turbo Technologies expects sales of turbo vehicles in China to double from 4 million units in 2012 to 8 million units in 2017.

“We see a significant acceleration in turbocharged engine developments across the board, coming from all customers, segments and fuel types,” said David Paja, Honeywell Transportation Systems vice president and general manager, China and India. “Honeywell is uniquely positioned for this opportunity, as customers value our unique product breadth, technology leadership and strong local presence.”

For more information, read the press release.

Honeywell has won a three-year, $72.4 million maintenance and training contract from the U.S. Army for Total Package Fielding Army Modernization Training to provide mission-capable vehicles and requisite training to safely operate and maintain heavy tactical vehicles.

The award is a component of the ongoing support that Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc. (HTSI) has been providing to the Heavy Tactical Wheeled Vehicles Program for over 18 years. Heavy Tactical is part of the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) Heavy Tactical Vehicles Program Manager under the TACOM Transportation Systems Program Executive Office.

“HTSI has been involved in Total Package Fielding for over 18 years, and our experienced staff of professional managers, mechanics and instructors offers the Army the best value team available. Our teams have fielded and trained thousands of soldiers all over the world, and they understand the importance of ensuring that our soldiers are equipped to operate and maintain these trucks in any situation and in any region,” said Carey Smith, President of Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc. 

Read the press release. 

Honeywell Chairman and CEO Dave Cote appeared recently on Bloomberg Street Smart’s special segment “The American Dream” to talk about his journey to becoming the Chairman and CEO of Honeywell.  Bloomberg correspondent Trish Regan interviewed Dave, discussing what first inspired his strong work ethic, the challenges that he had to overcome to transform Honeywell over the past decade, and his greatest personal and professional accomplishments.

As Chairman and CEO of Honeywell, Cote transformed the company into a profitable success story. He instilled a five-year plan, which many analysts first dismissed. Contrary to their original belief, that plan is on track.

Cote explained the five-year plan, “We put it out there. Now that we are in the fourth year of that plan, we get a lot of credit. Even though GDP and exchange rates have not been as good, we’re still hitting those numbers. Analysts have started to believe… Now we’re starting to get questions about what’s going to be in the next five-year plan.”

As far as his proudest professional accomplishment, Cote recalls that he always wanted to build something. “I’d say it’s been really, quite rewarding to see what we’ve been able to do at Honeywell. It feels pretty darn good – especially since I can see what’s coming.”

The broadcast piece was inspired by the compelling feature article on Cote that appeared in this week’s Bloomberg Businessweek titled, The Real Winner of GE’s CEO Bake-off.

Honeywell Vice President of Corporate Communications Tom Buckmaster was awarded one of this year’s SABRE (Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation) Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement.  The award recognizes Tom’s outstanding leadership of Honeywell global communications program and the Honeywell Hometown Solutions community outreach program.  

Tom has led Honeywell global communications for more than a decade, developing the company’s communications function into a global organization that continuously creates and sustains measurable commercial value.  He has driven initiatives to improve brand awareness and alignment, enhance employee engagement and improve productivity.  Additionally, Tom launched a number of comprehensive public affairs programs on topics ranging from energy efficiency to homeland security and globalization.

Tom also serves as President of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, and has established this program as one of the most effective corporate social responsibility programs that combines financial support with volunteerism to address community needs in areas where the company offers unique expertise: math and science education, housing and shelter, family safety and security, habitat and conservation, and humanitarian relief.

FORTUNE magazine recently announced that Honeywell has been ranked 78 on the 2013 FORTUNE 500 list, which ranks all U.S. companies by revenue.

In 2012, Honeywell’s total revenue was $37.7 billion, up 1.6 percent from the previous year. Profits increased by 41.6% to $2.9 billion.

The full list of the largest U.S. companies is currently available online and related stories will appear in the May 20 issue of FORTUNE magazine. For more information, view the list online.

Honeywell Chairman and CEO Dave Cote will be profiled in Bloomberg Businessweek’s May 6 issue. The article, “Passed Over for GE CEO, Dave Cote Thrives at Honeywell,” is currently online and focuses on Cote’s work to transform Honeywell into the growing, highly profitable company that it is today.

Bloomberg reporter Thomas Black notes that, “under Cote’s watch, shares of Honeywell have doubled in price, revenue has jumped 69 percent, and profit margins have widened to 15.6 percent from 11.3 percent in 2002” and “since October the company’s stock price is up more than 23 percent, and it’s now trading above $70 a share for the first time.”  Black also attributes the company’s new product introductions as a performance driver as well,  “under Cote’s watch, Honeywell has come up with some whiz-bang products in aeronautics and chemical engineering that have helped it weather slow growth in the U.S. and a recession in Europe.” The article highlights Honeywell technologies including synthetic vision with infrared imaging and 3D radar that detects dangerous weather for planes, and an energy services unit that will help Honeywell take advantage of America’s natural gas boom.

The articles concludes with Wall Street’s newfound confidence in Honeywell’s ability to deliver.  Katie Pease of Institutional Capital says, “when Cote announced five-year goals to increase revenue and profit margins, the plan was met with derision. Now, you actually feel comfortable holding Honeywell because you believe they can execute.”

To read the full story, click here.

Two law enforcement officers saved by vests containing Honeywell ballistic material – such as Gold Flex^®, Gold Shield^® or Spectra Shield^® – recently visited Honeywell’s Colonial Heights, Va., facility as part of the Safariland™ Saves Club^®, a group of individuals who experienced life-threatening incidents in the line of duty and were saved by the Safariland gear they wore. Safariland is a Honeywell customer that uses Honeywell ballistic materials in the vests and other armor they design for members of law enforcement.

More than 130 employees attended an event to hear the stories of Officer Luciano Colantuono, of the Palm Springs, Calif., Police Department, and Detective Jared Reston, from the Jacksonville, Fla., Sheriff’s Office.

“I know I speak for the two officers here with me today and all members of the Safariland Saves Club when I say that the gratefulness that is within us is all day, every day,” said Ed Hinchey, leader and member of the Safariland Saves Club. “We know that it’s hard work, dedication, and a passion for excellence that drives [the work to produce Honeywell’s ballistic materials] home.”

To view a replay of the officers’ presentations, visit the Performance Materials and Technologies video channel.

Honeywell Chairman and CEO Dave Cote appeared on Bloomberg’s Bottom Line at the Milken Global Conference in Los Angeles yesterday. During the interview with correspondent Willow Bay, Dave discussed Honeywell’s strong first quarter, preparation for the sequestration, the company’s recent RAE Systems acquisition, and the importance of becoming the Chinese competitor.

“I think the best thing you can do for a sequester is plan for it,” Cote said. “For us, it would have hit us the hardest in U.S. defense, which is only about eight percent of our sales. Starting with our budget planning process last year, I had our guys assume the sequester would happen. We planned conservatively and it worked.”

Honeywell recently acquired RAE Systems, a leading global gas detection company, to build upon its safety and security portfolio. Cote talked about the overall climate for acquisitions and this specific deal, saying “it was important for us to have, and it has a key technology that we don't have.”

Cote reacted to Willow Bay’s question on Honeywell’s global strategy. “I am one of the people who does believe that China becomes a much bigger competitive force over the decade,” Cote replied. “They have four times the number of people. As long as their system can evolve so that they can continue to grow, they will very much be a force to be reckoned with… You have to focus today on being able to win in China because if you can't, you will be fighting them in Europe and the U.S.”