Environmental Air Systems

Comfort Systems USA Announces Acquisition

EAS Receives 3 North Carolina Safety Awards

Environmental Air Systems attended the North Carolina Department of Labor Annual Safety Recognition Banquet and received three important Safety Awards from State Commissioner Cherie Berry.

The awards received were:

• Gold Award Application EAS Construction
• Gold Award Application EAS RTP Office
• Silver Award Application EAS Envirotrol

Criteria for the awards:

• Gold: DART rating is 50% better than the industry average. DART rating is lost time and restricted duty rates.
• Silver: Lost Time Incident Rate is 50% better than the industry average.

This is Environmental Air Systems second year in a row to receive the GOLD Awards for Construction and the RTP Office. Attendees for EAS included Adam Kelly, Director of Safety, Frank Stefanick, VP of Construction and Bill Tyler, RTP Construction Operations Manager.

Environmental Air Systems Supports United Way

Environmental Air Systems and all of its employees are proud supporters of The United Way serving 28 local partner agencies. Recently completing our company’s contribution campaign, we were presented with the United Way Outstanding New Campaign award. A big Thank You to everyone for contributing and having the Courage to Care!

Environmental Air Systems Kicks Off 2019

To begin 2019 with energy and purpose, Environmental Air Systems assembled over 600 employees for a special event held at their headquarters facility.  Factory bays were cleared, a stage was set up, large video screens and American Flags were hung and music was in the air as the lights dimmed for the playing of a patriotic song.

At the end of the song, a lone spotlight shined on their special guest standing on stage, retired Navy Seal Jason Redman.  After describing the intense battle in Iraq that left him nearly dead the spotlight was turned off and after Jason walked off the stage the lights came on to a Marine color guard marching toward the stage.

The American flag was presented by the color guard and the Star-Spangled Banner played to a standing audience.  Brian Evans, EAS President then formally introduced Jason and the two of them asked that all veterans come forward and individually walk across the stage for a small gift and handshakes.  Fifty-six veterans who were in attendance were honored and met our special guest.

Jason Redman then spent the next hour talking through his Five Principles of Elite Performance while relating many of them to his training both as a Navy Seal and an Army Ranger and his over 20 years serving our country in the military.  His Five Principles of Elite Performance are:

• Teamwork
• Lead yourself, lead others, lead always
• Clearly define your mission, tasks & goals
• Have a relentless overcome all mindset
• Adapt to the unexpected and to adversity

After Brian made closing comments, everyone had lunch while talking about what they had just learned.  It was a memorable event, and thanks to retired Navy Seal Jason Redman it was an event that many believe will be long remembered.   After lunch a smaller group made up of office and management personnel assembled in the cafeteria for a business update given by each business leader from Construction, Manufacturing, Controls and Service.  They each recognized certain people for their 2018 achievements and reviewed their 2019 business objectives to kick off the new year.

It was clear that Jason Redman made a lasting impression when late that afternoon people were describing a business situation using terminology Jason used in his speech earlier that day.  In Jason’s words: Live greatly, live fearlessly, leave nothing on the table!

Environmental Air Systems Companies Celebrates New Facility Open House

Today Environmental Air Systems Companies celebrated its official Open House at its new headquarters facility located in High Point, North Carolina at 250 Swathmore Avenue.

Over 250 guests and employees were on hand for the presentations, plant tours and reception. Even Richard Pettys $1,000,000 winning 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner race car was on hand for the event and while out of state business precluded The King from attending, he was gracious enough to video his comments for the group.

Speakers included Congressman Ted Budd, State Treasurer Dale Folwell, High Point Mayor Jay Wagner, Comfort Systems Executive Vice President Bill George, EAS President & CEO Brian Evans and EAS Vice President & GM Allen Absher. EAS employees, customers, suppliers and other guests including a number of state and local dignitaries were on hand for the open house and ribbon cutting.

EAS purchased the facility late 2017 and just recently completed a multi-million-dollar upfit, installing additional equipment and a partial consolidation from other locations. They still operate out of two other manufacturing facilities in High Point and have a combined 450,000 SF under roof.

Environmental Air Systems is a premiere design build mechanical contractor, a national manufacturer of custom-built HVAC solutions and a building automation controls and HVAC service provider. In conjunction with their custom HVAC offering, they also specialize in highly engineered modular off-site construction (OSC) applications for a variety of mission critical customers.

ASHRAE Introduces 2018-2019 President, Officers and Directors Names Environmental Air Systems Employee as Treasurer

ASHRAE installed its 2018-2019 president, executive committee officersanddirectors during its Annual Conference in Houston, which was held June 23-27. Charles Gulledge III, a Senior Mechanical Engineer for Environment Air Systems, LLC located in High Point, North Carolina was elected Treasurer.

ASHRAEs 2018-2019 president is Sheila J. Hayter, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE. During her inaugural presidential address, Hayter announced her terms theme will be Building Our New Energy Future. The theme focuses on the important role buildings will play in our energy future as the traditional electrical grid continues to evolve toward a smart grid with advances in renewable energy.

Elected officers who will serve one-year terms are as follows:

• President-Elect:Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, assistant vice president, facilities management and planning, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• Treasurer:Charles E. Gulledge III, P.E., Member ASHRAE, HBPD, senior mechanical engineer, Environmental Air Systems LLC, High Point, N.C.
• Vice President:Julia A. Keen, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, BEAP, HBDP, professor, Architectural Engineering & Construction Science Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan.
• Vice President:Malcolm Dennis Knight, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, BEMP, owner, Whole Building Systems, LLC, Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
• Vice President:Michael C. A. Schwedler, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE,applications engineering manager, Trane, La Crosse, Wis.
• Vice President:Farooq Mehboob, P.E., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, principal consultant, S. Mehboob & Company Consulting Engineers, Karachi, Pakistan

We are extremely proud of the service Chuck provides to this important HVAC Industry Society of Engineers and that our company is able to help play a role in his contribution, stated Brian Evans President & CEO Environmental Air Systems.

North Carolina Department of Labor Recognizes EAS 2017 Safety Achievements

Each year the North Carolina Department of Labor recognizes companies with outstanding safety and health that resulted in a substantial reduction of injuries and illnesses and the promotion of safer working conditions.

All seven Environmental Air Systems OSHA reporting locations were recently recognized for their outstanding 2017 safety accomplishments at a recent reception. The award reception was attended by Adam Kelly, EAS Safety Director; Mike Fitzpatrick, EAS Manufacturing HR & Safety Manager; Romaine Camera, VP & GM Envirotrol; Mike Manring, EAS Field Operations Manager and Joe Wesley, Regional CSUSA Safety Director. The NC Labor Commissioner, Cherie Berry handed out the awards.

To qualify for an annual safety award, a firm must:

• Have no fatalities during the calendar year at the site or location for which the award was given;and
• Have maintained an incidence rate at least 50 percent below the average for its particular industry group.

There are two award levels distributed – gold and silver.

• TheGold Awardis based on the days away, restricted, transferred (DART) rate, which includes cases of days away from work, restricted activity or job transfer. See lines H and I of the OSHA form 300A to determine the DART rate.
• TheSilver Awardis based only on cases with days away from work. They are recorded when the worker misses at least one full day of work, not including the day of the injury.
• 5 Gold Awards: EAS field construction, Banner Office & Sheet Metal shop, Envirotrol, Triad Manufacturing plant and RTP Raleigh office were recipients in this category.
• 2 Silver Awards: The High Point and Jamac Manufacturing plants were recipients in this category.

Also the Environmental Air Systems total combined company was also recognized for exceeding One Million Man Hours without a Lost Time recordable injury. EAS has gone on the reach One Million Eight Hundred Fifty Thousand Man Hours without a Lost Time recordable injury. Everyone at Environmental Air Systems has each others back and has The Courage to Care.

Tornado in Greensboro had Wind Speeds of 135 MPH

This is an aerial photo of Banner Avenue just two lots over from the EAS Banner facility.

A tornado that cut a path of destruction and destroyed homes in Greensboro on Sunday had wind speeds of 135 mph, making it an EF-2 twister. A line of severe weather spread across North Carolina, bringing heavy rainstorms and two reported tornadoes that toppled trees and ripped apart homes in Greensboro and Reidsville. At least one person was found dead, according to news outlets in the Piedmont.

About 75,000 homes and businesses were without power late Sunday afternoon in the Carolinas. Duke Energy said about 43,000 customers lacked power in North Carolina, and another 9,000 in South Carolina. South Carolina Electric and Gas Company reported 23,000 customers without power in South Carolina.

The city of Greensboro and Guilford County both declared states of emergency. Search and rescue teams went house-to-house in the affected areas, and the Civil Air Patrol conducted an aerial assessment of Guilford and Rockingham counties.

The front yard of the EAS Banner facility.

The front yard of the EAS Banner facility.

The Environmental Air Systems Banner facility located in east Greensboro while surrounded by severe tornado damage was largely spared receiving a power outage and only minor damage. Fortunately, the tornado ripped through the area during a time when workers were not present. An assessment was made by Allen Absher, VP & GM Manufacturing and Robert Alexander, Plant Manager at the site Sunday afternoon shortly after the tornado swept through the area. Nearby homes and businesses all around the EAS Banner facility received significant damage.On Monday and throughout the week EAS workers pulled together and immediately began moving computers and offices into their new Headquarters facility, two weeks prior to its scheduled move. A number of people worked many extra hours and helped to get offices relocated and up and running with minimal delay. Payroll had to be run, design had to maintain project schedules and accounting had to remain functioning.

Generators were brought in to get the Banner sheet metal factory back on line to keep up with our backlog and customer needs as hundreds of field workers were counting on their shipments. IT, with the support of others worked nearly around the clock to provide the needed computing power, phones and necessary facility access and fire and life safety systems at the relocated facility.

Downed power lines and trees.

It was truly a heroic effort by many EAS team members to quickly assess the situation, make decisions, bypass downed trees and power lines to move the necessary equipment, get things up and running and establish order in another location all in a matter of just a few days. A number of EAS employees also walked around the nearby Banner neighborhood handing out food and water to the many neighbors in need. Without such dedication, this never would have happened as seamlessly as it did. Thank You and a tremendous level of gratitude to everyone at EAS that contributed to this heroic effort. The pride and commitment shown by many is now part of the EAS legacy.

Banner Avenue just down from the Banner facility.

The neighborhood near the EAS facility.

EAS Announces Envirotrol Service Business Growth

Today, Environmental Air Systems Companies is pleased to announce that effective January 1, 2018, its service business, Envirotrol, will be absorbing the Colonial Webb service businesses out of Charlotte, NC, and Greenville, SC, into its business portfolio.

This addition, along with the previous consolidation of the Raleigh Mid-Atlantic service business back in June 2017, provides Envirotrol with total responsibility for our service markets throughout North Carolina and South Carolina. These two business additions provide us with a strong presence in our key markets, establishes a comprehensive offering for our customers and sets the Envirotrol business up for strong growth in the years ahead, said Brian Evans, EAS President & CEO.

“Please join me in welcoming Ben Stahl, Building Services General Manager, and his team into our EAS Companies family of businesses as they join our team,” said Romaine Camera, Vice President & General Manger of Envirotrol. “These additions provide us the ability to serve all of our major North and South Carolina markets at a local level.”

Environmental Air Systems is a premiere design build mechanical contractor, a national manufacturer of custom built HVAC solutions and a building automation controls and HVAC service provider. In conjunction with its custom HVAC offering, EAS also specializes in highly engineered modular off-site construction (OSC) applications for a variety of mission-critical customers.

All 4 Triad EAS Locations & Envirotrol Under One Roof

EAS Closes Purchase of Triad Facility

Environmental Air Systems and Envirotrol today announced theacquisition of a 245,000 square-foot office and manufacturing facility with the help of JLL and SametProperties. The full service building is located at 250 Swathmore Ave, High Point, North Carolina.

Based in the Triad area of Central North Carolina, Environmental Air Systems, LLC is a mission criticalmechanical contractor and custom HVAC equipment manufacturer and through its subsidiary Envirotrol,is a building controls contractor and commercial HVAC Service provider. The facility located at 250Swathmore Ave. in High Point will support the company’s construction, manufacturing, building controlsand service businesses. EAS will employ over 300 people at this location.

“We’re seeing sustained demand for our products and services,” said Brian Evans, EAS President & CEO. “The location, size and capacity of this property offers Environmental Air Systems and Envirotrol the chance to bring our five Triad area locations together under one roof supporting the continued growth of our business operations for years to come.”

The company will add overhead cranes and make various modifications to the facility over the next six months. They plan to host an open house in the spring for its customers and suppliers. Arrangements will be finalized and communicated at a later date.

Environmental Air Systems is one of the premiere mechanical contractors, controls and service providerin the markets they serve and a leading full-service national manufacturer of custom built HVACsolutions designed, manufactured and supplied throughout North America. In conjunction with theircustom HVAC offering, they also specialize in highly engineered modular off-site constructionapplications for a variety of mission critical customers. Environmental Air Systems is a Comfort SystemsUSA company.