Mario's Air Conditioning & Heating
HVAC · Tampa, Hillsborough County · Founded 1997 by Mario Zoraja
About the company
Tampa Bay residential and commercial HVAC contractor founded in 1997 and led by president Mario Zoraja for more than 18 years. Services included repair, installation, maintenance, duct cleaning, air-quality testing, dehumidification and UV lighting.
Ownership history
What changed after the sale
Mario Zoraja remained a partial owner and continued to lead and manage the business after the sale, and the Mario's brand was preserved inside the Southeastern Home Services portfolio. This was the first acquisition by the newly launched, St. Petersburg family-office-backed Southeastern Home Services.
Only sourced observations are listed. Customers and employees can add what they saw.
Who really profits
Money paid to Mario's Air Conditioning & Heating now flows to Southeastern Home Services (St. Petersburg, FL), and from there to its investors — WhitneyWilder — whose funds are ultimately owed returns by their limited partners. Home-services platform launched in 2022 and backed by WhitneyWilder, a St. Petersburg family office. It bought three Tampa Bay-area HVAC and plumbing companies within four months of launch and kept each brand, in at least one case leaving the founder as a partial owner and operator.
Read more: why prices rise after a sale · debt, exits and the 5-year clock.
Same owner, different name
Other Tampa Bay brands controlled by Southeastern Home Services. Getting a "second opinion" from one of these is not a second opinion.
Pro-Team Plumbing
Stay Cool Air Conditioning and Heating
Frequently asked
Who owns Mario's Air Conditioning & Heating?
Mario's Air Conditioning & Heating is owned by Southeastern Home Services, a private-equity platform headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL, whose capital has come from WhitneyWilder. The sale was announced May 18, 2022; the company still operates under its original name.
Is Mario's Air Conditioning & Heating private equity owned?
Yes. Mario's Air Conditioning & Heating is part of Southeastern Home Services, which is backed by WhitneyWilder. See the buyer profile for the capital structure.
Is Mario's Air Conditioning & Heating locally owned?
Not in the sense most homeowners mean. Control sits with Southeastern Home Services in St. Petersburg, FL, although the local brand name is still used.
When was Mario's Air Conditioning & Heating sold?
May 18, 2022 (announcement date).
Did Mario's Air Conditioning & Heating change its name after the sale?
No. Keeping the acquired brand name is standard practice for platforms; it preserves customer trust and reviews while ownership changes behind it.
Sources Verified — primary document
- ACHR News (2022-05-18) — trade press. Date, founding, Mario Zoraja retained ownership, WhitneyWilder backing, quotes
- Business Observer (2022-05-09) — news. Local business-press coverage of the newly formed buyer
- Plumbing & Mechanical (2022-05-18) — trade press. Trade coverage
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