Schwab Vollhaber Lubratt

What Schwab Vollhaber Lubratt does

Schwab Vollhaber Lubratt (SVL), founded in February 1967 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is a privately held commercial HVAC and cleanroom equipment manufacturer's representative. Operating under the legal name Schwab-Vollhaber-Lubratt, Inc., the firm represents more than 60 product lines from premier manufacturers including Daikin, AAON, Innovent, Loren Cook, Titus, Lennox, Evapco, Phoenix Controls, and Williams Comfort Products. Its portfolio spans airside, hydronic, industrial, and agricultural/food and beverage HVAC solutions. SVL employs Sales Engineers with 50+ years of domain experience who act as design-phase advisors to consulting engineers, contractors, and end-users, supported by a parts team with 100+ years of combined experience sourcing OEM and obsolete equipment.

SVL earns revenue through three streams: equipment sales commissions from represented manufacturers, professional service fees for startup, warranty, and 24-hour emergency support, and aftermarket parts sales. Equipment sales are quote-based with 30-day price validity and net-30 payment terms; parts carry a $50 minimum emergency fee plus store-opening charges. The company operates from three offices — Roseville, MN (headquarters); Fargo, ND; and Bismarck, ND — serving Minnesota, North Dakota, and surrounding Midwest markets. Distribution is sales-led and relationship-driven, complemented by digital channels including the parts.svl.com ordering portal and BIM/Revit drawing resources for engineering design.

The customer base skews enterprise and institutional, with named logos spanning healthcare (Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Be The Match, North Memorial), education (University of Minnesota, Wayzata High School), commercial real estate (Cargill, Mall of America, Scheels), sports and entertainment (Target Field, Guthrie Theater), government (U.S. Federal Courthouse, Xcel Energy Center), manufacturing (Anderson Windows, Cypress Semiconductor, Graco), and utilities (Great River Energy, Chippewa Valley Electric Cooperative). The company is closely held by founding-family principals — Jim Lubratt has served as President and CEO since 2006 and Charlie Vollhaber was named Executive Vice President in 2022 — with no external private equity or venture capital backing disclosed.

Name

Schwab Vollhaber Lubratt

Legal name

Schwab-Vollhaber-Lubratt, Inc.

Website

https://svl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Schwab Vollhaber Lubratt is a Midwest commercial HVAC manufacturer's representative representing 60+ premier product lines and serving enterprise and institutional customers across Minnesota and North Dakota since 1967.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial HVAC Equipment Distribution

NAICS

Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment (3590), Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAHAKAB

HVAC Equipment (Heating, Cooling & Air Handling)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment/Refrigeration, HVAC & Thermal Equipment

SECONDARYIMAIABAA

HVAC Installation, Service & Repair

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Services & Facility Operations/Building Maintenance & Repair (MEP/HVAC/Plumbing/Electrical)

SECONDARYHSAOAHAC

Emergency HVAC Repair (24/7)

Home & Personal Services/Plumbing, Electrical & HVAC Services/HVAC Repair, Maintenance & Tune-Ups

SECONDARYEDAOACAC

HVAC Installation & Service (Residential & Commercial)

Education/Vocational, Technical & Trade Education/Plumbing, HVAC & Refrigeration Trades

Keywords

• Commercial HVAC equipment
• Manufacturer representative
• HVAC sales engineering
• HVAC service and parts
• Cleanroom HVAC solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Roseville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales Commission: SVL operates as a manufacturer's representative representing various HVAC equipment suppliers. They earn commissions on equipment sales to commercial customers through their Sales Engineers who guide design, selection, and installation processes.
2. Service Revenue: SVL Service offers startup, warranty, and support services for HVAC products they represent. 24-hour emergency services are offered.
3. Aftermarket Parts Sales: SVL provides replacement parts for full lines of HVAC products, including obsolete equipment, with over 100 years of combined experience in parts sourcing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SVL is a Midwest commercial HVAC manufacturer's representative (equipment dealer) that represents 60+ HVAC equipment product lines from premier manufacturers. The company sells, services, and supplies parts for commercial, institutional, healthcare, industrial, and cleanroom HVAC projects, supported by in-house Sales Engineers, a service organization, an aftermarket parts division, an online parts portal, and the SVL Academy training program.

Product overview

SVL (Schwab-Vollhaber-Lubratt, Inc.) operates as a Midwest commercial HVAC and cleanroom equipment manufacturer's representative dealer, not a product developer. SVL represents over 60 product lines from premier manufacturers including Daikin (VRV-W heat recovery systems, Magnitude chillers, rooftop units), AAON (rooftop units), Innovent (air handling units), Loren Cook (fans/exhaust), Titus (VAV diffusers), Desert-Aire (dehumidification), Williams Comfort Products (Integrated Piping System), AQC Industries (BlueDuct underground duct), Condair (humidifiers), Lennox, CDI, Evapco, Phoenix Controls, Ruskin, L.J. Wing, and Nortek. The portfolio spans airside solutions, hydronic/water-based systems, industrial HVAC, and agricultural/food & beverage solutions. SVL complements its equipment sales with engineering services (design guidance, equipment selection, startup support), service (maintenance, warranty, 24-hour emergency), aftermarket parts (OEM and obsolete), training via SVL Academy, BIM/Revit drawing resources, and online parts ordering through parts.svl.com. The company serves commercial, institutional, healthcare, industrial, and mission-critical markets across Minnesota, North Dakota, and surrounding states from offices in Roseville, MN, Fargo, ND, and Bismarck, ND.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial HVAC Equipment Sales Sales of HVAC equipment from represented manufacturers (Daikin, AAON, Innovent, Loren Cook, Titus, Desert-Aire, Williams Comfort Products, AQC Industries, Condair, Lennox, CDI, Evapco, Phoenix Controls, Ruskin, L.J. Wing, Nortek) for commercial, institutional, healthcare, industrial, and cleanroom projects. Customers include consulting engineers, contractors, building owners, and end-users.
• Sales Engineering Services Advisory guidance from SVL Sales Engineers throughout HVAC project design, equipment selection, installation, and operation phases. Targeted at consulting engineers, contractors, owners, and end-users in the Midwest.
• HVAC Service (Startup, Warranty, and Support)

Named customers24 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered premier, core and strategic.

• Daikin AppliedpremierTechnology or IntegrationDaikin is one of SVL's premier manufacturer partners. SVL represents Daikin's full line of HVAC equipment including VRV systems, rooftop units, chillers, and modular solutions. Projects include Daikin VRV-W systems for Chippewa Valley Electric Cooperative and Daikin Rebel units for Be The Match research facility.
• AAONcoreTechnology or IntegrationAAON is a manufacturer partner providing rooftop units and process cooling equipment. Products include RN rooftop units for freezer storage and cryo rooms at Be The Match facility.
• Loren Cook CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationLoren Cook provides exhaust fans and laboratory exhaust systems. SVL represents their products including high-plume exhaust fans for rooftop installations.
• TituscoreTechnology or IntegrationTitus provides VAV diffusers and HVAC distribution products. SVL provides T3SQ VAV diffusers combining VAV terminal and high-performance diffuser functions.
• Williams Comfort ProductspremierTechnology or IntegrationWilliams Comfort Products provides Integrated Piping Systems (IPS) used in the Hewing Hotel project, allowing simultaneous heating and cooling of adjacent zones using domestic water piping.
• AQC IndustriesstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAQC Industries manufactures The BlueDuct underground duct system. SVL's President Jim Lubratt is also Vice President of AQC Industries. The BlueDuct system is NSF P374 certified with R-10 equivalent thermal performance.
• Desert-AirecoreTechnology or IntegrationDesert-Aire provides ExpertAire dehumidifier units for humidity control in process-driven spaces like laboratories and medical facilities.
• CondaircoreTechnology or IntegrationCondair provides humidifiers for maintaining humidity levels in winter conditions, used in projects like Be The Match research facility.
• InnoventcoreTechnology or IntegrationInnovent provides air handling solutions with energy recovery technologies and intelligent dehumidification, used in natatoriums like the Blanchard Aquatic Center.
• Phoenix ControlscoreTechnology or IntegrationPhoenix Controls provides HVAC controls and airflow measurement solutions for laboratory and critical environment applications.
• EvapcocoreTechnology or IntegrationEvapco provides cooling towers and heat rejection equipment, used in modular central plant solutions like the Scheels project.
• L.J. WingcoreTechnology or IntegrationL.J. Wing provides HVAC equipment and specialty air handling products represented by SVL.
• RuskincoreTechnology or IntegrationRuskin provides HVAC dampers, louvers, and air distribution products represented by SVL.
• LennoxcoreTechnology or IntegrationLennox provides commercial rooftop systems and HVAC equipment, used in office space applications like Be The Match.
• CDI (Climate by Design International)coreTechnology or IntegrationCDI provides dry climate active desiccant units for achieving low dew points in storage and research areas.
• Nortek Custom Air HandlerscoreTechnology or IntegrationNortek Custom Air Handlers provide custom air handling solutions for specialized applications like the Kimelman Cancer Institute project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harris Companies: Harris Companies is a Minnesota-based mechanical systems and HVAC representative/distributor that sells commercial HVAC equipment and provides engineering support. It is the closest direct competitor to SVL in the Twin Cities and Upper Midwest, sharing the same manufacturer's-rep business model, manufacturer line card, and consulting-engineer channel.
• HTS Engineering: HTS Engineering is a Canadian-based independent HVAC manufacturer's representative with U.S. operations, representing similar commercial equipment lines and serving engineers/contractors. Comparable in business model to SVL but operating primarily in Canada and select U.S. regions.
• R.E. Dimond & Associates: R.E. Dimond & Associates is a long-standing independent HVAC manufacturer's representative serving commercial markets with a similar sales-engineering model. Comparable to SVL in product representation approach and channel relationships with consulting engineers and contractors.

Broad incumbents

• Trane Technologies: Trane Technologies is one of the largest global commercial HVAC equipment manufacturers and a major competitor to the Daikin/Lennox lines SVL represents. Trane sells direct to large national accounts and through manufacturer reps like SVL, making it a broad incumbent shaping SVL's competitive set and channel economics.
• Daikin Applied: Daikin Applied is the U.S. commercial HVAC arm of Daikin and SVL's largest premier partner. While SVL is a channel partner, Daikin also sells direct for national accounts and competes with other OEMs that SVL represents, making Daikin both a critical partner and a structural competitor.
• Carrier Corporation: Carrier is a global leader in commercial HVAC, refrigeration, and building controls with direct sales forces and a large rep/distributor network. Carrier competes with every Daikin/AAON/Lennox line SVL represents and represents the kind of large incumbent that increasingly bypasses independent reps for key accounts.
• Johnson Controls: Johnson Controls is a major global HVAC equipment and building controls manufacturer with direct commercial sales channels. JCI competes with SVL's represented lines and also offers comprehensive controls integration, putting pressure on independent reps to add value beyond product distribution.
• Ferguson Enterprises: Ferguson is the largest U.S. distributor of plumbing, HVAC, and industrial products, operating a national branch network that competes with regional reps on both equipment access and aftermarket parts. Its scale and digital capabilities dwarf SVL's regional parts operation.
• Johnstone Supply: Johnstone Supply is the largest cooperative wholesale distributor of HVAC equipment and parts in North America, supplying contractors directly with competing equipment lines. It competes with SVL on equipment availability and aftermarket parts pricing for contractor customers.

Regional players

• McKinstry: McKinstry is a Pacific Northwest-headquartered design-build mechanical and energy services firm that competes with the engineering/installation side of the commercial HVAC value chain. While not a manufacturer's rep like SVL, it competes for the same healthcare, education, and commercial project opportunities in the Midwest/West.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/svlhvac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Schwab Vollhaber Lubratt