Unique Air Services
HVAC · Bradenton, Manatee County
About the company
Family-owned residential air conditioning contractor based in Bradenton that served the greater Sarasota and Manatee County market for more than 40 years before its sale. At the time of the transaction it was run by brothers Adam and Matthew Montgomery.
Ownership history
- Acquisition American Residential Services (ARS / Rescue Rooter) (backed by Charlesbank Capital Partners)
What changed after the sale
ARS said the existing management team would continue to lead the business, with the Montgomerys quoted saying they were 'excited about continuing to lead our team and taking our service to the next level, all backed by the strength of ARS' national network.' ARS CEO Don Karnes framed the deal as building on an existing Florida footprint that already included ARS/Rescue Rooter of Tampa Bay. The Unique Air brand does not appear to have been maintained as a standalone consumer brand; ARS operates the Sarasota/Bradenton market under the ARS/Rescue Rooter name.
Only sourced observations are listed. Customers and employees can add what they saw.
Who really profits
Money paid to Unique Air Services now flows to American Residential Services (ARS / Rescue Rooter) (Memphis, TN), and from there to its investors — Charlesbank Capital Partners, GI Partners — whose funds are ultimately owed returns by their limited partners. One of the oldest national residential HVAC and plumbing consolidators, operating under the ARS and Rescue Rooter names with 70+ service centers in 23 states and roughly 6,500 employees as of 2020. Unlike the newer brand-retention roll-ups, ARS has historically migrated acquired companies onto the ARS/Rescue Rooter master brand. Charlesbank Capital Partners acquired it in 2014, then in September 2020 sold control to GI Partners while co-investing alongside, with management reinvesting sale proceeds.
Capital events at the platform level: 2014-01-01 recap — Charlesbank Capital Partners acquires ARS. Year-level date only.; 2020-09-15 recap — GI Partners becomes majority investor in ARS alongside Charlesbank, which sold the company and simultaneously made a new co-investment; management reinvested significantly.; 2006-10-01 recap — Caxton-Iseman Capital (later CI Capital Partners) and Royal Palm Capital Partners bought ARS/Rescue Rooter from ServiceMaster.; 2014-05-06 new sponsor — Charlesbank Capital Partners acquired American Residential Services LLC from CI Capital Partners and Royal Palm Capital Partners; terms not disclosed.; 2020-09-01 new sponsor — GI Partners joined Charlesbank as an investor in ARS.; 2014-05-06 new sponsor — Charlesbank buys ARS/Rescue Rooter, owner of the St. Petersburg Tampa Bay branch. Charlesbank Capital Partners acquired American Residential Services LLC, the ARS/Rescue Rooter residential HVAC and plumbing platform, from CI Capital Partners and Royal Palm Capital Partners. Terms were not disclosed. ARS operates a company-owned ARS/Rescue Rooter Tampa Bay branch based in St. Petersburg that serves Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties, so the transaction changed the ultimate owner of a significant Tampa Bay residential service operation without any local brand or transaction being announced. ARS said the new sponsor intended to accelerate growth and invest in its branches. ARS went on to buy Unique Air Services of Bradenton in 2016, its first named Tampa Bay-region local acquisition..
Read more: why prices rise after a sale · debt, exits and the 5-year clock.
Frequently asked
Who owns Unique Air Services?
Unique Air Services is owned by American Residential Services (ARS / Rescue Rooter), a private-equity platform headquartered in Memphis, TN, whose capital has come from Charlesbank Capital Partners and GI Partners. The sale was announced May 2, 2016; the original brand was retired.
Is Unique Air Services private equity owned?
Yes. Unique Air Services is part of American Residential Services (ARS / Rescue Rooter), which is backed by Charlesbank Capital Partners and GI Partners. See the buyer profile for the capital structure.
Is Unique Air Services locally owned?
Not in the sense most homeowners mean. Control sits with American Residential Services (ARS / Rescue Rooter) in Memphis, TN.
When was Unique Air Services sold?
May 2, 2016 (announcement date).
Did Unique Air Services change its name after the sale?
Yes — the brand was retired or merged (see notes and sources).
Sources Verified — primary document
- ACHR News (2016-05-02) — trade press. Bradenton location, 40+ year history, Montgomery and Karnes quotes
- ARS/Rescue Rooter (2016-05-02) — platform site. Acquirer's own announcement
- Contractor Magazine (2016-05-02) — trade press. Independent trade coverage
- PRWeb (2016-05-02) — press release. Wire release
Researcher notes: Brand retention marked false based on ARS's standard practice of consolidating acquired Florida brands under ARS/Rescue Rooter; this is an inference from the absence of a surviving Unique Air consumer brand rather than a stated term of the deal.
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