Air Equipment Company was founded in 1946 by Hank Lutes as the Kentucky Representative for AAF & Buffalo Forge.
Our long-standing success is based on our Core Values of being Humbly Confident,Doing the Right Thing, Having a Can Do Attitude, Focusing on Customer Success and Caring.
Below is a timeline of our company’s history.
1950
Bob Haragan joins company
1969
Bob Haragan purchases AEC from Hank Lutes
1986
Chris Haragan joins the company to succeed Bob
1988
Chris Haragan BSME University of Kentucky opens office in Nashville to manage Buffalo Air Handling $18 million project at Saturn Plant
Chip Summers BSME University of Kentucky joins company from Staggs and Fisher to increase AEC presence in the commercial Custom AHU market
1992
Chris and Chip purchase AEC from Bob Haragan
1994
Increased focus on specialty mechanical equipment and controls lead to representation of ABB, Phoenix Controls, Air Monitor and others.
2001
Luke Powell BSME Purdue University joins company as a Sales Engineer to cover the Louisville and Western Kentucky markets
2010
Jason Nichter BSME University of Louisville joins company as Sales Engineer to cover the Lexington and Eastern Kentucky markets
2011
Kevin Campisano CPA BA Centre College joins company as CFO
2012
Wes Harville BSME University of Kentucky joins company as a Sales Engineer to open a Lexington office.
2013
AEC becomes the exclusive representative for LG, ClimateMaster, Trox, Lennox and Griswold.
AEC hires Tommy Sallengs to join the Lexington office to provide product support, installation oversight and project management.
2014
Chip Summers appointed President and Luke Powell VP of Sales.
Rick Lawson joins AEC in the Lexington office to provide inside sales support.
Linda Campisano joins AEC as Customer Service Manager
2015
AEC is appointed exclusive representative for AAON.
2016
Tommy Sallengs appointed Service Manager
Denis Kieser joins AEC in the Louisville office to provide inside sales support
Ben Cowles joins AEC as a Customer Service Specialist
2017
Miles Murphy appointed Service Manager (Controls)
Will Perkins joins AEC in the Lexington office
Brandon Fisher join AEC as LG MVP and Project Manager
Pete Leslie joins AEC as Senior Controls Technician
Christy Hinton joins AEC as a Customer Service Specialist
2018
Cale Hensel BSAE Georgia Institute of Technology joins company as a Sales Engineer
Jeremy Sheaffer BSME University of Kentucky joins AEC in the Lexington office to provide inside sales support
Matt Brown BS Western Kentucky University joins AEC as an Outsides Salesman focusing on Industrial Market
Preston DeBord joins AEC as a Service Manager (Equipment)
Anthony Kordupel joins AEC as an Equipment Service Technician
AEC Louisville moves into new office on Payne Street
2019
Mark Dail joins AEC as a Project Manager
Tim Linn joins AEC in the Louisville office to provide additional inside sales support
Jennifer Compton joins AEC in a Service support role
AEC Service Team adds Field Technicians to support all of our equipment lines and provide maintenance and audit offerings