SHEFFIELD LAKE, Ohio - At the International Service Leadership (ISL) Owners Conference, it was announced that the National Comfort Institute (NCI) has acquired ISL.

NCI has long been known as a leader in providing professional training on topics such as air diagnostics, air balancing, carbon monoxide detection, combustion efficiency, and overall HVAC system performance. Over its 15 years in business, NCI has trained over 15,000 HVAC professionals in various technical disciplines.

ISL has evolved from the 1990 membership organization named Contractor’s Success Group. Through the years ISL has taken many forms, but most recently was owned and operated by three leading contractors. ISL’s focus has always been to help its membership with sales, service and general business practices.

Late in 2007 the principals at NCI and ISL began working on a joint program for ISL members titled SCORE (Seasonal Calculated Operational Running Efficiency). During this project, the two companies realized how well they complimented each other and the idea of joining talents hatched.

Milt Baum, president of ISL and owner of Keil Heating in Patterson, N.J., remarked “the background and resources of NCI will be a major value to the ISL membership. Together we will be able to help our members grow in ways that we never could as separate companies. I see NCI and ISL as experienced enough to offer the highest level of training and support in all areas of HVAC along with the flexibility needed to adapt to the changing economic and marketing conditions.”

According to NCI, all staff will remain at both NCI and ISL and they will continue to function as they have in the past. Both companies have membership groups that will benefit from new services offered as a result of the merger. New member benefits will be announced to both groups as they are available, with new benefits to contractors belonging to both groups.

“We are very excited to team up with ISL,” said Dominick Guarino CEO of NCI. “The programs that ISL offers fit in perfectly with what we are doing. Now we will be able to offer a truly turnkey package of products and services for performance-based contractors.

“Contractors must be equipped to deliver products and services that respond to the demand for increased energy efficiency and green services. The NCI Group provides them with the tools and training they need to deliver measured efficiency, comfort, and performance to their customers. With ISL’s added expertise, we feel that contractors that participate in NCI’s programs will be the most successful in the nation.”

The next combined company event will be at the NCT Summit scheduled for February 2009. “One of the outcomes of joining forces is to provide higher-quality services and a better value to our customers” said Rob Falke, president of NCI.

“People that know Dom, Milt, Bob (Wilkins) and I know we are sincere in our goal of improving our industry as a whole. This company provides more options to do that.”

Contact Steve Vannoy at 440-949-1850 for more information on National Comfort Institute and International Service Leadership.

Publication date:11/03/2008