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 Spiller BSME University of Louisville joins AEC as a Sales Engineer in the Louisville office
- Will Perkins BSME University of Kentucky joins AEC as a Sales Engineer in the Lexington office
- Brandon Fisher joins 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 AEC as a Sales Engineer in the Louisville office
- Jeremy Sheaffer BSME University of Kentucky joins AEC as an Applications Engineer in the Lexington office
- Matt Brown joins AEC as an Outsides Salesman focusing on Industrial Market
- Katie Graviss joins AEC as a Controller
- 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 as an Applications Engineer in the Louisville office
- Jennifer Compton joins AEC in a Service support role
- Sam Yaney joins AEC as an Applications Engineer in the Louisville office
- AEC Service Team adds Field Technicians to support all of our equipment lines and provide maintenance and audit offerings
- 2020
- Jonathan Smith joins AEC as a Project Manager / Outside Salesman in the Lexington office
- Kristen Yates joins AEC as our Marketing Coordinator
- AEC Service Team continues to add Field Technicians to support all of our equipment lines and provide maintenance and audit offerings
- 2021
- John Thompson joins AEC as Director of Business Development & Sales Engineer
- Jonathan Smith moves into a Service Salesman position
- Scott Bryant joins AEC as Vice President of Industrial Sales