With the increasing momentum of home-performance contracting serving as a backdrop, Aeorseal LLC recently announced it has acquired Comfort Institute. Aeroseal, a division of JMD Corp., is the owner and licensee of aeroseal duct sealing technology while Comfort Institute is a provider of home-performance training.
“What really made us excited when looking at Comfort Institute is that it believes the industry needs more than just an equipment focus,” said Amit Gupta, president and CEO, Aeroseal. “Like us, the organization believes in the whole-house approach. One system alone does not work independently. Comfort Institute is motivating the HVAC contractor to really get into whole-home performance and deliver efficiency and air quality to the home owner.”
Comfort Institute will continue to provide the services it currently offers while adding additional services, all as a wholly owned business unit of Aeroseal.
Aeroseal is planning on investing heavily into Comfort Institute. The company announced plans to build a centralized training center in Dayton, Ohio, that will offer contractors hands-on education. In addition, the company will be adding regional training nationwide.
Under the acquisition, several key Comfort Institute personnel will remain in their current positions. Brendan Reid and Ken Summers will continue to lead the organization. Comfort Institute’s main facility, warehouse, and offices will be relocated to Centerville, Ohio.
Home-performance Contracting
Home-performance contracting has grown in popularity within the HVAC industry and Aeroseal and Comfort Institute are eager to ride that wave.
“High-efficiency HVAC equipment is like a Formula One race car. A lot of times, we are putting that equipment on a duct system that is a dirt road with potholes,” said Reid. “The industry does it all the time, and contractors get the callbacks and complaints. Those are expensive to contractors.”
Reps with Aeroseal and Comfort Institute believe the merger will combine complimentary resources and strengthen the offerings both organizations provide the HVAC industry. It is expected to enhance Aeroseal dealers’ sales and duct renovation capabilities and provide an avenue to success in the broader home-performance market. Backed by Aeroseal, Comfort Institute will have greater access to resources to invest in member services. Comfort Institute members anticipate benefits from significantly increased regional training opportunities, enhanced business process systems, greater networking opportunities, and easier access to product innovations.
“I can attribute a large part of our success in home performance to the combination of our Aeroseal dealership with our Comfort Institute membership,” said Steve Schmidt, president of Frederick Air Inc. and ACCA national board member. “I could not be more excited for the industry that these two organizations have officially joined forces. No doubt, greater contractor success and remarkable customer satisfaction is on the horizon.”
Gupta and Reid are excited to begin their work on behalf of contractors and the industry.
“Aeroseal dealers will have access to some very complementary training to add to the knowledge they already have and further increase their sales abilities,” Reid said. “Combining the technology of Aeroseal with the knowledge and experience of our team is exciting. We are ready to get to the next level of HVAC. HVAC contractors are the best home service tradesmen to take on this whole-house system approach for many reasons. It is becoming more and more mainstream every day.”
“We have a bright future ahead of us,” Gupta said. “I believe the contracting world will change greatly over the next few years, and we will be a big part of that change. In fact, I think we are a catalyst of the change.”
Publication date: 9/15/2014
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