For more than 50 years, the Van Auker Companies have played a dynamic role in the emergence and growth of the Treasure Valley in Idaho. From simple beginnings in Caldwell, Idaho, today, the Van Auker Companies lease, construct, and manage warehouse, office, and industrial facilities for companies, large or small, throughout the region.
As the folks at Van Auker say, “We’re not just developers. We design, construct, and manage the leases on all the buildings we own. The intimate knowledge of each facility allows us to provide a superior product and service to the client.”
They have constructed and currently manage more than 2 million square feet and have built hundreds of other build-to-suit or speculative projects.
Van Auker strives to meet the needs of its clients — in fact, the company considers it a core value. The Van Auker Companies specialize in facilities for warehousing, distribution, food processing, high-tech, and research and development companies. These industries often experience rapid growth and changing needs, which can create many facility challenges. Because a tenet can’t always predict how fast or how much it will grow, the company remains exceptionally flexible with its leases. If a client is growing rapidly, the Van Auker staff will find them larger quarters and rewrite its lease as often as needed. Larger, more complex facilities may be required and, in most cases, the timeframes are extremely aggressive. If necessary, Van Auker will develop a new project specifically for that client. Always future-focused, the company anticipates trends well ahead of the curve, putting it in step with its client’s emerging needs.
For several years, the manufacturer’s representative firm Robertson’s LLC has been working with Van Auker Companies — introducing them to new heating technologies that could save their tenets and building owners money on heating costs. In the state of Idaho, the winter comes early and sticks around until late in the spring. When Van Auker had a client who needed to double the size of their existing facility from 100,000 to 200,000 square feet, the company agreed to use High Temperature Heating and Ventilation (HTHV) technology in the new addition. The promise of substantial energy savings tied with exceptional indoor air quality, and warm and even temperatures were major reasons Van Auker wanted to try HTHV in the new facility.
It was three months into the heating season when a Van Auker representative received a concerning call from the tenet. The client was reviewing his utility costs. Due to the dramatic decrease in the cost to heat the new addition, he was certain, stating, “The gas meter must have been broken when it was installed during construction.” That was the only explanation as to why the utility costs for the new addition was dramatically less than that for the existing building. Nothing had changed. The thermostat was set the same in both facilities, the number of dock doors were the same, and the processes taking place in both facilities were also the same. There had to be a problem with the gas meter. The client certainly didn’t want the utility company sending an adjusted bill once it learned the meter had been damaged and wasn’t properly reporting gas usage.
Wanting to provide the best customer experience possible, Van Auker contacted the utility company and the manufacturer of the HTHV units to investigate what could be the problem. Everyone met on-site. The gas utility checked the meter, but to everyone’s surprise, except for Robertsons and Cambridge Air Solutions, there was no damage to the meter. The HTHV technology, which uses 100% outside air to heat a facility, used dramatically less natural gas than the standard unit heaters that were in the original location. The highly efficient technology delivered on its promise.
As HVAC specialists, Cambridge Air Solutions has been helping warehousing, manufacturing, and industrial leaders care for their people for more than 60 years.
Cambridge believes providing better HVAC solutions for an environment delivers comfort and improved indoor air quality that increases productivity, enhances recruitment capabilities, and improves retention of the very people committed to the success of an organization — all while reducing the overall energy footprint.
Cambridge remains dedicated to helping leaders create better working environments for their hard-working people with the primary purpose of “Enriching Lives.”