ANAHEIM, Calif. - Source Refrigeration & HVAC Inc. announced that its board of directors has named Lauren Abrams as chief executive officer. Abrams was previously the president and chief operating officer of Source and has been a member of the board of directors since October 2010.

Abrams’s move into the CEO position is the culmination of a senior management transition plan that was set in place two years ago by outgoing CEO, Brad Howard. According to Howard, “Since joining Source as COO in January 2009, Lauren refreshed our strategy and brought new discipline and rigor to our processes enabling us to improve operations and grow the business. She truly understands the company’s business, customers, and potential, and has made great strides in positioning Source for long-term growth and expansion.” Howard added, “Lauren’s track record, intense customer focus, and strong executive and personal qualities make her a great fit for the Source leadership role.” Howard will continue to be involved with Source as the chairman of the board of directors.

Prior to joining Source in 2009, Lauren spent over 25 years in service roles, most recently as senior vice president, Customer Support Operations for Cardinal Health, where she was responsible for nearly $2 billion in annual service and equipment installation revenue.

“I am truly honored and excited to assume the role of CEO of Source,” said Abrams. “The Source team is an incredibly talented group of people and I am delighted to continue to work closely with them in my new leadership role. I look forward to building on the customer-focused culture that Brad Howard created during his tenure as CEO. We will continue to work hard to establish long-term partnerships with our customers and stay focused on our quest to lower their total cost of ownership and improve their bottom line.”

Source Refrigeration & HVAC has more than 30 branch locations and 1,000 employees focused on providing services to optimize commercial refrigeration/HVAC systems. Key services provided for supermarket customers focus on problem/high-cost stores, objective design and review, integrated installations, repair and maintenance, and optimizing and sustaining refrigeration and HVAC system performance. For more information, visit www.sourcerefrigeration.com.

Publication date: 05/23/2011