AQUALIS Acquires Innovative Vacuum Services

AQUALIS, a portfolio company of DFW Capital Partners and the leading national provider in comprehensive water management services, today announced it has acquired the assets of Innovative Vacuum Services (Innovac), an experienced stormwater and emergency response organization offering vactor and jetting, CCTV inspections and commercial HVAC air duct cleaning.

 

The acquisition of Innovac strengthens AQUALIS’ strategy to provide comprehensive water management services nationwide, furthering its geographic support across the United States. AQUALIS currently services the entire continental United States and Puerto Rico. This acquirement deepens AQUALIS’ service delivery assets of vactor, jetting and CCTV inspections.

 

Richard Matero, CEO of AQUALIS, said, “This acquisition was an ideal fit for AQUALIS. Innovac is a steadfast and innovative organization providing focused services in the stormwater and construction industries. We have a strong presence in the Pacific Northwest, and the Innovac acquisition allows AQUALIS to further expand our services and capabilities in the market.”

 

“Through this acquisition, we are positioning Innovac on a broader growth path for years to come,” said Larry Prein, President of Innovac. “Innovac brings a deep level of operating expertise and a successful track record of customer satisfaction. AQUALIS is the ideal partner to enable us to best serve our customers and accelerate growth of the business.”

 

“We are excited about this acquisition for AQUALIS,” DeVer Warner of DFW Capital Partners stated. “Our growth over the last year has greatly deepened our reach and we remain focused on broadening AQUALIS’ services in critical watershed areas throughout the U.S.”

 

About AQUALIS

AQUALIS is a leading nationwide provider of commercial, retail, industrial and governmental post-construction stormwater management and lift station services through consulting, inspection, maintenance and repair. AQUALIS caters to national retailers, logistics providers, engineering firms, hospitals, military and industrial facilities, real estate management companies, distribution centers, national and multi-state organizations, individual and commercial property owners, airports and universities. For more information, visit www.aqualisco.com.

CoolSys Acquires Richmond Refrigeration Service

BREA, Calif., June 29, 2020 – CoolSys™, a parent of market-leading refrigeration and HVAC services companies nationwide, has acquired Richmond Refrigeration Service, an established commercial refrigeration and air conditioning business serving Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.  This is the second acquisition made by CoolSys in the Mid-Atlantic region in the past seven months, and the second acquisition the company has made during the month of June as it continues its M&A growth strategy backed by its private equity investor, Ares Management.  

 

“The acquisition of Richmond Refrigeration complements our acquisition of BRR Refrigeration seven months ago, giving us coverage across the entire state of Virginia while strengthening our presence in Maryland, West Virginia and North Carolina as well,” comments Adam Coffey, CEO of CoolSys.  “The Richmond Refrigeration team has a long history and excellent reputation in their region and we are excited to welcome them into the CoolSys family. This is another key step in becoming a true national solutions provider.”  

 

Based in Ashland, Virginia, Richmond Refrigeration Services specializes in the service and installation of a wide range of supermarket refrigeration systems and applications.  Its convenience store division provides a full-service team of plumbers, electricians, food service technicians, HVAC/R technicians and maintenance personnel.  Both of its service divisions are highly ranked by their major customers who use scoring systems with top key performance indicators (KPIs) that rank them among the highest-performing contractors across the United States.  

 

“We know some of the folks at CoolSys and some of their recent acquisitions, and are very excited to join their growing team,” comments John Lollar, president of Richmond Refrigeration Service. “The combination of Richmond’s heritage and reputation with CoolSys’ broad spectrum of solutions will allow us to bring even greater value to our customers and growth opportunities for our employees.”

 

About CoolSys 

CoolSys is the market-leading refrigeration and HVAC services company, specializing in a full spectrum of best-in-class service experiences and solutions for customers in the retail, food service, commercial and industrial market segments. CoolSys and its operating businesses cover every stage of mission-critical systems from engineering and design, to installation, service and maintenance, and energy optimization. Headquartered in Southern California, CoolSys has more than 1,900 highly trained, field-based service and installation experts serving the daily needs of more than 4,000 customers across North America. For additional information, please visit www.coolsys.com.

 

About Richmond Refrigeration Service

Established in 1954, Richmond Refrigeration Service is one of Virginia’s oldest commercial refrigeration, air conditioning service, and installation companies.  The company provides routine service and maintenance, 24/7 emergency service, and installation work in supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, bars, cafes, and distribution centers across the state of Virginia as well as parts of Maryland, North Carolina, and West Virginia. 

CoolSys Acquires Eastern Refrigeration

BREA, Calif., June 22, 2020 – CoolSys™, the parent of market-leading refrigeration and HVAC services companies nationwide, announced that it has acquired Eastern Refrigeration, a leading commercial refrigeration and HVAC solutions provider serving Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.  With this acquisition, CoolSys further expands its growing market presence in the Northeast region and resumes its nationwide expansion in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic with the backing of its private equity investor, Ares Management.  

 

“CoolSys is excited to relaunch our M&A growth strategy with the acquisition of Eastern Refrigeration.  This acquisition is another key step in fulfilling our vision of becoming a national service provider that offers a full-spectrum of best-in-class solutions for mission-critical refrigeration and HVAC systems in light commercial, commercial and industrial markets,” comments Adam Coffey, CEO of CoolSys. “This strategic acquisition strengthens our market position in the Northeast by providing density in some existing markets and opening up new states for CoolSys.”

 

Founded in 1975 by company president Pierre “Pete” Belisle, Eastern Refrigeration has expanded over the past four decades to install and service commercial refrigeration and HVAC equipment throughout its region. It specializes in all aspects of supermarket refrigeration, including direct expansion, carbon dioxide and glycol systems, as well as HVAC.  Eastern’s comprehensive installation capabilities range from ground-up construction and remodels to control systems and energy management systems.   

 

“We are very excited to become the newest members of the CoolSys family,” comments Stan Shumbo, Vice President of Eastern Refrigeration.  “The employee-focused culture of CoolSys is a great fit for the Eastern team, and we look forward to providing our customers with expanded solutions to help them manage their businesses even better.”

 

About CoolSys 

CoolSys is the market-leading refrigeration and HVAC services company, specializing in a full spectrum of best-in-class service experiences and solutions for customers in the retail, food service, commercial and industrial market segments. CoolSys and its operating businesses cover every stage of mission-critical systems from engineering and design, to installation, service and maintenance, and energy optimization. Headquartered in Southern California, CoolSys has more than 1,900 highly trained, field-based service and installation experts serving the daily needs of more than 4,000 customers across North America. For additional information, please visit www.coolsys.com.

 

About Eastern Refrigeration

Based in Colchester, Connecticut, Eastern Refrigeration provides commercial refrigeration services 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.  Its technicians are trained in every aspect of commercial refrigeration and HVAC.  They focus on addressing sales, service and installation needs as efficiently as possible while identifying measures that can be taken to prevent future maintenance issues.   Eastern Refrigeration serves customers ranging from local markets to big box stores, including Sam’s Club, Costco, Walmart and Whole Foods among many others.

PRSM/Connex member Bob Keingstein passes away

Bob Keingstein of BOSS Facility Services, Inc. lost his battle with cancer over the weekend. 

  

He was a true industry professional with a passion and knowledge of the HVAC industry for over 51 years. Bob started his career as an HVAC apprentice at the young age of 17 and instantly fell in love with the trade. At the age of 23, he started his first HVAC company and never looked back. 

In early 2001, the Bob and his three children formed BOSS Facility Services, Inc. and he loved every minute of it.  The company have been active Connex members since 2003.

Bob will truly be missed by his friends and family. He is survived by his wife of 48 years Pat, his three kids Keith Kerri and Kevin, and his six beautiful grandchildren.

 

If you would like to reach out the BOSS family, BOSS Facilities Services, Inc. is collecting stories on their LinkedIn page here

Nick Straka of Heartland Dental to lead new Connex Healthcare Council

In the June Town Hall, Bill Yanek, Connex CEO, announced the creation of the new Connex Healthcare Council, led by Nick Straka, Facilities Manager, Heartland Dental. The Council will develop specialized events, education and resources specific to healthcare members. 


“I am honored to lead Connex’s new Healthcare Council. I’ve already learned so much from Connex’s traditional FM members and I am looking forward to becoming more connected to the healthcare FMs. The council will allow us to network and discuss our specific needs,” Straka said.


More information will be available soon. Until then, please email Alexandra Sanchez, Connex’s Membership Development Manager .

Life Safety Engineered Systems, Inc. Welcomes Three New Team Members

Life Safety is pleased to announce the addition of three industry veterans to our Business Development team.

ED ROSENBAUM joins Life Safety as Director, Business Development. Ed successfully served the facilities maintenance industry for over twenty years. He is a past Board member of Connex (formerly PRSM). The following words were used to describe Ed at a recent national conference: Industry knowledgeable, Experienced, Passionate. Ed Knows how to “walk the walk and talk the talk.” He is a graduate of Virginia Tech and formerly served as an officer in the Air Force.

MATTHEW STRUSIENSKI, an experienced facility safety professional, joins Life Safety as Business Development Executive. Matthew most recently worked in a National Business Development role with DiVal Safety, where he focused on facility compliance services, inspections, and products for industrial manufacturing and other types of facilities. He also has previous experience in retail and facility management. Matthew was born and raised in Western New York where he still resides and is a proud alumnus of St. Bonaventure University.


MARK COLELLO joins Life Safety as Business Development Executive. His professional career has been highlighted with successes in sales, sales management, and executive management. After earning a B.S. in Business from the University at Buffalo with honors, he went to work for Dial Corporation. After 14 successful years, Mark moved on to roles at fire safety consumer product companies First Alert/BRK Brands and Innovalarm. Leveraging his fire safety expertise, Mark then opened his own company, Naperville Fire Safety.


Life Safety Engineered Systems, Inc. is a national fire & life safety company, serving multi-site clients in retail, restaurant, and healthcare markets. Their industry exclusive ONE Plan is an all-inclusive maintenance program, simplifying operations while providing their clients with peace of mind.

Harrison Contracting Company Celebrates 25 Years, Launches New Website

Harrison Contracting Company, LLC celebrates 25 years in business and launches an updated company website dedicated to sharing the company’s heart, expertise and philosophy.

In February 1995Deryl Harrison started Harrison Contracting Company with a very simple idea — doing what he said he would do! That principle has been the cornerstone of everything Harrison Contracting Company (HCC) stands for. In fact, it’s the basis of its “Measures of Success”, reputation, customer loyalty, employee satisfaction, teamwork, achieving goals, quality growth and profitability.

“Reputation is at the top of that list for a reason,” current President and third-generation painter Bill Harrison said. “It’s real simple; we get up every day and focus on doing what we say we’ll do for our customers. There’s nothing fancy about that, but our customers rely on us to deliver. We’re very intentional about how we represent ourselves. My dad would always say, ‘We may be a bunch of painters, but we don’t have to look like it.'”

As a commercial painting contractor, HCC’s business is divided into new construction painting, repainting and reimage and facility maintenance. From a new construction perspective, the company is focused on the southeastern U.S. Repainting is a significant part of the company’s portfolio and includes both localized direct-to-owner projects and national painting programs with retailers including, The Home Depot, Walmart, Sam’s, Kohl’s, Advance Auto Parts, Publix, Lowe’s, Auto Zone, O’Reilly Auto Parts and more.

Lastly, HCC has a facility maintenance division that is solely dedicated to supporting the reactive maintenance needs of firms with multiple sites nationwide.

Within the industry, HCC is known for the color red. Its vehicles and equipment are bright red, clothing is bright red, even its parking lot is striped bright red at their corporate offices in Villa Rica, Ga. But more than just the color, HCC is relentless about presenting a clean, professional image in a trade where the perception can be the exact opposite.

Crews are required to show up to job sites with clean red HCC shirts, white painters pants, work boots and proper PPE for the day. Additionally, all HCC equipment is red and cleaned weekly to ensure a professional appearance. This is how the company distinguishes itself. For HCC, red is more than just the company color — it’s the company culture. At HCC, “RED” stands for Reliable, Experienced and Diligent, and it permeates every aspect of the company.

As part of the company’s 25th-year celebration, HCC has updated its corporate website (www.harrisoncontracting.com) to reflect its capability and intentionality. The new website emphasizes RED, includes a short video that speaks to HCC’s past 25 years, features information about company history, services, logistics to work as a national provider, details about its work and information about its close ties to auto racing.

For 25 years, HCC has focused on building lasting relationships by relentlessly delivering value. In many cases, this leads to a more consultative relationship, where customers see HCC as more than just their painter, but as their partner!

About HCC

Harrison Contracting Company (HCC) is a commercial painting and facility maintenance contracting company headquartered just outside of Atlanta. HCC provides repainting and reimaging, as well as facility maintenance services nationwide, and new construction painting across the southeastern U.S. At HCC, red is more than the company color — its the company culture. RED stands for Reliable, Experienced and Diligent. We are more than just your painter, we are your partner.

Media Contact:

Farra Lanzer

240570@email4pr.com 

970-541-3284

SOURCE Harrison Contracting Company

Related Links

https://www.harrisoncontracting.com

J.D. Wilcox of Lane Valente Industries, Inc. Earns ProFM Credential

J.D. Wilcox, Vice President, Client Services, Lane Valente Industries, Inc. has earned the ProFM Credential. Read below to see why the ProFM was a great fit for Wilcox.  

Why did you choose the ProFM program?
I felt it was a natural progression after completing the RFMP. After reviewing the functional knowledge areas, it became clear I was involved in each of these competencies on a daily basis. I therefore felt it was important to get involved in the program to gain more knowledge and to reinforce the things I do in my daily responsibilities.

How did you use the study tools – reading and online quizzes – to progress through the program?
The Progress reports at the end of each section were helpful. The on-line quizzes within each module were extremely valuable, and the Cumulative Glossary was a necessity for the test.  The best advice I can give is to be sure you get the books (I almost didn’t, glad someone convinced me to spend a little more to get them) – I can’t imagine doing it all on a computer.

How will the knowledge gained from the ProFM program help you in your day-to-day work responsibilities and/or in your career overall?

I think the FM decisions we all make daily are driven by so many different factors, that we rarely stop to consider how many factors are involved in the decision. For example, a simple quote recommendation may involve considerations such as repair or replace, tenant vs. landlord responsibility, capital requirements, financial payback periods, contractual obligations, compliance (code requirements), utility considerations, environmental impact, and overall customer satisfaction. The program covered all these areas in detail while tying it all everything together.

Why would you recommend that other suppliers earn the ProFM credential?
I think it’s a great way to meet other people in the industry while learning new skills.

 

Connex is proud to partner with the Professional Facility Management Institute (ProFMI), the founding body and administrator of the ProFM credential. The partnership strengthens the Connex facility management credential program. Connex members have access to special discounts. Click here for more information.

The Daily Grind / E28 – Kevin Smith addresses evaluating supplier solutions when re-opening facilities


Thursday on the Daily Grind livestream, Kevin Smith of Ferrandino & Son, discussed re-evaluating your vendor solution as multi-site facilities make plans to re-open. Ferrandino & Son is a national facility maintenance and construction services company that provides services to more than 35,000 locations across the United States.

“As far as the current climate we’re really still trying to deal with the real impact this pandemic has had on our industry,” said Smith. “It’s really transitioned from a health pandemic into a financial pandemic for many companies.

In our industry it is expected that 20-30% of smaller businesses are not going to survive the shutdown. This is going to be at the forefront of our planning as we try to assess who’s going to make it, who needs to reposition from a supplier standpoint, and what we can do to help.


One thing you can do to really gauge supplier credentials is to research them on the
Connex Online Buyers Guide. You can also check supplier websites and ask questions in the Connex Communities.


As we move to re-open facilities there are key things to keep in mind:

·       Create an inspection checklist – and use it consistently

·       Prioritize, what can be pushed out

·       Don’t forget about the exterior of facilities

·       Keep safety in mind even post-COVID-19

“Even with these points, moving forward will be a process. However, if you think safety first going forward, we’ll get through this safely together,” concluded Smith.  

The Daily Grind / E27 – Chad Smith, Lennox National Account Services, addresses the importance of HVAC when re-opening facilities

On Wednesday’s edition of the Daily Grind livestream, Chad Smith, Director; Business Development, Lennox National Account Services, discussed the important role HVAC systems play when re-opening facilities to the public.

 

Since 1895, Lennox has built reliable, innovative heating and cooling systems to help businesses reduce operating costs while maintaining comfort.

 

“We need to definitely consider airflow when re-opening multi-site facilities after COVID-19,” said Smith. “First, there are numerous resources available as we begin to reopen stores. These come from ASHRAE, the CDC, EPA etc., and there are so many different sized buildings to consider from small mom and pop shops to big box stores. However, there are a few important HVAC things to consider before re-opening:

 

1)      Outside air and design – critical to efficiency and stopping the spread of COVID-19

2)      Ensure exhausts inside the building are working properly

3)      Maintain the HVAC, even when facilities are closed

4)      Ensure suppliers can safely access rooftop units

 

These are critical to maintain both dark stores and those operating currently. Just as important is to stay plugged into connexfm.com to stay up to date with all the latest COVID-19 information. Connex can also help with wonderful resources and a list of partners and suppliers as we move through this crucial time,” concluded Smith.