DEERFIELD, Ill. — Reedy Industries, a 92-year-old company that built its reputation by partnering with and growing HVAC, building automation, and plumbing services businesses in the Midwest region, has changed its name to PremiStar as part of its people-first strategy to address challenges faced by facility owners and managers in industrial, education, healthcare, and commercial market segments.

"The need for reliable, high-quality service of complex equipment has changed dramatically since the pandemic," said Joe Kirmser, CEO of PremiStar. "In the U.S., we have a shortage of highly trained, skilled equipment technicians, the workforce of which needs to as much as double to serve increasing demand for more cost-effective, more energy-efficient and healthier indoor environments."

Kirmser believes that the current macroeconomic environment only exacerbates the challenge. "Embracing our family heritage and core values, PremiStar's people-first culture ensures we passionately work together to improve lives and enable critical facilities — ones that we can't live without — to stay up and running."

For HVAC, building automation, and plumbing services businesses, partnering with PremiStar means access to resources and investment for workforce recruitment, training, safety, and technology. People-First stands for attracting, developing and retaining high-caliber employee talent while enabling local leaders to preserve their cultures, employees and customers in the communities they serve. "Our partners are passionate about the vital role they play in keeping critical facilities safe and operational. But that's not all," Kirmser says. "Collectively, our employees and their families devote thousands of hours each year volunteering their time to enrich the lives of their community members."

Commenting on PremiStar's support for environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, Kirmser says, "Our mission is very pragmatic. We enable our partners to invest in and develop the talent, best practices and technology needed to help customers build and maintain facilities that reduce operating costs, consume less energy and are healthier for workers and building occupants."

Kirmser, who joined the company in 2019, has overseen the completion of 19 new company affiliations, expanding the service footprint throughout the Midwest, Mountain West, Southwest and Southeast, and increasing revenues by over 250%. In 2021, the company joined forces with Partners Group, a leading global private markets investment firm, to help strengthen its competitive advantage, invest in technical resources and expand into new markets.