A Bellingham heating and air conditioning company was acquired by a larger firm, resulting in an expansion of services and employees in Whatcom County.
BelAire Service was purchased by McKinstry Co., a Seattle company with about 1,600 employees, on Thursday, July 15. The Bellingham sales office has moved to a temporary space at 3130 Howe Place (in the Barkley Village area) and will not only keep the three technicians and one sales person, but plans to hire a few more technicians, said Robert Frey, a vice president at McKinstry.
The acquisition is good news for the employees, said Kelly Lonsberry, a sales specialist at BelAire who is being retained by McKinstry. Along with an improved benefits package, the employees are already busier than they were prior to the sale.
“I was amazed by how great the team spirit is (at McKinstry); I got the feeling the company really makes an effort to keep its employees happy,” Lonsberry said.
The acquisition is part of McKinstry’s plan to have a stronger physical presence in the Northwest corner of Washington. The company is focused on developing and maintaining complete building systems, including heating, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical, fire protection and facility management. The company designs, builds, operates and maintains buildings. This includes working on an existing building either to retrofit it or help with operation and maintenance, Frey said.
Along with looking for a new sales office in Bellingham, the company plans to add a company office in the Everett/Arlington area to provide the resources needed for this area’s clients, Frey said.
“We want to be there for the life of the building, improving its efficiency along the way,” Frey said.
McKinstry will assume all existing preventive maintenance agreements of BelAire clients. The Bellingham office will also expand its heating and air conditioning services beyond commercial and residential clients to include industrial and municipality customers.
For details, call the Bellingham sales office at 733-4652 or visit the company website (click here) .
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