PITTSBURGH - The Linc Group® LLC (TLG) has acquired Houston-based Air Tech Commercial Services, a commercial HVAC company that specializes in indoor air quality (IAQ). With the addition of Air Tech’s two offices in Houston and Austin, Linc will now operate five company-owned locations in Texas, providing services to customers across the state. TLG is the parent company of Linc Network LLC, franchisor of the Linc System®.

Air Tech has been a provider of HVAC, indoor air quality, refrigeration, and plumbing services to commercial and industrial facilities throughout the Houston area for the past 20 years. The addition of Air Tech extends the reach of Linc’s company-owned stores to 21 major metropolitan markets within the U.S. The Linc Service Network of contractors is comprised of these locations plus 110 additional, independently-owned franchises throughout the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, all of which follow the disciplines of the Linc System - a proprietary system for delivering professional preventive maintenance, equipment retrofits, and energy efficiency to the commercial buildings market.

“In becoming a Linc-owned contractor, we are joining an elite group of companies that are dedicated to innovation, quality, standards, and continuous education and improvement,” said Joe Bronte, general manager of Air Tech. “The large array of resources available to us as part of the Linc organization is very impressive and we look forward to learning and applying Linc technology and techniques that will help us provide more, and better, service to our customers.”

As one of the leading and largest contractor networks, Linc Service contractors hold 16,000 maintenance agreements for 26,000 facilities throughout North America that equal 1 billion square feet of commercial building space.

“Growth, as always, is a strategic goal of our organization. Air Tech’s history of quality service and existing customer base will allow Linc to quickly establish a presence in Houston and Austin,” said Scott Giacobbe, president and CEO of Linc Network LLC. “These markets, plus our existing company-owned locations in Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Waco, coupled with the offices of our Linc Service contractors in Abilene, Amarillo, Houston, Lubbock, Midland, and San Angelo, give the Linc Service Network a real stronghold in Texas - a vibrant and growing market.”

Added Giacobbe, “Also key to the transaction is Air Tech’s expertise in mold remediation, duct cleaning, and filter manufacturing. These specialty services will help differentiate us and, through our best-practice business model, we can easily package these new services so other contractors across the network can offer them to their customers as well.”

For more information about the Linc Network, visit www.lincservice.com.

Publication date:01/22/2007