How Kelvin Group has redefined the American refrigeration contracting market by putting people first
From the medicines we rely on to the foods we eat every day, several aspects of our daily lives depend on mission-critical refrigeration and HVAC systems, along with the process safety, mechanical integrity, and compliance programs required to keep those operations running safely and reliably. Serving more than 2800 customers, Kelvin Group (Kelvin) is the nation’s largest mission-critical refrigeration lifecycle partner, operating a family of leading industrial and commercial refrigeration and mechanical services companies that deliver engineering, design, construction, planned maintenance, compliance, and emergency service support nationwide.
Through organic and acquisitive growth, the company has evolved into one of America’s largest refrigeration contractors, recognized for its unparalleled expertise, reliability, and customer-centric approach. Kelvin’s operating companies include ARC Mechanical, the Northeast’s largest independent refrigeration service provider; Refrigeration Design & Service (RD&S), an industrial refrigeration engineering and design-build contractor in the Mid-Atlantic market; RC&E, an industrial refrigeration installation and service provider serving Texas and the South-Central US; PermaCold Engineering, a pioneer in CO2 and natural refrigerant systems specializing in industrial refrigeration engineering, cold storage design-build, installation and service; and Sotera, a national compliance and technical services platform providing process safety, mechanical integrity and engineering support.
CEO Harry Gray offers his thoughts on how the company has become America’s first and only coast-to-coast refrigeration contractor. “We specialize in mission-critical heating and cooling systems across the HVACR industry,” he opens. “Our expertise spans both refrigeration and HVAC solutions supporting industrial and commercial environments where temperature control, product integrity and operational uptime are essential, particularly for products with shelf life or temperature-sensitive requirements, such as food and beverage, medicines and pharmaceuticals. Around 80 percent of our business falls into the commercial food and beverage industry, which includes processing plants, grocery stores and their distribution centers. We’re also involved in academia, ice rinks and hospitals, and the area in which we’re exploiting the most growth is in pharmaceuticals. We currently have a small but growing footprint in the pharma sector, and some of our most exciting and noteworthy accounts across the business are within pharma.
“Although we offer a full range of services, including the design, engineering and construction of refrigeration storage facilities, our work does not stop once a project is complete. Perhaps our most important offering is helping our customers maintain and optimize these mission-critical systems through nationwide service, emergency response, and planned maintenance programs, supported by Sotera’s expertise in process safety, compliance and mechanical integrity.”
Empowering people
In terms of growth, Kelvin has capitalized on the industry’s consolidation. Unlike the HVAC industry, refrigeration had been a fragmented sector prior to 2018 when Kelvin identified the opportunity to acquire and integrate businesses. “We were the first to pursue refrigeration consolidation, and now, after 16 acquisitions of varying sizes, we are proud to be the nation’s largest refrigeration services provider,” Harry states. “Our acquisition strategy is rooted in geographic growth; after identifying potential markets, we acquire businesses across key regions, ultimately spanning from the Pacific to the Atlantic Coasts.
“While geography is our priority, it’s also essential that the businesses we acquire have a strong reputational brand, particularly with customers and employees. Once we’ve acquired a business, we go through an integration process that we refer to as ‘Kelvinizing’ them. This approach starts with aligning our cultures and personalities, before we put streamlined processes in place and roll out a backbone of systems to ensure we’re establishing the Kelvin way of doing things.”
Despite its growth, Kelvin has remained committed to its employees, with a clear vision to empower every technician and industry expert through training, resources, and overall support. “While it’s important to be a high-growth, profitable business, we’ve flipped the stereotypical model by first striving to be the best possible employer in our field,” Harry confirms. “If we’re an employer of choice, we’ll naturally be an acquirer of choice, and we want to build a purposeful business that will stand the test of time.
“To promote training, we created Kelvin University around three years ago to mimic the training given to the unionized portion of our workforce and build a curriculum where people can work while they learn. We designed a five-year program that combines field and classroom time to accelerate employees in terms of skills, confidence, and promotion, and as people reach each milestone on the course, their pay increases. Our managers are key to supporting this process and engaging employees, and we’re fortunate to have people who genuinely care rather than simply checking a box.”
As Kelvin continues to strengthen its internal foundations, the company is equally focused on how it presents itself to the wider industry. Having spent years building a business defined by operational excellence and a people-first culture, Kelvin is now entering a phase where its reputation is being recognized on a global scale, marking a pivotal shift in how the business is perceived across the wider industry.
Ahead of the curve
Turning to the future, Harry shares his thoughts on what’s next for Kelvin. “Historically, we’ve been best known for our sub-brands rather than Kelvin, but 2026 is the year that reputation is shifting the other way around,” he says. “Thanks to our superior marketing efforts, strong supplier relationships, and attendance at trade shows, the Kelvin name is now revealing itself and occupying a strong brand reputation.
“We’re also currently conducting some strategic hiring to secure emerging talent across the business,” Harry concludes. “The only constant here is change and evolution, and we’re determined to stay ahead of the curve to ensure we remain in a strong position for decades to come. While growth is important, we’re equally determined to be the most coveted employer in our industry, so we’ll continue to support the development of our people, as they will be the ones who carry the business forward.”