Alice Roberts, co-founder of Phoenix-based Chas Roberts Air Conditioning & Plumbing, passed away Sept. 1, 2013, at the age of 95. Alice and her husband, Chas, founded Chas Roberts in 1942. The company continues to offer HVAC and plumbing solutions in Phoenix.
Alice was born in 1918 in Bisbee, Ariz., and married Charles (Chas) Roberts in 1936. Since opening, the business has remained family owned and operated. In the early years, sales consisted of home appliances, coolers, furnaces, air conditioners, and service. Alice and Chas’s son, Charles, took over managing the company in the 1960s and, when residential construction began to boom in the 1970s, Chas Roberts grew to meet this need.
In the late 1990s, ownership and management of the company was transferred to Alice and Chas’ granddaughter, Roberta “Sissie” (Roberts) Shank. Under Shank’s leadership, the company has grown to seven locations in the Phoenix area and one in Tucson, expanded its HVAC services into New Mexico, and added residential and commercial plumbing services.