Cooling Equipment Service

What Cooling Equipment Service does

Cooling Equipment Service, Inc. is a second-generation, family-owned full-service mechanical contractor founded in 1933 and headquartered in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The company designs, installs, services, and maintains HVAC, commercial and industrial refrigeration, building automation controls, piping, and custom sheet metal systems for commercial, industrial, institutional, food industry, and pharmaceutical clients across the Chicago-land region. It operates 24/7 field service with well-stocked trucks covering more than 100 Chicago suburbs, and delivers work through three operational units: the core Cooling Equipment Service division, the wholly owned CES Mechanical subsidiary (custom sheet metal fabrication), and the wholly owned Climate Engineered Structures subsidiary (cold storage construction, clean rooms, and refrigerated facility design-build).

The company's underlying technology stack centers on industrial HVAC-R systems, custom Direct Digital Controls (DDC) and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) from Allen Bradley, Johnson Controls, and Honeywell, and the Metasys building automation platform for remote monitoring of environmental and energy management systems. Specialized capabilities include pharmaceutical cold storage with temperature mapping, low-temperature storage and meat rail system construction, and process piping for chilled water, glycol, steam, compressed air, medical gases, and geothermal systems.

Cooling Equipment Service generates revenue through two primary streams: (1) Time & Materials service, repair, and replacement work billed with per-day truck charges, and (2) recurring Maintenance Agreements — full service, parts-only, or labor-only contracts with 24/7 emergency coverage — that convert installed base into predictable service revenue. Customers acquire the firm through direct field sales, a 24/7 phone line, online contact and new-customer forms, and email. The company does not disclose pricing publicly and competes on 92 years of regional presence, 250+ years of combined staff experience, in-house engineering, vertical integration via its sheet metal and cold storage subsidiaries, and immediate regional response capability.

Name

Cooling Equipment Service

Legal name

Cooling Equipment Service, Inc.

Website

https://coolingequip.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cooling Equipment Service is a second-generation, family-owned mechanical contractor in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, founded in 1933. It designs, installs, and services HVAC, refrigeration, building automation, piping, and cold storage systems for commercial, industrial, food, and pharmaceutical clients across the Chicago-land area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HVAC & Refrigeration Mechanical Contracting

NAICS

Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (23822), Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (238220)

akta.pro primary industry

Chillers, Boilers & Central Plant Operations (BPABACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Thermostat Repair, Calibration & Controls Service (HSAOAHAI), Compressor, Condenser & Evaporator Service (HSAOAJAG), Cold Room Panels, Doors & Seals Repair (HSAOAJAK)

Keywords

• Commercial HVAC services
• Industrial refrigeration systems
• Building automation controls
• Mechanical contracting services
• Cold storage construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Illinois City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Service and Repair: HVAC/R repair/replacement services billed at Time and Materials Rates. A truck charge is applied for each service day involved.
2. Maintenance Agreements: Various types of Maintenance Agreements including Full Service and equipment repair maintenance agreements, and Parts and/or labor only maintenance agreements. 24 Hour 7 Days per week service and repair available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cooling Equipment Service is a full-service mechanical contractor that designs, installs, services, and repairs HVAC, commercial and industrial refrigeration, controls/building automation, piping, and freezer/cooler panel systems for commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. The firm also provides 24/7 service and maintenance agreements and operates two divisions—CES Mechanical (sheet metal fabrication) and Climate Engineered Structures (cold storage construction)—serving the Chicago-land area since 1933.

Product overview

Cooling Equipment Service is a full-service mechanical contractor providing HVAC, refrigeration, environmental controls, and building automation services in the Chicago area since 1933. The company operates three divisions: the core Cooling Equipment Service division handles general HVAC and refrigeration services; CES Mechanical handles custom sheet metal fabrication; and Climate Engineered Structures specializes in cold storage construction, clean rooms, and refrigerated facilities. Core service offerings include heating and air conditioning systems, commercial and industrial refrigeration, piping, controls/building automation, maintenance agreements, and freezer/cooler panel installation. Products and services are delivered through engineering, design, installation, and 24/7 service capabilities with in-house engineering staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CES Mechanical: Sheet metal division providing custom sheet metal fabrication, heating, cooling and ventilation services for Northern Illinois
• Climate Engineered Structures

Products and services

• Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) Design, installation, repair and maintenance of HVAC systems including chillers, boilers, air-cooled condensers, cooling towers, and custom design-build solutions for commercial and industrial applications.
• Commercial & Industrial Refrigeration Commercial and industrial refrigeration systems including rack systems, walk-in cooler/freezer design and installation, pharmaceutical storage, and food distribution center refrigeration solutions.
• Piping Services Commercial and industrial piping services including process chilled water, glycol systems, steam and condensate, refrigeration piping, compressed air, nitrogen, medical gases, and geothermal systems.
• Controls & Building Automation Custom control systems design and implementation for heating, cooling, pharmaceutical and energy management systems including Direct Digital Controls (DDC), PLC systems (Allen Bradley, Johnson Controls & Honeywell), and Metasys Building Automation System.
• Maintenance Services & Agreements HVAC-R maintenance services including full service agreements, parts/labor maintenance, 24/7 emergency repair, air filter service, refrigerant recovery, eddy current testing, chiller & boiler retubing, and rooftop packaged systems maintenance.
• Freezer/Cooler Panels & Cold Storage Construction Insulated panel installation, repair and maintenance for walk-in coolers and freezers, plus design-build cold storage construction including clean rooms, refrigerated facilities, pharmaceutical cold storage, food processing plants, low-temperature storage, and meat rail systems.
• Sheet Metal Fabrication (CES Mechanical) Custom sheet metal fabrication, heating, cooling and ventilation services through the CES Mechanical division, including ductwork, black iron exhaust, stainless steel fabrication, and breechings.
• Pharmaceutical Cold Storage Solutions Specialized cold storage solutions for pharmaceutical industry meeting strict temperature requirements for prescriptions and lab specimens, including temperature mapping capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• HVAC-R systems maintained at maximum efficiency
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hill Mechanical Group: Hill Mechanical Group is a Chicago-based mechanical contractor offering HVAC, plumbing, process piping, and building services across the same metro market. It competes head-to-head with Cooling Equipment Service for commercial and industrial HVAC/R work in Chicago-land.
• Limbach Holdings: Limbach Holdings is a publicly traded specialty mechanical contractor providing HVAC, plumbing, and controls design, installation, and service to commercial and institutional customers. It directly competes with Cooling Equipment Service's core HVAC/R service and controls offering, with similar recurring service and project work.
• AMS Mechanical Systems: AMS Mechanical Systems is an Illinois-based full-service mechanical contractor delivering HVAC, plumbing, refrigeration, and building automation design-build and service. It mirrors Cooling Equipment Service's combination of mechanical construction and ongoing service across the Midwest.
• Meade Industries: Meade Industries is an Illinois mechanical contractor providing commercial HVAC, refrigeration, building automation, and service. It is a regional peer competing for the same Chicago-area commercial and industrial customers.

Broad incumbents

• APi Group: APi Group is a global provider of safety, specialty, and industrial services with mechanical contracting and HVAC service capabilities. It is a broad incumbent competing for similar institutional and commercial service work across multiple geographies.
• EMCOR Group: EMCOR Group is a national mechanical and electrical construction and facilities services firm with broad capabilities spanning HVAC, refrigeration, controls, and 24/7 service. It competes with Cooling Equipment Service on larger commercial and industrial accounts and represents the larger-scale incumbent threat in the same category.
• Comfort Systems USA: Comfort Systems USA is a national HVAC mechanical contracting consolidator serving commercial, industrial, and institutional customers. It competes with Cooling Equipment Service across the full commercial HVAC/R service and install value chain, but at much greater scale and geographic reach.

Others

• Carrier Corporation: Carrier is a global HVAC and commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturer. It is adjacent rather than directly competing, as Cooling Equipment Service specifies and installs Carrier equipment but is not an OEM itself.
• Trane Technologies: Trane Technologies is a global HVAC and building controls equipment manufacturer. It is an enabling supplier/ecosystem participant: Cooling Equipment Service is a contractor channel for Trane equipment rather than a direct competitor, but Trane's own service arms do compete in adjacent service work.

Emerging players

• Service Logic: Service Logic is a private equity-backed HVAC, mechanical, and energy services platform acquiring regional mechanical service firms. It represents a roll-up competitive threat that could acquire or compete against Cooling Equipment Service in the Midwest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/coolingequip?rf=112401728823207

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Cooling Equipment Service