Practice 02
Executive search for mechanical and HVAC contractors.
We recruit leaders for commercial and industrial mechanical contractors, HVAC service companies and service platforms backed by private equity. That means operating, service, construction and finance leadership, in union and merit shop firms, nationwide.
Clients
Who we work with
- Commercial and industrial mechanical contractors
- Design-build and design-assist mechanical contractors
- Plan-and-spec (hard-bid) mechanical contractors
- HVAC service and maintenance companies
- Sheet metal contractors
- Piping and process piping contractors
- HVAC service platforms backed by private equity
Seats
Leadership roles we search
Executive
- President
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- General Manager
- Regional or Branch President
- VP Operations
- VP Service
- VP Construction
Functional and technical
- Director of Preconstruction
- Chief Estimator
- Service Sales Manager
- Prefabrication Manager
- VDC / BIM Manager
- Controller
- Safety Director
Spec sheet
What we know, and why it matters in a hire
| Term | Why it matters in a hire |
|---|---|
| Service agreement base (PM base) | A candidate who grew the agreement base, rather than inherited it, has proven they can sell recurring work and staff it. |
| Service-to-construction mix | The mix a leader ran shapes how they price risk and deploy labor, and a construction-first operator can misjudge a service-first business. |
| WIP schedule, over/under billing and margin fade | A candidate who can explain a faded job, including when they saw it coming, has managed cost in real time. |
| Design-build, design-assist and plan-and-spec | Negotiated work builds engineering judgment and owner trust, while hard bid builds estimating precision and buyout discipline. |
| Union and merit shop labor (UA, SMART) | Labor model shapes how a leader recruits, schedules and bids, so a move between union and merit shop must be tested. |
| Prefabrication, BIM and VDC | Ask how many field hours a candidate moved into the shop, because prefab pays only when operations plans around it. |
| Chillers, boilers, RTUs and VRF | Equipment mix shows where a service leader can grow, since chiller plants and rooftop replacements need different technicians and pricing. |
| A2L refrigerant transition (R-454B, R-32) | Mildly flammable refrigerants change tools, training and handling on every truck, so ask whether a candidate has already planned the rollout. |
| Technician utilization and retention | Billable hours over paid hours, plus how many technicians stayed, show whether a service leader runs dispatch well and keeps people. |
| Repair and replacement pull-through | Pull-through shows whether maintenance visits become repair and replacement work, a direct test of how sales and the field connect. |
| EMR (Experience Modification Rate) and OSHA recordables | An EMR trend, and how a leader handled a serious incident, says more about safety culture than a binder of programs. |
| MCAA, MSCA and SMACNA involvement | Active association roles often mark a leader who benchmarks against peers and has operators to call about new problems. |
Point of view
Three hiring problems we see
Service leaders are scarcer than service revenue
Private equity sponsors and strategic buyers keep acquiring commercial HVAC service businesses for their recurring agreement revenue. That puts proven service leaders in demand everywhere at once. A search that only calls people with the right title chases the same short list as every competitor.
In a tight labor market, leadership is the retention plan
Skilled technicians and pipefitters remain hard to hire, and the A2L transition adds training to every service truck. The leaders you hire decide whether good technicians stay or take the next offer. We look for people who built apprenticeship pipelines and career paths, not just recruiting budgets.
Bigger jobs expose weak project controls
Data center, healthcare and advanced manufacturing projects are getting larger and more mechanically complex. On a bigger job, margin fade costs more and shows up later. A leader who grew up on smaller work has to be tested at the job size you actually bid.
Representative search types
Searches we take on
Illustrative of the searches we're built for, not descriptions of past engagements.
-
Illustrative
VP of Service, regional commercial mechanical contractor
What this search turns on
- Growing the agreement base and repair pull-through, not just running dispatch
- Technician recruiting, utilization and A2L readiness across several branches
- Credibility with a construction-led ownership group
-
Illustrative
COO, HVAC services platform backed by private equity (confidential replacement)
What this search turns on
- Confidential outreach while the incumbent is still in the seat
- Putting acquired branches on one operating model, pricing and reporting
- Fit with the sponsor's value-creation plan and timeline
-
Illustrative
Director of Preconstruction, design-build mechanical contractor
What this search turns on
- Engineering judgment to shape systems with owners and designers early
- Estimates that hold up at buyout and in the WIP review
- Building prefab and VDC into the estimate, not after award
How we run searches here
Every search starts with how your business makes money. We learn your service-to-construction mix, labor model, delivery methods and where margin is won or lost. Then we put in writing what the new leader has to deliver in the first year.
Next we map the market by company and by seat. That includes competing contractors, sheet metal and piping specialists, manufacturer service organizations and sponsor-backed platforms. Most people worth hiring are running a business well and are not looking, so your partner makes those calls personally and confidentially.
We assess candidates on the numbers this business runs on: WIP and fade, agreement base growth, technician utilization and EMR. We also talk with people who worked for them, not only the references they chose. You get a written update every Friday and check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days after the start date.
Practice lead
Led by Corey Kravitz, Founding Partner.
FAQ
Questions we hear
Does Greenbriar & Russell recruit for union and merit shop mechanical contractors?
Yes. Greenbriar & Russell runs searches for UA and SMART signatory contractors and for merit shop firms. Labor model shapes how a leader bids, staffs and recruits, so we assess that experience directly. If a client is open to the other model, we test how a candidate would handle the change.
What should a VP of Service at a commercial HVAC company be measured on?
A VP of Service should be measured on agreement base growth, technician utilization and retention, and gross margin by service line. Pull-through from maintenance into repair and replacement work matters too. Together, those numbers show whether a leader can sell recurring work and staff it profitably.
How long does an executive search for a mechanical contractor take?
A Greenbriar & Russell search is planned for 10-14 weeks from kickoff to an accepted offer. Timing depends on the role, the market and how quickly interviews get scheduled. Your partner sends a written update every Friday. We check in at 30, 60 and 90 days after the start date.
Can you confidentially replace a sitting executive at an HVAC platform backed by private equity?
Yes. Greenbriar & Russell keeps the company's name out of outreach until a candidate is qualified and interested, and reveals it only with your approval. Off-limits terms are agreed in writing before work starts. One partner handles every conversation, which keeps the number of people who know about the search small.
Discuss your Mechanical / HVAC search
Tell us about the seat. You'll hear from Corey directly within one business day.