Cincinnati Air Conditioning

What Cincinnati Air Conditioning does

Cincinnati Air Conditioning (legal name: The Cincinnati Air Conditioning Company) is a privately held, family-owned commercial mechanical contractor founded in 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and now in its third generation of Radtke family leadership. The company provides design-build HVAC contracting, plan-and-spec execution, building automation (DDC and pneumatic controls), process piping, and 24-hour service and maintenance for commercial, industrial, healthcare, hospitality, automotive, civic, and institutional clients across the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Tri-State region, with selected projects in Texas, West Virginia, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. Its client roster includes Marriott, Great American Insurance Group, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Premier Health, Rumpke, and Liberty Center.

The company's technical capability rests on in-house multi-state licensed Professional Engineers, project managers, BIM coordination, and certified welding, delivered under a "single-source accountability" model. Two specialty product lines diversify the core contracting business: Thermolinear (a wholly-owned subsidiary that designs and builds environmental chambers for precise temperature, humidity, and air-filtration control) and Kool Oil (a trademarked line of oil coolant systems for machine tools still used worldwide). The company is part of the SURE Group family, an affiliation that adds fabrication capacity, plan-and-spec execution, and certified MBE/SBE/DBE status.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time project delivery (design-build and plan-and-spec installations) with a recurring component from service-and-maintenance contracts. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company operates from a single headquarters in Cincinnati, employs 11-50 people, and markets exclusively through direct sales, a project-portfolio website, and inbound project inquiries. There is no public listing, no external institutional investment, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

Cincinnati Air Conditioning

Legal name

The Cincinnati Air Conditioning Company

Website

https://cincinnatiair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cincinnati Air Conditioning is a family-owned commercial HVAC and mechanical contractor in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1938, providing design-build, plan-and-spec, building automation, process piping, and 24-hour service to healthcare, hospitality, industrial, and institutional clients across the Tri-State region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial HVAC and Mechanical Contracting

NAICS

Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (238220)

SIC

Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Ventilation System Installation (Exhaust Fans, ERV/HRV, Make-Up Air) (HSAOAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

HVAC Controls & Optimization (Smart Thermostats, VAV, Chillers/Boilers Controls) (BPABAGAB)

Keywords

• Commercial HVAC services
• Mechanical contracting
• Design-build engineering
• Building automation controls
• Process piping

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design-Build HVAC Projects: Full lifecycle project delivery including engineering design, BIM coordination, permitting, installation, and commissioning for commercial and industrial mechanical systems.
2. Plan & Spec Execution: Disciplined execution of projects based on client-provided drawings and specifications, including installation, safety, and project delivery.
3. Service & Maintenance: 24-hour support, emergency response, service agreements, troubleshooting, preventative maintenance, repair, and replacement services. Revenue generated through service contracts and time-and-materials work.
4. Environmental Chambers: Custom environmental chamber design, construction, and installation through subsidiary Thermolinear.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cincinnati Air Conditioning is a commercial mechanical contracting firm that delivers design-build HVAC, plan-and-spec mechanical installation, building automation, process piping, and ongoing service & maintenance for commercial, industrial, healthcare, hospitality, and institutional buildings. The company owns subsidiary Thermolinear for specialty environmental chamber solutions and operates primarily across the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana Tri-State region.

Product overview

Cincinnati Air Conditioning is a commercial mechanical contractor offering a unified portfolio of HVAC products and services. The core offerings include Commercial HVAC systems (comfort cooling, chillers, boilers, refrigeration), Design-Build Engineering, Building Automation (DDC and pneumatic controls), Process Piping, and Service & Maintenance. The company also operates Thermolinear, a wholly-owned subsidiary specializing in environmental chambers and controlled environment systems. Additionally, Kool Oil Systems (trademarked oil coolant systems for machine tools) and Environmental Chambers represent proprietary product lines. The portfolio operates as a single integrated mechanical solutions provider, delivering services from concept through long-term performance including design, BIM, permitting, installation, commissioning, and lifecycle support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial HVAC Services End-to-end commercial HVAC installation and equipment solutions covering comfort cooling, chillers, DX systems, boilers, burners, steam/hot water heat, cooling towers, refrigeration, humidification, and dehumidification for commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings.
• Design-Build Engineering In-house design-build mechanical engineering practice providing custom HVAC solutions with budgeting, analysis, value engineering, BIM coordination, permitting support, and single-source accountability for commercial and industrial projects.
• Plan & Spec Execution Mechanical installation services executed against client-provided drawings and specifications, with disciplined installation, safety, and project delivery for commercial and industrial customers.
• Building Automation Energy management and building automation services including DDC (Direct Digital Control) and pneumatic controls, system cost analysis, installation, design, and optimization for commercial building HVAC systems.
• Process Piping Certified welding, specialty metals, renovation, repair, and coordination services for process piping in demanding commercial and industrial environments.
• Service & Maintenance 24-hour support, emergency response, preventative maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, replacement, and service agreements for installed HVAC and mechanical systems.
• Thermolinear Environmental Chambers Custom-designed insulated environmental chambers providing precise temperature and humidity control with continuous air filtration of dust and debris, delivered through wholly-owned subsidiary Thermolinear for testing and controlled-environment applications.
• Kool Oil Systems Trademarked oil coolant systems for machine tools, originally developed by Ivan Walters and still used in applications worldwide.

Named customers15 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SURE GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAC is part of the SURE Group family of companies. SURE Group provides fabrication, BIM, plan-and-spec execution, and certified minority-owned business leadership capabilities. Together, the companies expand capacity while preserving the legacy that made Cincinnati Air recognizable across the region. Certified MBE, SBE, and DBE capabilities are available through SURE Group.
• ThermolinearcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerThermolinear is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Cincinnati Air Conditioning Company. It specializes in environmental chambers for temperature and humidity control with continuous air filtration, serving technical HVAC applications and controlled environment requirements.
• CarrierminorOthersOriginal product distribution partnership formed in 1938 when Arthur Radtke and William Hinsch founded The Cincinnati Air Conditioning Company as a distributor of Carrier products.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Limbach Holdings: Limbach Holdings is a publicly-traded specialty mechanical contractor providing HVAC, plumbing, building automation, and controls services to commercial, healthcare, and institutional customers—directly comparable to CAC's design-build, building automation, and service offerings.
• Shambaugh & Son: Shambaugh & Son is a Fort Wayne, Indiana-based mechanical contractor providing design-build HVAC, plumbing, process piping, and building automation services across the Midwest—a closely comparable regional peer in similar verticals and size tier as CAC.
• MSS Solutions: MSS Solutions is an Indianapolis-based mechanical contractor providing HVAC, plumbing, building automation, and process piping services to commercial, healthcare, and industrial customers—a direct regional peer with comparable size and service mix as CAC.

Others

• Carrier Global: Carrier Global is a leading HVAC equipment manufacturer and CAC's original product distribution partner since 1938—an adjacent OEM relationship rather than a direct competitor, but central to CAC's equipment supply chain and brand heritage.
• Trane Technologies: Trane Technologies is a global HVAC systems and controls manufacturer supplying equipment used by commercial mechanical contractors—an enabling ecosystem player whose products CAC installs and services, but not a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• EMCOR Group: EMCOR Group is a Fortune 500 leader in mechanical and electrical construction, facilities services, and energy infrastructure for commercial, industrial, utility, and institutional customers—a broad incumbent with significant overlap in CAC's commercial HVAC service lines.
• APi Group: APi Group is a global specialty services conglomerate providing safety, specialty, and industrial services with a meaningful mechanical/HVAC services segment—operating as a broad incumbent that competes with CAC for commercial mechanical work.
• Comfort Systems USA: Comfort Systems USA is one of the largest national mechanical contractors, providing HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services to commercial and industrial customers across the U.S.—a broad incumbent operating in the same space as CAC but at materially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cincinnati-air-conditioning

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Cincinnati Air Conditioning