For 20 years, the Airon Group of Companies has formed partnerships to defy conventional ways of thinking 

By Greg McMillan

By daring to be different, The Airon Group of Companies has forged important partnerships and made a name for itself as a building industry innovation leader.
The Burlington, Ontario-based firm, which provides services to engage facility managers, builders and consultants in the Building Automation Systems (BAS) process, embraces technological advances and the challenges they bring with them – ensuring that Airon maintains an advantage over its competitors.

“Timing is very important,” says Airon President Richard Gorka. “We don’t want to be too far ahead of our industry’s adoption of future technological advancements, but worse, we don’t want to fall behind.”

To that end, Airon consists of unconventional thinkers who assist its partners with difficult problems and invigorate their organizations by going beyond conventional roles and defying traditional ways of thinking.

“The majority of construction and related services work in Canada is procured through the ‘bid and spec’ pricing model,” Gorka says. “This type of procurement model ensures that the lowest bid most often wins the project. In this business environment the emphasis on achieving lowest costs is often placed ahead of highest quality.
“However, as an industry innovation leader, Airon can only deliver on the highest quality, and to compete we must work towards executing in the most efficient manner. Since construction requires the collaborate efforts of many different expert trades, we must seek out partnerships with other trades who look to execute on a high quality, high efficiency model.

“As this business model is one of our founding principals, we have many examples of projects executed through high quality trade partnerships.”
In that vein, Gorka cited several recent Airon projects:

• Toronto Regent Park Revitalization Project;
• Toronto Community Housing Corporation, Energy Management Upgrades;
• City of Windsor, Energy Management Upgrades;
• Township of Essex, Energy Management Upgrades;
• Niagara Region, Energy Management Upgrades;
• Niagara Parks, Tablerock Tourist Centre;
• And Niagara College Applied Health Building.

Airon believes that in an environment of continuous change , it’s never business as usual; that an organization needs to be nimble because technological advances continue to define its business. So Airon’s services engage builders and consultants in the BAS process. By partnering with facility managers, builders, consultants and product suppliers, Airon discovers how to develop innovative solutions for building challenges and generate innovative strategies for long-term positive results.

“Since founding our company 20 years ago, our industry evolved enormously, based mostly on technological advancements,” says Gorka. “Not one element of our business is the way it was. We have gone from typewriters to tablets, from relays to integrated functional devices, from CB radios to iPhones.”
Along the way, he says, the company continued to grow, and needed stronger leadership with distinct skill sets.
“As as a result, I developed two minority partnerships – one with Reid Hutchinson in our HVAC service company and one with Gezim Berisha in our HVAC control company,” he explains. “We developed an extremely talented team of HVAC technicians, all well experienced and trained on both the existing and emerging technologies that exist in our industry.”
Additionally, he said, Airon assembled an expert team of licensed electrical technicians with advanced electronics’ skills to efficiently and accurately install increasingly sophisticated building automation systems.
“And we developed an expert team of designers and programmers that are made up of mechanical and computer science technologists and engineers.” he says. “This team is continually testing, adopting and implementing the latest advanced technological applications in our industry.
“And perhaps least recognized, we developed an expert team of sales professionals, managers and administrators that, without a doubt, are the glue that holds the operation together.”

There are many wide-ranging testimonials to Airon’s professional expertise.
“Our current clients are thrilled with our advanced services,” says Gorka. “They have observed an almost instant reduction in both energy and facility management costs. “Through ongoing mini-seminars, trade shows and face-to-face interactions with the general industry public, the interest has been very positive. We are negotiating more work based on energy management and associated sustainability than ever before.”

Ange Bruni, former Manager, Facilities Management Services at the Welland Campus of Niagara College, echoed those words.
“Airon’s flexibility and creativity is a highly desirable feature in today’s challenging world of technology and, from my experience, this has been a missing element in relation to the larger corporations,” Bruni says. “It is those very characteristics that allowed Airon to successfully create a systematic approach to achieve the requested innovated results.”

Looking ahead, Gorka foresees a bright future for Airon.
“Our technological management is better than ever, our teams are working well together and we are well ahead of our competitors,” he says, “in delivering the next major change to affect the mechanical services industry: A shift from Reactive service to Proactive service.”

He explained that, in the Reactive service model, a problem or equipment failure remains unnoticed until it is discovered via human intervention, such as an uncomfortable tenant or an observant service technician on a routine preventative maintenance check.
“In this model serious energy-wasting problems can go unnoticed for many weeks, and in some cases the problem may never be discovered at all,” Gorka says. “In the Proactive model, technology continually monitors all the major building systems and reports a problem immediately as it occurs in real time via email to concerned parties.”

“We have been working on an effective Proactive service model for several years, and through Airon’s exclusive ANT Technologies™ we have a highly advanced real time Proactive reporting suite of software tools.
“Many of our clients are currently using ANT Technologies™ and, as we roll out the next phase of software tools we expect that ANT Technologies™ will provide us a major differentiator in the market.”
Another striking example of how Airon dares to be different – again and again and again.

Web: www.airongroup.ca

As an Authorized Tridium™ Developer, Airon has partnered with Tridium™ to develop specific applications that will advance existing technology. New solutions that will better serve your needs. Proven solutions are then licensed by Tridium™ and shared with other Integrators forming the technological building blocks of the future, today.
Airon has established a research and development partnership with Brock University, and is working with a team of computer science engineers to advance energy analytics and fault detection solutions that will continually monitor energy use in facilities and immediately diagnose environmental and energy-wasting problems in facilities and forward reports as they occur.
Airon has also partnered with Humber College in creating a specialized lab and teaching courses to arm the students with the BAS basics needed to enter the industry.

The Ferrari brothers at Elite Climate Services double up to provide HVAC quality for ‘your home comfort solution’

By Greg McMillan

When Attilio and Santino Ferrari joined forces back in 2006 and founded Elite Climate Services, they instantly began charting a course of excellence that has turned heads ever since.
And they have maintained their original mandate since day one – to build a company that would focus on innovation, honesty, integrity and quality workmanship in the heating, cooling and radiant floor heating industry.
“We combined our principles, knowledge and hands-on experience to form the company,” said Attilio Ferrari. “We had a combined 35 years of experience and we pride ourselves in offering clients the highest level of customer service and quality workmanship.”

One of the main factors for the esteemed standing Elite Climate Services holds in the industry, says Ferrari, is the in-house quality control exhibited.

“We are able to design, install and service with all our own people,” Ferrari says, “so there is not need to source any labour. And between Santino and I, we have the hands-on experience and are able to relate and train our techs.
“Because we understand the function of both forced air and hydronic radiant heating, we are able to integrate the system to work together as opposed to the two systems fighting each other.
“We have the facility to prefab all our boilers and hydronic manifolds, making the installation process more efficient and accurate with a cleaner install.  We also have a sheet metal shop where we make all our own custom sheet metal.  By doing this we are able to make quality our first priority.”
It’s been a seamless transition since the brothers decided to put all their eggs into one basket.

Before they teamed up, the Ferraris were making names for themselves individually in the industry; and earning credibility along the way.
Santino started out in 1996 as a gas and sheet metal apprentice, then went on to complete several trade licences in the following six years while gaining experience in the custom home and commercial HVAC industry. He has since taken several more manufacturing training courses, gaining knowledge about the installation and service of products.
On the other hand, Attilio got his start in the industry back in 1988, working as a gas and hydronic apprentice.  He spent the next eight years successfully completing his trade licences, as well as also stockpiling industry experience. He attended HRAI training courses and attained various design certificates at the same time.

Fast forward to 2006, and the fruits of their early labours began to mesh.
“For the first six months of Elite Climate Services it was just Santino and I,” recalls Attilio. “But our quality workmanship was soon recognized by our small client base, and we started receiving a lot of referrals from them.
“We hired a few employees to work hand in hand with us, then trained them to our high standards of quality and knowledge.”
The brothers found that their client base kept growing, so by 2007 they had acquired a 3,000-square-foot facility in Toronto where they began running their daily operation.

“Due to our rapid growth we outgrew that place quickly, so in 2010 we acquired a much larger location in Corcord,” Attilio says. “There, we were able to have a fully operational showroom, sheet metal shop and a prefab area for our boilers and manifolds.”
And their original employees continued along for the ride.
“Yes, they are still with us,” says Attilio. “They have been groomed with our high standards of customer service and quality workmanship. They are managing projects alongside us, so that, as we grow, our standards go along with it.”

Testimonials from satisfied clients certainly back that up.

“Elite Climate Services installed our entire mechanical system in our new home, including zoned air conditioning, air handlers, HEPA filters, HRV units, boilers, steam humidifiers, heated floors and glycol heated driveways/walkways,” says Richard LAST NAME?

“The systems were installed in a timely manner and functioned well from day one. For the inevitable tweaks to the equipment, Elite was responsive and we were impressed that they would patiently come back as many times as it took to adjust things to our fussy standards.
“The other important aspect was cleanliness. The final product was left clean and the in-floor heating pipes almost looked as if they had been polished. I would recommend Elite to friends as they provide a full service experience and back their work with excellent follow-up care.”
Another glowing report came from Mary LAST NAME?

“Elite Climate Services is truly exceptional,” she says. “Every individual I dealt with was knowledgeable, responsive and incredibly professional.  Their solutions-oriented and practical approach far surpassed prior companies I had hired.
“After six years of being told I had to live with a 10-degree difference between my basement and the second floor, Elite brought comfort to my home.”

Far from being satisfied with the status quo, Attilio believes the future for Elite Climate Services is in an onward-and-upward mode.

“We have formed a service division for both residential and commercial clients,” he says. “This will not only service and maintain projects we have completed but also maintain clients with systems not installed by us.
“And we are dealing with infloor heating and snow melt technologies which, up until now, have really been limited, or affordable, to the high-end custom home market.

“We are striving to make it more affordable for the production homebuilder and commercial market.

Web: www.eliteclimateservices.ca

Elite Climate Services Inc. strives for excellence for its clients. The company attains professional and courteous interaction that ensures clients have the best services possible by being innovative, professional, experienced and reliable.  For residential clients, Elite Climate Services Inc. provides installation and service to all properties. Services include: Furnaces, boilers, fireplaces, air conditioning, indoor air quality, radiant floor heating, snow melt systems, hot water tanks, tankless water heaters and infrared heaters. Elite specializes in custom homes, ranging from 3,000-square-foot to larger areas. A typical residential installation includes design, air handler, air conditioning, steam humidifier, air cleaner, HRV, radiant floor heating and snow melt system, interconnected with a high efficiency boiler. In the commercial area, services include: rooftops, unit heaters, infrared heaters, exhaust fans and maintenance plans.

From modest beginnings in 1956, Air Heat Supplies continues to grow as the wholesaler of choice for today’s contractor

By Greg McMillan

The mandate for Air Heat Supplies has always been about providing contractors with one-stop shopping.

That hasn’t changed since the original family-owned parent company, G&M Heating Supplies Ltd., opened its first location in Toronto back in 1956.
And when G&M Heating Supplies acquired Air Heat Supplies 40 years later, that mandate continued – and continues today.
“We take the time to get to know our customers, who are treated like friends, not numbers,” says Air Heat general manager Howard Mathers. “We make sure they have easy access to owners and managers if they need information or need a problem resolved.”
Always a leading single-source HVAC wholesale distributor in Ontario, Air Heat combines one of the largest HVAC/IAQ parts and supplies inventories with exclusive distribution of American Standard residential and light commercial heating and air conditioning systems.
“We moved from being a grille and register supply company to a company that supplies venting, equipment, rooftop units, gas lines and a wide variety of accessories.
“Today, we have a full-time person dedicated to customer training and technical support for dealers. And we have a large number of dedicated territory managers throughout the province maintaining that all-important face-to-face customer contact.”

In 1996, keeping its original Toronto location as a branch, Air Heat opened a new 40,000-square foot head office in Mississauga, followed by a third location in Scarborough in 2004.

A year later, Air Heat became the exclusive Ontario distributor of award-winning American Standard Heating and Air Conditioning systems and equipment. Since then, they have established a network of 170 independent American Standard dealers across Ontario.
They continued that growth and, by the summer of 2008, had opened a distribution centre in Ottawa.
Two years later, that was followed by the opening of a 2,000 sq. ft. Home Comfort Training Centre near the head office in Mississauga.  Offering a regular calendar of free technical, sales, and third party vendor training courses, this cutting edge facility also provides hands-on training using fully-operational HVAC, IAQ and Hydronic systems.
The Mississauga office handles all administration, distribution and manages all outside sales activities in Ontario. It is complete with a large showroom, service counter and technical training room.

By December 2011, yet another distribution centre had opened in London to better serve southwestern Ontario contractors.
Onwards and upwards – despite the recent tough economic times.
“We’re on the right path,” says Ian Rasmussen, director of sales and marketing for Air Heat. “This year we’re looking at even more positive growth.”
Now a second-generation family-owned and operated business – Howard, his sister, Debbie, and her husband, Tobits Ruddock, continue on with the family legacy started by their father, Percy, in 1956 – Air Heat has a growing customer base of over 1,500 contractors and employs over 40 people in their head office, branches, distribution centres, and Home Comfort Training Centre.
Air Heat has always provided an easy-access contractor experience.

Following its mandate, the company provides contractors with one-stop shopping, stocking furnaces, boilers, gas and oil service parts, sheet metal supplies, ventilation products, electrical and plumbing accessories.
Air Heat is truly a complete HVAC wholesaler with long ties to many well-recognized names in the industry. Besides American Standard, Air Heat now sources products from over 70 leading suppliers, including Honeywell, Alltemp, Aprilaire, White-Rodgers, Trac-Pipe, Vanee, Continental Fireplaces, Noritz, Weil McLain, and Canadian General Filters , which has designed and manufactured a full line of efficient and reliable residential indoor air quality products for more than 65 years.

And Howard says, as the Ontario economy continues to bounce back, Air Heat will strive to expand its position in the residential, retail, new construction and commercial markets with a dedication to product support and customer service.

“We have a loyal, knowledgeable staff, with many having over 10 years service with us,” says Ruddock, operations manager.

With a newly-launched website, Air Heat highlights a number of special services, as well.

“We have bi-weekly contractor ‘Hot Buy’ specials, and monthly contractor buy programs,” Howard added. “We have ‘Meet the Supplier’ summer barbecue events, a winter mini-trade show and feature job-site deliveries by Air Heat trucks and drivers.”

Looking ahead, Howard foresees more of the same for Air Heat – and then some.

“We will stay price-competitive in this highly-competitive market,” he says. “We will maintain the correct product offering in this rapidly-changing industry. We will keep up on the changing efficiency regulations and changing government rebates programs, etcetera.
“We’ll continue to expand the American Standard brand throughout Ontario, explore further expansion into the Hydronic market and open additional locations in Ontario.

Onwards and upwards, indeed.

Web:  www.airheat.ca

Air Heat Supplies has been working with the leading suppliers in the industry for over five decades. As the exclusive Ontario distributor for the complete residential and commercial American Standard heating and conditioning line, the company also carries one of the largest HVAC/IAQ parts and supplies catalogues in the industry.  Extensive inventory, fast order processing, and reasonable pricing keeps contractors coming back for dependable HVAC solutions and satisfied customer referrals. Air Heat’s customer service staff brings decades of HVAC product knowledge with the latest training to help contractors source just the right products for each job.