Air Equipment Company was founded in 1946 by Hanks Lutes as the Kentucky Representative for AAF & Buffalo Forge.

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
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