One of commercial HVAC's fastest-growing acquisition platforms is changing its leadership structure — and the founder is moving even closer to M&A.
AIR Control Concepts announced September 3 that Hayden Bland will become president and CEO on January 1, 2027, while founder Brad Hobbs moves into the executive-chair role.
Hobbs will remain directly involved in acquisitions, strategic growth and relationships with customers and equipment manufacturers.
AIR Has Become a Huge HVAC Platform
AIR has grown from its roots at Hobbs & Associates into an organization comprising more than 50 operating companies and over 3,500 employees across commercial HVAC, electrical and controls.
That scale is important.
AIR's model allows acquired companies to keep their:
- Local brands
- Existing management
- Customer relationships
- Regional expertise
while gaining access to a larger organization's technology, capital and shared resources.
It is a model increasingly common across HVAC consolidation.
The Founder Is Not Leaving
This is not a conventional CEO retirement.
Hobbs will continue leading Hobbs & Associates while concentrating more heavily on M&A and strategic expansionat the AIR platform level.
That sends a fairly clear signal about AIR's priorities.
The company says it plans to continue pursuing acquisitions alongside organic expansion.
Johnson Controls Executive Is Joining Too
AIR is also bringing in Aaron Lewis as chief operating officer effective October 1.
Lewis comes from Johnson Controls and brings experience across commercial HVAC, operations, sales and international markets.
He will take responsibility for AIR's Equipment business segment while Bland moves toward overall platform leadership.
Contractors Should Watch the Scale
AIR is not simply purchasing local HVAC businesses.
It is building a commercial platform spanning:
Equipment.
Controls.
Electrical.
Service.
Manufacturer relationships.
Geographic expansion.
For independent commercial HVAC companies, that creates another increasingly sophisticated competitor — and potentially another buyer.
AIR's leadership reshuffle looks less like succession planning and more like preparing an already large HVAC platform for its next wave of acquisitions.
