What KEES does

KEES, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned American manufacturer of custom HVAC and architectural sheet metal solutions, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The company operates a single 100,000+ square-foot manufacturing facility organized around 16 product lines encompassing hundreds of SKUs, including drop box diffusers, architectural and decorative grilles, industrial and kitchen hoods, access doors and panels, security grilles and grates, air mixers, air handling units, slot diffusers, louvers and penthouses, and air baseboards. Core technical differentiators include a proprietary no-moving-parts air mixer design, all-welded construction enabling single-piece grilles up to 96x48 inches, continuous welded seams for sanitary sealing, and broad material expertise across galvanized steel, 304/316 stainless steel, aluminum, brass, and bronze.

KEES serves enterprise and institutional customers across at least six verticals — food processing (Walmart, Jack Link's, PepsiCo, Milo's Tea), pharmaceutical and healthcare (Pfizer, NY Office of Mental Health, Acadia Healthcare), e-commerce and logistics (Amazon), education (Yale, Rutgers, Mesa Community College), sports and entertainment (Churchill Downs), government and military (U.S. Military, National Cybersecurity Center), and architectural design-build (Nike HQ, Residence Inn Calgary). Revenue is generated primarily through quote-based hardware sales of custom-fabricated products, distributed via a network of independent sales representative firms (including Air Chek Industries and Norman S. Wright), direct sales engineers, an e-commerce product portal with login-gated pricing, and trade show engagement. The firm is a SMART union shop and is positioned around Build America Buy America Act compliance, supporting federal, security-sensitive, and domestically sourced project demand. Pricing is opaque (login-required or quote-based) with quantity discounts on standard catalog items.

Name

KEES

Legal name

KEES, Inc.

Website

https://kees.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

KEES is a privately held American manufacturer of custom HVAC and architectural sheet metal products — including grilles, diffusers, hoods, access doors, and security air distribution — serving enterprise and institutional customers across food processing, healthcare, government, education, sports, and architectural verticals from a 100,000 sq ft facility in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Elkhart Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. HVAC Equipment Sales: KEES generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of HVAC and architectural sheet metal products including grilles, diffusers, hoods, access doors, and custom solutions. Products are sold through direct sales representatives and their product website with pricing provided upon login or quote request.
2. Custom Manufacturing Services: KEES provides custom-engineered HVAC solutions tailored to customer specifications, offering one-of-a-kind products for specialized applications in food processing, secure facilities, and architectural installations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

KEES manufactures and sells HVAC and architectural sheet metal products, including grilles, diffusers, drop boxes, industrial and kitchen hoods, access doors and panels, air handling units, fans, air mixers, louvers, penthouses, and security products. The company offers hundreds of stock SKUs across sixteen product lines and specializes in custom fabrication of one-off products tailored to customer specifications in materials, dimensions, shapes, and configurations.

Product overview

KEES is a manufacturer of HVAC and architectural sheet metal solutions offering hundreds of products organized within sixteen product lines. The product portfolio includes core ventilation and air distribution products (Drop Box Diffusers in 3-way, 4-way, and 6-way configurations, Industrial Hoods, Air Handling Units, Air Mixers, Slot Diffusers & Plenums, Specialty Air Distribution), architectural grilles (Architectural Bar Grilles, Decorative Grilles, Heavy-Duty Bar Grilles), security products (Security Grilles & Diffusers, Security Grates, Z-Passageway products, Risk Resistant Retrofit Grilles), stainless steel products (Stainless Steel Grilles & Diffusers), commercial kitchen equipment (Kitchen Hoods), building envelope products (Louvers & Penthouses, Roof & Weather Hoods), access solutions (Access Doors & Panels), and comfort heating products (Air Baseboards & Cabinets). The company specializes in custom fabrication with options for various materials (galvanized steel, stainless steel, aluminum), finishes, and sizes. Products are designed for diverse applications including food processing, correctional facilities, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and architectural installations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Security Grilles & Diffusers Security air distribution devices for correctional facilities, warehouses, and laboratories providing air distribution for minimum-, medium-, or maximum-security applications including risk-resistant and anti-ligature solutions.
• Drop Box Diffusers Single-point air distribution systems that effectively distribute air in multiple directions without the need for ductwork, available in 3-way, 4-way, and 6-way configurations for large spaces.
• Industrial Hoods Custom exhaust ventilation hoods tailored to remove airborne contaminants effectively, available in various materials and configurations including slotted backshelf and barrel designs.
• Access Doors & Panels Duct access doors and panels providing safe and easy entry to ductwork, air handler casings, welded grease ducts, and through walls and ceilings in various materials and sizes.
• Stainless Steel Grilles & Diffusers Corrosion-resistant grilles and diffusers made from 316 stainless steel for harsh chemical and high-moisture environments, designed for food-safety requirements.
• Air Baseboards & Cabinets Air baseboards and convector cabinets meeting unique building heating and architectural requirements with various finishes and architectural flourishes.
• Air Handling Units, Fans & Accessories Ventilation solutions providing filtered clean air supply and exhaust fans for healthy building environments with high-efficiency motors and variable volume controls.
• Air Mixers Proprietary air mixing devices with no moving parts that eliminate temperature stratification and velocity differentials in air handlers for more efficient coil operation.
• Architectural Bar Grilles Custom architectural bar grilles for floor, sill, wall, or ceiling mounting available in brass, aluminum, and stainless steel with various finishes and single-piece options up to 96"x48".
• Decorative Grilles Decorative supply and return grilles available in various patterns, materials, and finishes including steel, aluminum, stainless steel, brass, and bronze with free areas up to 72%.
• Heavy-Duty Bar Grilles Heavy-gauge grilles designed for gymnasiums, factories, warehouses, and parking garages with all-welded construction and single-piece options up to 96"x48".
• Kitchen Hoods Commercial kitchen ventilation hoods for food preparation operations, available in stainless steel with various accessories including fire suppression and demand control ventilation systems.
• Louvers & Penthouses Wall-mounted louvers and roof-mounted penthouses providing weather protection with various material and finish options including stainless steel.
• Roof & Weather Hoods Protective ventilation hoods shielding rooftop openings from weather, debris, and animals with heavy-gauge construction and structural ribbing.
• Slot Diffusers & Plenums Slot diffusers and plenums blending with building design and providing even air distribution for office, commercial, and retail spaces with aluminum and stainless steel options.
• Specialty Air Distribution Spot cooling and specialized air distribution devices including heavy-duty steel options, concentric nozzle diffusers, and punkah louvers for industrial environments.
• Z-Passageway Grilles & Diffusers Security products with Z-shaped louvers providing additional risk resistance for behavioral health and correctional facilities by reducing ligature risks.
• Risk Resistant Retrofit Grille Retrofit grille designed to fit over existing grilles or diffusers providing immediate ligature-resistant protection for hospitals and behavioral health facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products manufactured and shipped in four weeks for Jack Link's $450 million plant
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.

• Air Chek IndustriescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAir Chek Industries, represented by Scott Stone (VP of HVAC Systems), serves as a sales representative for KEES products. Stone has worked with KEES for over 21 years and is a longtime industry veteran. He identifies KEES as the only supplier capable of handling specialty custom grille projects.
• Norman S. Wright Company S.W.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorman S. Wright Company S.W. serves as a KEES representative firm, facilitating sales of custom HVAC products including architectural bar grilles.
• Star Sheet MetalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStar Sheet Metal, represented by Dwayne Little, serves as an installing contractor on KEES projects. Little describes KEES as having a strong reputation for specialty work with great recommendations.
• LEMAYMICHAUD Architecture DesignstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontreal-based architecture firm that designed the Residence Inn by Marriott Calgary. Worked with KEES to create custom decorative return air grilles as architectural art pieces integrated into the building's HVAC system.
• Sheet Metal Workers (SMART)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerKEES is a proud union shop working with the Sheet Metal Workers (SMART) union to uphold rigorous manufacturing standards. This partnership ensures quality craftsmanship and worker training.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Metal Industries (Metal-Aire): Manufacturer of grilles, diffusers, and air distribution products for commercial and industrial HVAC. Closely aligned with KEES' standard and architectural grille offerings for commercial buildings.
• Greenheck Group: One of the largest US manufacturers of commercial ventilation equipment, including fans, grilles, diffusers, and kitchen ventilation hoods. Directly comparable product overlap with KEES across air distribution, fans, and kitchen hoods, though Greenheck operates at significantly greater scale and breadth.
• Loren Cook Company: US manufacturer of fans, blowers, and ventilation equipment serving commercial and industrial markets. Comparable to KEES in air-handling and ventilation manufacturing, with overlapping customer base among mechanical contractors and engineers.
• Price Industries: North American manufacturer of grilles, diffusers, and air distribution products for commercial HVAC. Closely comparable product line to KEES' architectural and industrial grilles/diffusers, serving the same specifier-driven project channel.
• Nailor Industries: Manufacturer of commercial grilles, registers, diffusers, and air-handling accessories. Direct product overlap with KEES in architectural air distribution and a similar specifier-driven sales model.
• CaptiveAire Systems: Largest US manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation systems, including hoods, exhaust fans, and make-up air units. Direct peer to KEES' kitchen hoods and industrial hoods product lines, with comparable foodservice and end-user focus.
• Hart & Cooley: Manufacturer of residential and light commercial grilles, registers, diffusers, and HVAC components. Comparable product portfolio to KEES' standard grille and register lines, with significant overlap in channel and specifier relationships.
• Accurex (a Greenheck brand): Manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation hoods and exhaust systems. Directly comparable to KEES' kitchen hoods and industrial hoods, targeting foodservice and commercial end markets.
• Krueger (a brand of Air Distribution Concepts): Manufacturer of grilles, diffusers, and terminal units for commercial HVAC applications. Direct overlap with KEES in air distribution and architectural grille products serving engineers, architects, and contractors.

Broad incumbents

• Titus (Johnson Controls): Major commercial HVAC grille, diffuser, and terminal unit brand owned by Johnson Controls. Directly competitive in architectural and commercial air distribution products, though operating as part of a much larger global HVAC portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kees-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 KEES