SIDNEY — “We are starting to experience growth in our Cincinnati sales. Couple this with an expanded product offering from Gardner Denver, and adding new customers locally, and it resulted in another year of growth for Air Handling,” reported President Kurt Barhorst.
His report continues:
Jeff Minks is the Sales Engineer heading the Cincinnati operation. Jeff has 13 years of compressed air industry knowledge. This experience has allowed Jeff to transition quickly into the day to day operations at Air Handling. Air Handling had a solid base of existing customers in the Cincinnati market. Opening the new location allows them to respond more quickly to those end user needs, as well as, expand their market share.
Air Handling primarily focuses on their four core areas: new equipment sales, compressor services, parts, and rental compressors. Jeff Pleiman is the Operations Manager monitoring these departments. Air Handling’s mission is to eliminate lost production relating to compressed air system downtime and inefficiencies. Jeff oversees this operation making sure that Air Handling meets their mission.
Air Handling will celebrate it’s 40th year in business in 2017. They represent the Gardner Denver brand of air compressors. “Gardner Denver’s acquisition of CompAir and LeROI air compressors has been a very good thing for Air Handling and our customers. Benefits include a product that is made in the USA, a 5 year parts and labor warranty program, and energy efficient product offerings” reported Barhorst.
Our Sales Department has been led by Aaron Lacy for over 14 years. This department experienced another successful year of total unit sales. Air Handling’s focus to provide efficient solutions to our customers compressed air needs, has led to this increase. This effort was once again acknowledged by DP&L as Air Handling was recognized as one of DP&L’s top channel partners in 2016.
The Parts Department exceeded the record levels reached in 2015. Lynette Caulfield led this area for her 11th year. Her commitment to customer service and attention to detail continues to create a very loyal customer base. The focus of this department in 2017 will be to improve inventory control systems and increase sales in the Cincinnati market.
Jon Freistuhler led the service department for his 22nd year. This department saw growth in service calls and total revenue in 2016. One of the areas that saw the most growth in 2016 was the compressed air piping installation crew. The Installation group is led by Steve Reineke. Barhorst was proud to report that “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 in 2015 and then again in 2016. That speaks to the commitment of these employees in meeting our mission!” Compressed air system sequencing, internet based system monitoring, and tablets for all of the technicians, will be several of the items expanded on in 2017.
The year ended with the retirement of previous owner Doug Barhorst. Doug purchased the company in 1989. Through Doug’s many years of service the company has grown more than 15 times. Doug would always state “you are only as strong as the people you surround yourself with” and this growth is a testament of the team he has assembled.
Doug has positioned the company with a great foundation for future success. We wish Doug and Sara many years of health and happiness in their next phase of life.
Air Handling’s vision is to be recognized as the provider of the most reliable compressed air systems, and all of our daily efforts are focused towards that result.
