Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2008 - (Page 39)

Compressed Air Industry ENERGY MANAGEMENT | 01/08 | The Comp-Air Service Co. CABP interviewed Larry Olesky (President) and David Smith (Auditing Director) of Comp -Air Se rvice C o or) Comp-Air Service Co. p e How did Comp-Air Service get started in Florida? Comp-Air Service Company was founded in 1957 by two former air force pilots. They were the first air compressor assemblers in Florida. They packaged Kellogg and Quincy, and supplied Sherwin Williams paint stores and car dealerships with air compressors. On the service side, the company focused exclusively on repairing Quincy and Kellogg units. Over the years, the firm established a reputation as a strong service company who took care of their customers. They built a tremendous amount of goodwill from their customers who appreciated the quality of service. A partner and I (Olesky) purchased the company in 1975. After college, I was looking for an opportunity to own or manage a Comp-Air Service Company Headquarters in Miami, Florida compressor service and sales company. I had grown up working as an installer and service technician in Detroit for my father’s company. During high school and college I was the head installer and whenever I had a day off from the classroom, my father had a job scheduled for me! We worked on all kinds of air compressors including Schramm, diesel engine blocks, Quincy and Kellogg-American units. So, on a Thursday afternoon, a couple years after college, the Kellogg-American rep called to tell me of a good company for sale in Florida. I flew out that Saturday and bought the firm on Monday! The rest is history. What is the size today of Comp-Air Service? We have grown into an international company that operates five self-sufficient service and sales branches. We employ approximately sixty employees in six branch locations located in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers, Peru and Honduras. What geographies do you serve? Our geographic strategy has been to expand so that we can provide superior local service across the state of Florida. This is why we have invested in the branches over the years. We have also capitalized on Florida’s proximity and high levels of business with Latin and South America. This business grew to such a point that we now operate branches in Peru and Honduras. Our branch in southern Peru is located in the middle of the Andes at an elevation of 15,000 feet. Although it only takes one and a half hours to fly there from Lima, a car ride takes 15 hours! www .airbest prac tic e s.com w t c ice m 39 http://www.airbestpractices.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2008

Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2008 Contents Focus Industry Features Compressed Air Industry Articles From the Editor Real World Best Practices: Selecting A VSD Rotary Compressor Audit of the Month: Energy Savings in Peru The Low-Hanging Fruit in Pneumatic Systems Mikropor America, Inc. Wireless Sensor Networks: Improve Efficiency in Compressed Air Systems Special Report: The Chicago Pneumatic Compressor Launch in North America The Importance of Measuring Vacuum The Comp-Air Service Co. Special Report: The 2007 NAACD Wall Street Watch Advertiser Index Job Market

Compressed Air Best Practices - January 2008

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