SIDNEY — “Air Handling celebrated our 42nd year in business with a great year of growth.” reported Kurt Barhorst, president.
His report follows:
Air Handling added a new location in Gahanna, Ohio, to help serve the Columbus market. Columbus is a city that is growing and we are excited by the many opportunities this will provide. We are currently interviewing for both Sales and Service Technicians in that market.
Air Handling’s other two locations in Sidney and Milford both experienced growth in 2019. The Milford location was established in 2015 and is led by Jeff Minks. Jeff has been actively selling for more than 15 years in the Cincinnati market. He has been with Air Handling for 4.5 years and in each year he has grown Air Handling’s market share.
We have noted in these reports previously that Air Handling focuses on our four core departments of Equipment Sales, Parts Sales, Compressor Services, and Compressor Rentals. We experienced increased sales in all 4 of these areas. Jeff Pleiman, operations manager, continues to oversee operations at all locations and managed this growth.
Air Handling represents the Gardner Denver brand of air compressors. Representing the Gardner Denver brand of air compressors is truly a blessing for Air Handling and our customers. The benefits include a product that is made in the USA, a 5 year parts and labor warranty program, 10 year rotary screw warranty program and energy efficient product offerings.
The Sidney Sales team consists of Aaron Lacy (17 years) and Brian Stewart (6 years). This department experienced another successful year of total unit sales and revenue. Their experience and dedication to customer support guided their efforts to a successful 2019.
The Internet of Things (IOT) continues to take a stronger hold in the industrial market. The systems we are installing today provide the industrial facility with real time access to data relating to their compressed air system. This information allows them to make instant adjustments and forecast for their future needs. Air Handling’s efforts in this area were once again acknowledged by DP&L, when they were recognized as one of DP&L’s top channel partners in 2019.
The Parts Department exceeded the record levels reached in 2018. Lynette Caulfield led this area for her 14th year. Air Handling customers have grown to count on her reliability and great customer service. Air Handling is currently undergoing a remodeling project to expand and organize the storage and dispatch areas for this department. This group will focus to improve inventory control systems, implement options that utilize IOT, and increase sales in the Cincinnati and Columbus markets.
Chris Kaufman led the Service Department. Chris replaced Jon Freistuhler as service manager in 2019. Jon retired after more than 25 years of service with Air Handling. The Service Department saw growth in service calls and total revenue in 2019. One of the areas that saw the most growth in 2019 was the installation crew. That group, led by Steve Reineke, conducted some of our largest projects in the history of the company. The employees in our Service Department continue to be the backbone of our company. We had our highest technician utilization percentage in the history of the company for four straight years. That speaks to the commitment of these employees in meeting our mission.
Air Handling’s Mission is to help our customers reach their goals by eliminating compressed air system down time and inefficiencies, and all of our daily efforts are focused towards that result.
