The Cintas / UniFirst transaction is a reminder that consolidation is prevalent throughout the industry, not just among contracting business ownership.

As an HVAC leader, you’re probably used to news of consolidation among manufacturers, distributors and contracting businesses. The Cintas purchase of UniFirst shows that consolidation is happening in the service ecosystem around HVAC companies as well. This has the potential to impact your business because scale, technology and service consistency all affect the way contractors operate.

This is because while uniforms, facility services, first aid, safety items and related services may not get the same attention as trucks, labor, leads or equipment margin – they still matter. They affect how your company looks, how your team is outfitted, how smoothly things run and how much time your office spends chasing down little problems that should not be problems in the first place.

These services may not be glamorous, but they touch the operation every day. When the right things show up on time, when the billing is clean, when onboarding is hassle free, when issues get resolved, you barely think about it. When they do not, you have a problem.

For HVAC Leaders, This Is A Time To Evaluate

• Is our current provider doing the job the way we need them to?
• Are we getting good service?
• Are problems handled quickly?
• Is billing clean and easy to manage?
• Are we set up well for growth, multiple locations or new hires?
• Are we using the right mix of services or just doing what we’ve always done?

These are practical questions that matter whether you have 10 employees or 200.

The bigger point is that HVAC businesses do not operate alone. We are surrounded by vendors, suppliers, service partners and platforms that help keep business moving. And those businesses are changing too. The same consolidation trend that has reshaped so much of HVAC is clearly reaching the business services side as well.

This does not call for panic. It makes more sense to stay aware, ask questions and make sure the companies supporting your business are still helping you run the kind of operation you want to build – companies like Cintas and Excellence Alliance.