The Hill Group

What The Hill Group does

The Hill Group is a Franklin Park, Illinois-based mechanical contracting firm, family-owned across three generations of the Hill family, providing design, construction, fabrication, service, and facilities management for commercial, institutional, and industrial mechanical systems. Founded in 1936 as L.C. Kohlman, Inc. (later renamed Hill Mechanical Group and then The Hill Group), the company serves six primary verticals: healthcare, data centers, education, high-rise buildings, manufacturing, and cultural/sports facilities, with customer logos spanning Microsoft, Oracle, Equinix, Digital Realty, BMO-Harris, Northwestern Memorial, the University of Chicago, Navistar, and Trump International, among others.

The company's product portfolio is organized into five core service lines — Preconstruction Services (cost estimating, engineering, and virtual design via BIM/REVIT/3D CAD), Fabrication (a 104,000 SF in-house shop producing ventilation, mechanical piping, plumbing, and high-purity process piping in a dedicated clean room), Construction Services (HVAC sheet metal and piping, plumbing, special projects, modular construction including bathroom PODs, and architectural metal systems), Fire Protection (Hill Fire Protection subsidiary with NICET-certified design and installation), and Service (24/7 HVAC and plumbing maintenance plus emergency response) — supported by wholly owned subsidiaries including Hill Mechanical Services, Hill Facilities Solutions, Comprehensive Solutions, and Hill Architectural Systems.

The business operates on a hybrid revenue model combining project-based construction contracts (secured via competitive bid and negotiated relationships with general contractors, construction managers, and property owners across the Midwest in Illinois, Indiana, and Tennessee) with recurring service and maintenance contracts that provide annuity-style revenue. Distribution is direct-only with no resellers; pricing is project-scoped and not publicly disclosed. The company's stated differentiators are its 26-acre capital-intensive campus, in-house prefabrication reducing field labor cost, top-percentile safety metrics (EMR 0.62 vs industry 1.00; LTIR 0.27 vs industry 1.3), and unionized skilled-trade workforce sourced through apprenticeship and cooperative education pipelines.

Name

The Hill Group

Legal name

The Hill Group

Website

https://hillgrp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Hill Group is a Franklin Park, Illinois-based, family-owned mechanical contractor founded in 1936 that designs, fabricates, installs, and services HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and modular systems for healthcare, data center, education, high-rise, and manufacturing clients across the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mechanical Contracting Services

NAICS

Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (238220), Nonresidential Building Construction (2362)

SIC

Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

HVAC & Refrigeration Contracting (IMAFALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Plumbing & Pipefitting Contracting (IMAFALAC), Commercial HVAC/R Installation (Rooftop Units, Split Systems) (HSAOAGAH), Energy Services (Retrofits/Commissioning/Testing & Balancing) (IMAIABAI)

Keywords

• Mechanical contracting services
• HVAC installation
• Fire protection services
• Industrial piping fabrication
• Building mechanical systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Construction Services: Primary revenue from mechanical construction services including HVAC, plumbing, fire protection installation, and specialty construction. Projects are typically awarded through competitive bidding or negotiated contracts with general contractors, construction managers, and property owners.
2. Service and Maintenance: Ongoing service, maintenance, and emergency repair services for mechanical systems. Provides 24/7 emergency service for HVAC and plumbing. Includes preventive/predictive maintenance programs designed to improve energy efficiency and extend system life.
3. Fabrication and Prefabrication: Prefabrication of mechanical, piping, and modular components performed in-house at company facilities, then delivered to job sites. Includes process piping systems for pharmaceutical and cleanroom applications.
4. Comprehensive Solutions: Energy efficiency and sustainability services, testing and balancing, commissioning, and facilities management bundled services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Hill Group is a Chicago-based mechanical contracting firm specializing in the design, fabrication, installation, service, and maintenance of HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, and process piping systems for commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings. The company operates an integrated delivery model spanning preconstruction engineering, in-house prefabrication, modular construction, on-site installation, and post-occupancy service/maintenance, supported by BIM, virtual construction, and Lean construction methods. It serves markets including healthcare, data centers, education, high-rise buildings, manufacturing, and central energy plants primarily across the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee).

Product overview

The Hill Group is a Chicago-based mechanical contracting organization offering an integrated suite of construction and service solutions. The core portfolio consists of Preconstruction Services (cost estimating, engineering, virtual design), Fabrication (ventilation, piping, plumbing, and process piping in a 104,000 SF shop), Construction Services (HVAC, plumbing, special projects, modular construction, and architectural systems), Fire Protection (design, installation, and service), and Service (24/7 maintenance and repairs). Key sub-brands include Hill Fire Protection and Hill Mechanical Services. The company leverages BIM, REVIT, and 3D modeling technologies across its service lines and serves diverse markets including healthcare, data centers, education, high-rise buildings, manufacturing, and cultural/sports facilities throughout the Midwest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preconstruction Services Pre-construction planning and engineering offering cost estimating, constructability reviews, value engineering analysis, and virtual design using BIM technologies for owners, general contractors, and construction managers.
• Fabrication In-house fabrication of ventilation systems, mechanical piping, plumbing systems, process piping, and modular components produced at the company's 104,000 SF prefabrication shop, including carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, PVC, and specialty piping.
• Construction Services Full-service mechanical construction covering HVAC sheet metal and piping, plumbing, special projects, modular construction, and architectural metal systems delivered as design-build, design-assist, and IPD projects for commercial and industrial buildings.
• Fire Protection Complete fire protection services including 24-hour emergency response, maintenance, repairs, testing, inspection, design, and sprinkler system installation for commercial and industrial facilities, delivered through the Hill Fire Protection subsidiary.
• Service and Maintenance Mechanical system service and maintenance including 24/7 HVAC and plumbing services, preventive/predictive maintenance programs, and emergency repairs for commercial and industrial facilities, offered through Hill Mechanical Services.
• Modular Construction Off-site prefabrication and modular construction services including bathroom PODs, patient room headwalls, modular central plants, and custom modular fabrications for healthcare and commercial projects, produced in the company's 80,000 SF modular construction space.
• Process Piping High-purity process piping systems for pharmaceutical, semiconductor, and food processing facilities, including CIP/SIP systems, WFI systems, and cGMP validated systems fabricated in a dedicated 10,000 SF clean room.

Quantifiable outcome

• EMR of 0.62 vs industry standard 1.00 - top percentile in safety performance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alliance for Contracting Excellence (ACE) GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hill Group has been part of the Alliance for Contracting Excellence Group (formerly MCIEG) since 2001. The group is an alliance of eight private, top-ranked mechanical and facility services contractors from different regions of the US, accounting for $1.6 billion annually in specialty contracting services combined. ACE provides a forum for discussion of industry issues and strategies with peer review of business practices. All members are ranked in the top 600 specialty contractors by ENR Magazine.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Comfort Systems USA: Comfort Systems USA is a publicly traded national mechanical and electrical contractor with similar HVAC, plumbing, and piping services. It is the most direct public comparable for Hill, with a similar business model of regional operating units serving commercial and industrial customers, though at meaningfully larger scale (~$5-6B revenue).
• Faith Technologies: Faith Technologies is a large privately held electrical and mechanical systems contractor serving commercial, industrial, and mission-critical customers. Comparable in scale, customer verticals (including data centers), and integrated design-build approach, with similar prefab/fabrication capabilities.
• IES Holdings: IES Holdings is a publicly traded provider of electrical and mechanical infrastructure services for commercial, industrial, and data center customers. Strong overlap in mechanical contracting, particularly for data center and mission-critical facility customers similar to Hill's hyperscaler relationships.
• Lee Company: Lee Company is a privately held mechanical and building services contractor serving commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in the Southeast. Comparable in integrated mechanical contracting, service/maintenance recurring revenue, and family ownership/employee-centric culture.
• Murphy Company: Murphy Company is a large mechanical contractor based in St. Louis with similar Midwest presence and mechanical construction, HVAC, plumbing, and service offerings. Comparable in size, market segments (healthcare, education, commercial), and family/privately-held ownership structure.
• Limbach Holdings: Limbach Holdings is a publicly traded specialty mechanical contractor focused on design-build HVAC, plumbing, and building system services. Very similar in scope and go-to-market, including emphasis on owner-direct relationships and complex mechanical installations for healthcare, education, and commercial facilities.
• APi Group: APi Group is a publicly traded provider of safety, specialty, and industrial services with significant fire protection/sprinkler and mechanical services exposure. Comparable in fire protection offerings (Hill Fire Protection) and life safety services; broader portfolio but overlapping customer base.
• TDIndustries: TDIndustries is a large privately held mechanical contractor and facilities services provider based in Texas. Similar in employee ownership structure, comprehensive service offering (HVAC, plumbing, service), and long-tenured customer relationships, though operating in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• EMCOR Group: EMCOR Group is a Fortune 500 leader in mechanical and electrical construction, energy, and facilities services. Overlaps substantially with Hill's core HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection capabilities but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint, with significant post-construction service revenue.

Regional players

• Holland & Hart / Holder Construction: Holder Construction is a large national general contractor with significant mechanical self-perform capabilities serving data center, commercial, and industrial markets. Not a direct specialty mechanical peer but a comparable regional competitor for similar enterprise customers and project types in the data center vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hillgrp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hill-mechanical-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries7 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 The Hill Group