When all companies claim to be Seattle’s #1 commercial HVAC contractor, how do you know which company is the right one for your project?

Naturally, we want to say Evergreen State Heat & AC / Evergreen Eastside Heat & AC are the best providers in Puget Sound! We think we’re great and so do both Google 5-Star and the Better Business Bureau. Our reviews are regularly amongst the highest in the industry and many of our customers can confirm this!

And while we would love the opportunity to service or replace your existing HVAC systems, that doesn’t automatically make us the best fit for you. Every contractor has their own niche within the industry.

Four Types of Commercial HVAC Service Contractors

First let’s qualify the type of commercial HVAC contractors we are talking about. There are four types of commercial HVAC contractors:

Small ‘mom & pops’:

These are companies with less than 10 employees who do light commercial jobs and usually work out of the owner’s home. Their advantage is that they are cheap. Their disadvantages are skills limitations, not able to respond quickly, and usually they do not have anyone in the office to answer phone calls.

Residential Companies who Dabble in Light Commercial:

Many of the larger residential HVAC companies do some commercial work. One of our ‘Top 5’ is a company, like ourselves, that does quite a bit of both residential and commercial. However, these companies, like the ‘mom & pops’ have skills limitations (and are usually not a cheap alternative).

Enormous Downtown Seattle & Bellevue Companies:

Companies like McKinstry, Mac Miller Facilities, Holiday Parks, Hermanson, etc. are all union (like we are) and specialize in large facilities, large buildings, and large projects. While they do work on smaller accounts, that is not their target market, and therefore I am not including them in the ‘Top 5’.

Mid-Sized Commercial HVAC Contractor (yes in Top 5):

These are companies with 15 or more employees in the field, and stable office staff to take calls and respond in a timely manner. Some are union (like us) and some are not. Most of us are comparable in price of workmanship for apples-to-apples projects and service callouts. They work on buildings of your size. They work for tenants in triple net situations, owner-tenants, owners, or facilities managers to have escrow funds for repairs, etc.

A Focus on the Mid-Sized Commercial HVAC Contractor:

We are passionate about educating potential prospects and customers about the commercial HVAC industry to make sure they can find the right company for their needs. We identified the top 5 commercial HVAC companies by size in our market area for you to research. We spent hours investigating each company’s license history, online reviews, websites, services offered, BBB accreditation, and when they started business in the local area. All so that you don’t have to!

For those of you who do not know about Evergreen, we will do a review of ourselves to start off as a comparison:

Evergreen State Heat & AC (also Evergreen Eastside Heat & AC)

General:

• Founded in 1968 in Everett. Original name Evergreen State Sheet Metal, Inc.
• Bought Russ & Pam Kimball in 1998.
• Changed name to Evergreen State Heat & AC in 2001.
• Purchased Eastside Heating and Air Conditioning of Bellevue in 2018 (which became Evergreen Eastside Heat & AC).
• Merged both locations and relocated to Maltby to better serve King and Snohomish Counties in 2020.
• Services both residential and light commercial HVAC systems.
• Union trained HVAC personnel, has an electrical division.
• Authorized dealer for both Trane and Mitsubishi.
• Three-year parts and labor warranty on all system replacements with the signing of a maintenance program (a unique offering for commercial HVAC contractors).

Construction License: EVERGSS022OT

Electrical License: General 01 EVERGSS928RN

Office Location: – 8431 Maltby Road; Snohomish, WA 98296

BBB: A+, 1 complaint in 3 years

These are the top 5 commercial HVAC contractors in the Seattle/Bellevue/Everett area in which they are listed alphabetically.

Five Candidates (Alphabetically):

Evergreen Refrigeration & HVAC:

General:

• Founded in 1975 (BBB stays 1981)
• Address: 727 S. Kenyon Street; Seattle, WA 98108
• Owned by Rodger Patton, and several others of the Patton family.
• Targets GCs, architects, owners & tenants; service engineering & construction.
• Non-Union Contractor
• Has an industrial ventilation company Total Air/Energy Solutions
• Also, a residential HVAC contractor (Evergreen Home Heating & Energy)

Construction License: EVERGRL954R2 since 2006

Electrical License: EVERGRL813MA for 06; has a residential 02 also, but no active 01.

BBB: A+, not BBB accredited, 1 complaint in 3 years.

Five Star Mechanical:

General:

• Founded in 1999
• Address: 7509 Grange St; Lakewood, WA 98499
• Owned by John & Gerald Jr. Ware
• Specializes in maintenance, repairs, retrofits, installs & energy conservation.
• Why choose?: one year guarantee, 24/7 on call & live operators, same day emergency response time.
• Also does refrigeration & ice machines.
• Non-Union Contractor
• Has a residential HVAC division, still a small player.

Construction License: FIVESM*010JT since 1999

Electrical License: FIVESM*006C3 for 06 (low voltage)

BBB: A+ and accredited since 2011, no complaints

Pacific Air Control:

General:

• Founded in 1977
• Address: 1916 – 220^th St SE #101; Bothell, WA 98021
• Owned by Gary Ruttan
• Also does telecom and antenna sites
• Non-Union Contractor

Construction License: PACIFAC230P8 since 1977

Electrical License: PACIFAC001DC for 06 (low voltage)

BBB: A+ not accredited, no complaints

Universal Mechanical Services:

General:

• Founded in 1987
• Address: 8901 Willows Road NE; Redmond, WA 98052
• Owned by Branin Duff
• Also does design & construction in addition to service & maintenance
• Non-Union Contractor

Construction License: none found on L&I website

Electrical License: UNIVEMS014KQ for 06 (low voltage)

BBB: A+ and accredited since 2007, no complaints but has a 1 star review (only review)

Vital Mechanical:

General:

• Founded in 2004
• Address: 1420 Maple Ave SW; Renton, WA 98057
• Owned by Kevin Almon
• Union Contractor
• Focus is service & repairs for critical mechanical systems.
• Guarantee maintenance is completed month it is due or does it for free.
• Has a state plumbing license also.

Construction License: VITALMI792CP since 2021 (expired number from 2004 to 2021)

Electrical License: VITALMS773MQ for 01 since 2023 (has only 06 prior)

BBB: A+ not accredited, no complaints

Choosing the right Commercial HVAC Provider for you

If you’re still worried about which one is right for you, we’ve put together a resource to describe what you should be looking for in a commercial HVAC provider.

A Little about Evergreen State

After being in business since 1968, and locally owned by Russ & Pam Kimball since 1998, we would be remiss if we didn’t tell you who Evergreen is a good fit for. While things like our 5.0 Google rating, and an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau are important, that doesn’t tell you if you’re a good fit. You should consider Evergreen if you are looking for a builder who:

• Offers great value but isn’t always the lowest price.
• Has the best warranty in the industry.
• Will help you design the system to meet your exact needs.

Please reach out to us to discuss the process further.