Hajoca Acquires American Refrigeration Supplies — 34 Branches, 7 States, 85-Year History

Hajoca Corporation, one of the largest privately held wholesale distributors of plumbing, HVAC, pool, and industrial supplies in the United States, acquired American Refrigeration Supplies (ARS) — a leading HVAC/R distributor serving the Southwest — from Kitchell, a Phoenix-based construction and real estate development company that had owned ARS since 1970. The transaction closed January 30, 2026, and was announced February 2. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The ARS acquisition is Hajoca's sixth significant acquisition centred on HVAC distribution, following a deliberate strategy to build a leading HVAC platform across North America alongside its established plumbing and industrial distribution businesses. With ARS's 34 branches and two distribution centres across Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Virginia, Hajoca gains immediate, scaled presence in the Southwest and Mountain West HVAC markets — geographies that include some of the most active residential and commercial HVAC demand environments in the country.

Who Is American Refrigeration Supplies?

ARS was founded in 1940 in Phoenix, Arizona — making it an 85-year-old company at the time of acquisition — and grew steadily over more than eight decades into a regional powerhouse HVAC/R distributor. The company's online catalogue covers more than 20,000 products across HVAC equipment, refrigeration components, controls and parts, filtration, foodservice refrigeration, tools, and instruments.

The breadth of ARS's product catalogue — spanning residential HVAC, commercial refrigeration, foodservice equipment, and controls — reflects a distributor that has built genuine multi-segment capability over eight decades rather than specialising narrowly. This breadth is strategically valuable to Hajoca: it brings contractor relationships across multiple trade categories that Hajoca can now serve through the combined network.

Kitchell CEO Wendy Cohen noted that the transaction closed after years of discussion — a timeline that reflects the deliberateness with which ARS's leadership approached the ownership transition. Finding the right long-term partner for an 85-year-old company with deep employee and customer relationships requires more time than a transactional financial sale. The multi-year process resulted in Hajoca — described by both parties as culturally aligned — as the buyer.

Hajoca's acquisition of American Refrigeration Supplies — 85 years old, 34 branches, two distribution centres, seven states, 200 employees — is the Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania distributor's sixth major HVAC-focused acquisition, adding scaled Southwest and Mountain West HVAC/R distribution to a plumbing and industrial network of more than 450 locations across North America.

Hajoca's HVAC Platform Build — The Acquisition Sequence

ARS is the sixth major HVAC acquisition in Hajoca's deliberate HVAC platform construction programme. The most significant prior HVAC transaction was Hajoca's 2023 acquisition of Gustave A. Larson Company — a major Midwest HVAC distributor that established Hajoca's presence in that region. The ARS deal extends the platform to the Southwest and Mountain West, filling a significant geographic gap in what is becoming a genuinely national HVAC distribution footprint.

Hajoca's broader distribution context is important: the company was founded in 1858 and operates more than 450 locally managed locations under more than 60 trade names across North America. It is one of the oldest and largest privately held distributors in the US — which means the HVAC platform it is building is backed by financial depth, operational experience, and a decentralised management model that has proven durable across more than 160 years of operation.

The decentralised model is directly relevant to how ARS will operate post-acquisition. ARS will continue operating under its established brand name with its local leadership team — Hajoca's 60-plus trade name structure is specifically designed to preserve the local identity and contractor relationships that make acquired distributors valuable.

The Southwest and Mountain West HVAC Market

ARS's seven-state geographic footprint covers some of the most HVAC-intensive markets in the US:

• Arizona: Phoenix averages more than 100 days above 100°F annually. The Phoenix metro is also one of the fastest-growing large cities in the US, with sustained residential construction generating both installation and service demand. Scottsdale and Tucson add significant high-value residential market depth.

• Nevada: Las Vegas is among the hottest major US cities. The resort and casino hospitality sector generates exceptional commercial refrigeration and HVAC demand alongside the significant residential market.

• California: ARS's California presence adds the world's fifth-largest economy's HVAC market — with complex regulatory requirements (Title 24, CARB standards) that make product expertise essential and support premium distributor positioning.

• New Mexico and Texas: Manufacturing facilities, data centre development, military and federal installations, and residential growth all contribute to steady HVAC demand across these large-geography markets.

• Utah: The Mountain West's fastest-growing state, with significant technology sector employment and residential construction generating above-average HVAC market growth rates.

What This Means for Contractors

For HVAC contractors in ARS's existing service territory, the Hajoca acquisition provides near-term continuity — same brand, same local leadership, same product lines — with the potential for expanded product access, improved purchasing leverage, and technology investment that Hajoca's scale enables. Contractors who have built long-term relationships with ARS counter staff and management should see those relationships preserved under the Hajoca ownership model.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hajoca Corporation?

Hajoca Corporation is one of the largest privately held wholesale distributors of plumbing, HVAC, pool, and industrial supplies in the US, founded in 1858 and operating more than 450 locally managed locations under more than 60 trade names across North America. The ARS acquisition is its sixth major HVAC-focused transaction as the company builds a national HVAC distribution platform.

What did Hajoca acquire with American Refrigeration Supplies?

Hajoca acquired 34 ARS branches, two distribution centres, approximately 200 employees, and a 20,000-plus product catalogue across HVAC, refrigeration, controls, filtration, and foodservice categories — covering seven states: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

Who owned ARS before Hajoca?

Kitchell, a Phoenix-based construction and real estate development company, had owned American Refrigeration Supplies since 1970 — 56 years of ownership before the January 30, 2026 sale to Hajoca. The transaction closed after years of discussion between the parties.