The 2010 Hamilton County Spelling Bee has found a sponsor.

Williams Comfort Air in Carmel has come forward after a Noblesville man mentioned to his wife, an employee of the heating, air conditioning and plumbing company, that the bee was without a sponsor.

Suzi Nichols, Noblesville, marketing manager for Williams Comfort Air, said she would coordinate the event under her employer’s sponsorship.

Nichols said company president Joe Huck signed a contract with Scripps National Spelling Bee to coordinate and operate the local bee, pay the $900 sponsorship fee, and send the champion and his or her chaperone to Washington, D.C., for the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The Indianapolis Star had been sponsoring both the Marion County and Hamilton County bee programs but did not continue the sponsorship for 2010.

Oct. 16 was the deadline for schools to enter the 83rd annual national spelling bee. When it passed without a sponsor, a call went out to the community.

Nichols’ husband, Mark, learned of the need through a news story on The Star’s Web site and told his wife that her company should consider sponsoring the event. Suzi Nichols went to Huck and company co-owners, who decided to take on the responsibility.

“When we heard that our county was without a sponsor, we knew that getting involved was the right thing to do. We value our children. Educational opportunities like the spelling bee should always be available to them,” Huck said.

Nichols said the bee sponsorship is in line with other community sponsorships the 80-employee company started last year. Williams Comfort Air co-sponsored Answers for Autism Walk in Carmel in September and hosted its second blood drive in June in honor of Michael Treinen, who died in May 2008.

The company started ExtraordinAIRY Treasures, a program to recognize members of the community whose good deeds might go unnoticed. Two scholarships were awarded to seniors, and two hometown heroes were recognized in the program started this year.

Suzi Nichols, a former Cub Scout leader and the mother of two teenagers, said she’s up to the challenge.

Nichols is seeking a host school and volunteers to assist with the bee.

“Here at Williams, we feel like being a good corporate citizen is extremely important. We’re looking to giving back in a meaningful way to the community,” she said.

“This is great news. We are happy that Hamilton County will be represented at the national bee this year,” said Siva Vavilala, whose son — Vaibhav Vavilala, a Carmel High School freshman — for the fourth time earned his way to the national spelling bee earlier this year.

Concerned that there wouldn’t be a 2010 bee, the Vavilala family had joined the search to find a sponsor. “I know Vaibhav wrote to the local Chambers of Commerce and my wife (Lakshmi) and I contacted a few businesses,” Siva Vavilala said.

“Williams Air has to be really commended for stepping up to the sponsorship, especially during these lean times,” Siva Vavilala said. “Mrs. Deb Davis from Creekside Middle School (in Carmel) worked with other schools expeditiously and communicated that the schools will take care of the registration fees, which is a significant portion of the sponsorship.” The previous two years, The Star had paid the $99 entry fee per school.

" . . . Vaibhav is happy that he can watch the county bee and doesn’t have to study again," his father said.

Paige Kimble, director of Scripps National Spelling Bee, said, “Through its sponsorship, Williams Comfort Air is ensuring students across Hamilton County have an opportunity to build confidence, develop strong study skills, increase their vocabularies and improve their spelling.”