CoolSys is the nation’s largest provider of HVAC, refrigeration, MEPR engineering, and energy & carbon reduction solutions for customers in the grocery retail, retail, restaurant, commercial, industrial, healthcare, government, and education segments.
The CoolSys corporate brand was developed to unite a growing family of refrigeration & HVAC operating companies into one family that provides great value and exceptional service experiences to our customers, nationwide.
History/Experience
CoolSys operating brands have long, extensive histories of serving customers in the commercial refrigeration & HVAC industry with some having roots in the industry for more than half a century. Collectively, our operating brands have over 150 years of industry experience.
The CoolSys leadership team consists of experienced and successful senior executives, each who have proven track records with market-leading, customer-centric businesses.
Rich Wyckoff
Chief Executive Officer and President
Alan Johansen
Chief Financial Officer
Alan brings over two decades of people-first financial leadership experience to CoolSys. He started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, gaining expertise in business assurance services. Throughout his career, he has held key roles at prominent private equity-backed companies like Teranex, Inc., Industrial Container Services, and QualaWash, where he led initiatives in financial management, KPI optimization, M&A, and strategic growth. Alan’s background includes strong financial planning, operational finance, and strategic decision-making skills. His track record of implementing robust financial support services and operational enhancements will be invaluable as we continue to accelerate our value creation and profitable growth. Alan holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University, providing him with a solid foundation in financial management principles.
Mike Ochoa
Chief Commercial Officer
Mike Ochoa is a Sales and Marketing executive with over 35 years of experience in various industries. He joined CoolSys (known then as Source Refrigeration) in 2011, serving as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing before being elevated to Chief Commercial Officer in June 2022. Mike also held the position of Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing at both Source Refrigeration and Master Halco and served as Director of Marketing and Business Development at The Toro Company. He earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the Peter Drucker School of Management at the Claremont Graduate University and holds a Bachelor of arts degree in Economics and Accounting from Claremont McKenna College.
William Schmidt
General Lead Counsel
Bill is an international legal and corporate development executive with a 25-year track record driving rapid growth and supernormal returns in both mature and emerging businesses: a trusted advisor and creative thought partner to C-Suite colleagues, board members, and major investors. Bill brings strong in-house legal counsel experience from Buckeye Partners, a liquid petroleum product pipeline company, and Enviva, the world’s largest producer of sustainable wood pellets, a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. He received his law degree at The George Washington University Law School.
Danny Rodriguez
CIO
Danny is a technology and operations executive with over two decades of global experience building emerging products and services, developing effective innovation and technology strategies, and transforming organizations. He has led large transformation programs across multiple industries and segments, such as ABM Industries, Dell Technologies, World Fuel Services, and Teva Pharmaceuticals. Danny earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting from Florida International University. He is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and fluent in Spanish.
Eric Sifferlen
Executive Vice President, Corporate Development
Eric Sifferlen is a business leader with a proven track record of successfully growing PE-backed businesses. He has significant experience driving growth through M&A and joins us after having spent the past 6.5 years with ICP Group, a leading formulator and manufacturer of specialty coatings, adhesives, and sealants serving the construction markets. While at ICP Group, Eric was responsible for M&A and instrumental in more than doubling the size of the business. Prior to ICP Group, Eric has held a number of senior corporate development and corporate planning roles after having started his career with Harris Williams & Co., a leading middle-market investment bank. Eric also spent time as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
Jay Parker
Division President, CoolSys Light Commercial Solutions
Jay Parker started his HVAC career as a teen in 1982 working for his family business, Parker and Sons, as a field technician and salesman. More than a decade later he rose to the position of General Manager before eventually starting his own company, Legacy Air, in 1999. Mainly serving family and friends and through strategic, operational management, the business grew into a market leader and nationally recognized HVAC and refrigeration service company covering 12 western states, including Hawaii and Alaska. Jay now leads our Light Commercial Division, serving 52 branches in over 18 states.
Anthony Tippins
Division President, CoolSys Professional Solutions
Responsible for all operations, planning, and business development related to energy, engineering, and HVAC solutions, Anthony Tippins joined CoolSys through the acquisition of Axiom Energy Solutions in April 2018. He has more than 30 years of industry experience providing sophisticated, industry-leading energy and engineering solutions and complete turn-key installation services. A registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Georgia, he graduated from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from Emory University, and served 23 years as an Officer in the United States Naval Reserve.
John Harrison
Division President, Commercial & Industrial
John Harrison is bringing his people-first acumen and operational expertise to the role of Divisional President at C&I. John’s core competencies include teamwork, operational excellence, organic business growth, mergers and acquisitions, and talent development. John has amassed a wealth of experience in senior executive roles. His leadership has consistently driven year-after-year success in achieving strategic growth, client retention, and profitability. In his most recent role as Chief Operating Officer and Region President at Arctic Glacier Premium Ice, John led operations and development for North America’s largest manufacturer and distributor of packaged ice products. His operational excellence and growth initiatives drove significant revenue increases and improved distribution efficiency. Prior experiences include U.S. Security Associates and C&S Wholesale Grocers. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, with a focus on management and marketing.
Brady Bagwan
Chief People Officer
Brady Bagwan joins CoolSys with a proven track record of aligning HR strategies with business goals to drive success. His expertise includes HR technology, change management, and building high-performance collaborative teams. Having held leadership roles at Morgan, and Kiewit, Brady has a passion for driving transformative HR initiatives. He’s led expansion efforts and implemented shared services, resulting in improved efficiency and enabling growth. Brady excels in leadership coaching and is skilled in performance management and succession planning, ensuring organizations thrive. As a former Captain in the United States Army, Brady’s leadership earned him notable awards such as the Army Bronze Star Medal and Army Commendation Medal. Brady holds an MBA, from Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado at Boulder, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Virginia Military Institute and certifications including GPHR and SHRM-SCP, showcasing his commitment to excellence
CoolSys Board Of Directors
Rick Frier
Chairman Of The Board
Rick previously served as Interim CEO and President from February 2023 to February 2024. Currently, Rick holds multiple outside roles, including Chairman of the Board, Vice-Chairman, and Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Chairman across three different companies. His extensive experience also includes leadership positions at Chiquita Brands International, where he led divisions and served as CFO. Beyond corporate roles, Rick advises private equity portfolio companies and coaches C-suite executives. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from Claremont Graduate University.
Matt Cwiertnia
Member Of The Board
Mr. Cwiertnia is a Partner and Head of the Ares Private Equity Group. He serves on the Ares Executive Management Committee. Additionally, Mr. Cwiertnia serves as a member of the Ares Private Equity Group’s Corporate Opportunities, Energy Opportunities, and Extended Value Investment Committees and the Ares Credit Group’s Opportunistic Credit Investment Committee. Prior to joining Ares in 2005, Mr. Cwiertnia worked in the Financial Sponsors Group at Credit Suisse First Boston, where he focused on providing advisory and financing services to financial sponsors and their portfolio companies. Previously, Mr. Cwiertnia was a member of the Investment Banking Department of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corp. In addition, he worked at Jefferies & Co. Inc., where he focused on investment banking. Mr. Cwiertnia currently serves as a member of the Boards of Directors for the parent entities of Convergint Technologies, Ryan, CoolSys, Resource Label Group and Automated Industrial Robotics Holdings. He also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. Mr. Cwiertnia’s previous Boards of Directors experience includes Valet Living, LLC and Insight Global LLC. Mr. Cwiertnia holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of California Los Angeles in Business Economics and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management, where he graduated as a Carter Fellow
Jim Hirshorn
Member Of The Board
Mr. Hirshorn is a Partner in the Ares Private Equity Group, where he focuses on portfolio management. Mr. Hirshorn serves as a member of the Ares Private Equity Group’s Corporate Opportunities, Energy Opportunities, and Extended Value Investment Committees. Additionally, Mr. Hirshorn serves on the Ares Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Previously, Mr. Hirshorn served as an Operating Advisor for Ares from 2009 to 2013. Prior to joining Ares in 2009, Mr. Hirshorn was the President of Potbelly Sandwich Works. Previously, he was Senior Executive Vice President of Finance, Operations, Research and Development for Sealy Mattress Corporation. In addition, he was a Vice President in the Portfolio Group at Bain Capital, where he focused on providing operating leadership to a number of its retail and consumer products businesses, was a Manager at Bain & Company, and worked at Procter & Gamble, where he focused on product development. Mr. Hirshorn currently serves on the Board of Directors of Duly Health and Care (f/k/a DuPage Medical Group), CoolSys, Resource Label Group, TricorBraun and Vmo Aircraft Leasing. Mr. Hirshorn holds a B.S. from Cornell University in Chemical Engineering and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Michael Clancy
Member Of The Board
Mr. Clancy is a Principal in the Ares Private Equity Group. Prior to joining Ares in 2018, Mr. Clancy was an Associate at Warburg Pincus, where he focused on private equity investments within the technology sector. Previously, Mr. Clancy was an Analyst at Barclays, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions within the technology sector. He currently serves on the board of directors for the parent entity of Coolsys. Mr. Clancy holds a B.A., summa cum laude, from Boston University in Economics and Mathematics, an M.A. from Boston University in Economics and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Felicia Thornton
Member Of The Board
Felicia Thornton is currently Chair of the Board, Audit Chair, Nominating & Corporate Governance Chair for a number of public and private companies. She has also served as CEO for multiple billion dollar retail and services companies and as CFO of a Fortune 35 company. Thornton is currently a member of the boards of directors for Floor & Decor, Pactiv Evergreen, Ares Acquisition Corporation II and numerous private companies. She is an active member of LCDA, Fellow with NACD and holds a B.S in Economics from Santa Clara University and an M.B. A. from University of Southern California.
Sandy Ogg
Member Of The Board
Sandy is the Founder of CEO.works, a consulting firm specializing in leadership and talent consulting. From 2011 to 2016, Sandy worked as an operating partner in private equity at the Blackstone Group, serving Blackstone’s nearly 100 portfolio companies. Prior to Blackstone, he was the Chief Human Resources Officer for Unilever, where he overhauled Unilever’s operating framework and leadership system. Throughout his career, Sandy has also held various other roles, including at Motorola, Dove Associates, The VIA Consulting Group (which he founded), and The Center for Leadership Studies. Sandy is the Chairman Of The Board of Nord Anglia Education and Prometric. He is also on the Board of Coolsys, an Ares Portfolio Company. Sandy began his career performing sea rescues as a line officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy; he subsequently received a Master’s in human development from George Washington University, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.
Richard Kohan
Member Of The Board
Mr. Kohanzakay is an Operating Advisor to the Ares Private Equity Group and joined the CoolSys board in May 2023. Mr. Kohanzakay works with management teams across the portfolio on developing value creation plans and assisting in the design and execution of strategic initiatives. He works closely with the CoolSys Finance, Sales and Operations teams in this capacity. He served as interim Chief-of-Staff and SVP of Corporate Development at The AZEK Company from 2015-2016. Previously, Mr. Kohanzakay was an independent strategy consultant to Fortune 500s & middle market private equity portfolio companies and worked several years as a strategy consultant at Booz & Company. Mr. Kohanzakay holds a B.S. from the University of California Berkeley in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and an M.B.A. with Honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
About Our Brands
CoolSys and our operating companies combine nearly 150 years of superior service to cover every stage of mission-critical refrigeration and HVAC Systems. Together we serve customers across the nation with some of the most highly trained technicians, sales, and operations personnel. Discover our top-notch companies and what they bring to the CoolSys team.
THE COOLSYS FAMILY OF OPERATING COMPANIES
- ABC Refrigeration & HVAC provides fabrication, installation, service & maintenance of mission-critical refrigeration and HVAC systems for commercial customers in 8 states across the Northeast.
- Agape HVAC, Refrigeration and Plumbing (Officially changed its name to CoolSys Light Commercial Solutions, LLC.) offers a wide range of services to benefit your unique business needs and provide high efficiency solutions that offer high optimum levels of performance from your building’s systems.
- Arjae HVAC and Mechanical Services (Officially changed its name to CoolSys Commercial & Industrial Solutions, Inc.) specializes in HVAC installation, service & maintenance, and the full-service fabrication of aluminum, galvanized steel, stainless steel, carbon steel and copper for a broad range of commercial and industrial projects.
- BRR Refrigeration is a commercial refrigeration and HVAC contractor focusing mainly on service and installation of supermarkets, convenience store refrigeration, and cold storage facilities.
- Building Air Services (BAS) offers a central dispatch that stands by ready to serve with friendly professionals equipped with the latest in GPS truck-tracking and wireless/paperless communications to bring you state-of-the-art service with all the efficiencies and economies demanded in today’s world.
- Carolina Refrigeration Services is headquartered in Lexington, SC and is a Licensed Refrigeration, HVAC company specializing in Commercial, Industrial and Supermarket Refrigeration service.
- C.E. Holt Refrigeration specializes in service, installation, and light electrical work in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
- Certified Refrigeration & Mechanical (CRM) offers service solutions at the local level to meet our customer’s refrigeration, HVAC and food service equipment repair and maintenance needs across the state of Wisconsin.
- CoolSys Energy Design is a market-leading consulting engineering firm providing single-source MEPR engineering analysis and design for both new and existing building remodels.
- CoolSys Energy Solutions specializes in the full-spectrum of energy optimization services for high-usage commercial clients, such as supermarkets, data supercenters, light industrial facilities, school districts, and retail stores.
- Duquette Refrigeration offers HVACR Service and installations for supermarkets, convenience stores, refrigerated warehouses, manufacturing, commercial office and retail customers.
- Eastern Refrigeration specializes in the sales, service, and installation of commercial refrigeration systems in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
- Georgia Air Solutions provides refrigeration and HVAC services, including installation, repair, and maintenance services.
- 1GNITE provides asset management solutions and specialized facility services to clients across the country.
- Legacy Air (Officially changed its name to CoolSys Light Commercial Solutions, LLC.) is a reliable, affordable full-service provider of HVAC, refrigeration, kitchen equipment service and repair for a variety of small box and restaurant customers across the western United States.
- LIMA Company provides commercial and industrial HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing and energy services throughout Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey.
- Richmond Refrigeration provides refrigeration and air conditioning service, 24/7 emergency service across Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.
- Ron’s Refrigeration and Air Conditioning offers service solutions at the local level to meet our customer’s refrigeration, HVAC and food service equipment repair and maintenance needs across the state of Wisconsin.
- Refrigeration Solutions LLC (RSI) offers its refrigeration customers quality, exceptional service, and overall excellence throughout northern California.
- Source Refrigeration (Officially changed its name to CoolSys Commercial & Industrial Solutions, Inc.) is a market-leader in the design, installation, repair & maintenance, sustainability and optimization of mission critical refrigeration & HVAC systems.
- Service Refrigeration Company, (Officially changed its name to CoolSys Commercial & Industrial Solutions, Inc.) founded in 1986, has grown steadily over the past 26 years to service large and small customers in regions across Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
- T&O Refrigeration is one of the largest and most successful independently owned refrigeration contracting companies in the Southeast.
- Tech Mechanical is Southeast Michigan’s leading commercial and industrial heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) company.
- Triangle Refrigeration offers fast, reliable commercial HVAC and heating and air conditioning repair service in Lancaster and Harrisburg, PA and surrounding areas.
- TRS-SESCO: TRS is the leading HVAC and plumbing solutions provider in the Southeastern United States and SESCO® specializes in engineering and packaging HVAC equipment & systems, Certified Energy Management (CEM), and commissioning.
- Universal Refrigeration: Headquartered in Auburn, Wash., Universal Refrigeration provides a broad range of HVAC expertise in both the installation and servicing of refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning systems
We are continually looking to expand the CoolSys family with refrigeration and/or HVAC companies that fit the following criteria:
- Proven track record of solid financial performance
- A strong brand and a market leadership position in the markets you serve
- Strong leadership and management team
- Strong customer relationships
- A culture that values the importance of each and every employee
About Our Customers
CoolSys companies support the unique needs of our customers on a national, regional, and local level. Through the formation of CoolSys, our partner companies are able to offer all of their customers a high-level, best-in-class uniform experience, no matter where they are in the nation.
Our comprehensive education and solution approach, utilizing technical and sales experts in the field, guides customers through to the most cost-effective solution and ensures the smooth operation of their businesses.
Customer Segments Served:
- Grocery Retail
- Convenience Stores
- Light Commercial
- Light Industrial
- Cold Storage & Warehousing
- Telecom
- Retail
- Restaurants
- Manufacturing
- Education
- Entertainment
- Pharmaceutical
About Our Employees
The strength of CoolSys and its operating companies is in its employees; the technicians, sales, and operations personnel who make it all happen. Our employees are some of the most highly educated and trained in the industry and for this and other reasons, they are our core strength. By bringing solution-oriented problem solving to every facet of their work and critical customer interactions, our employees bring the best of CoolSys directly to our customers. This is why it’s critical we support our employees at the highest level.
This means we focus on hiring the right people and significantly invest in employee training & development. Our success depends on it. As we continue to aggressively grow within our current markets and expand into new ones, the need to expand our team with qualified people is even more vital.
CoolSys and its operating companies offer the opportunity for a career in an environment where you can grow personally and professionally and rewards and recognition for your hard work.