"American Refrigeration and National Refrigeration were already taken," Saye recalled. "Then a friend was flying over Texas and he thought about that state being called the Republic of Texas."
So that's how Republic Refrigeration got its name, even though it is headquartered in Monroe, N.C., near Charlotte, in Saye's native state. It started as a two-person business (Saye and his wife) and has grown to more than 200 employees and a second office in Hammond, La., as well as a presence in Monterrey, Mexico (where it does business as Carolina Refrigeration).