In the southern state of Alabama, all roads lead to Birmingham.  And Birmingham is home to Climate Control Systems, Inc. (CCSI).

To refer to CCSI as a manufacturer's rep would be only partially accurate.  According to the CCSI web site (www.ccsi-se.com) the company is a "manufacturer's representative and service organization that consults and works with architects, engineers, contractors and building owners."


However you describe it, this hybrid organization has stood the test of time.  "Ours is certainly a story of adaptation," says Gary Frith, company Vice President.  

Ed Denton, CCSI President, amplifies: "Gary and I left our respective employers (JCI for Ed; Honeywell for Gary) to form a joint venture with Barber-Colman in 1986.  In those early years, however, Barber-Colman was acquired and, later, acquired again.  Maintaining a relationship of trust through so many changes in leadership became challenging.  So, by the early 90s we were seeking other product manufacturers to represent.  By the mid-1990s, that led us to KMC Controls."

Today, CCSI represents both equipment manufacturers as well as the KMC building automation line.  This "one-two" punch has created an outstanding value proposition for them.  "Utilizing the tie-in between equipment and controls," says Gary, "is a great way to go to market today.  We are able to package our equipment and KMC controls in a given sale, approximately 30% of the time.  And, of course, we can avoid that friction that sometimes exists between equipment and controls installations as far as who has ultimate responsibility to make it work."

But CCSI doesn't stop with product representation.  Another significant differentiator for their business model is their service arm.  "There is great diversity in equipment and controls representation out there," Ed says.  "But relatively few rep firms have integrated service departments and many that do don't do it well."

"Ours is a turnkey service and support division," Gary adds.  "Whether we are utilizing our service team to execute the actual work or providing support services and ongoing training for our customers, this strategy enables us to sell solutions. In turn, we get more opportunities to sell and support mechanical contractors and business owners in all markets."

It may sound like an all-too-common refrain, but Ed and Gary are most sincere when they express the true secret to their business success.  (The firm has experienced two of their best years ever even amid the recent economic turmoil and recently built a new state-of-the art headquarters building.)  "Relationships," says Gary.  "Relationships of trust," Ed adds.

These are more than mere words at CCSI.  "Our business was built on and is maintained through relationships," says Ed.  "We can influence the engineers because of our reputation of having great products and an outstanding support staff. Often times, we pick and choose our desired projects because we have built such relationships."


"One of the unique things about being a small business is the ability to build long term relationships. Big companies often cannot do this. Being a locally owned firm, we are not going to get promoted and moved elsewhere," Gary adds.  "We are active in the community and maintain relationships with so many customers throughout our 26 years in business. We're not going to do anything to violate that relationship of trust.  We are in this for the long haul."  

That mentality extends to their suppliers as well.  "We have abandoned a product line when we could not trust the company providing it," Ed says.  

Gary offers his insight into the KMC relationship: "If Wayne, or Doug, or Jim say something, we can take it to the bank."  (Wayne Kehler is KMC Chairman, Doug Miller is the KMC sales professional for the CCSI account, and Jim Herdeman is KMC VP of Product Management and a long-time acquaintance.)

"We went through some gnashing of teeth early on with KMC," Ed adds.  "It was related to product quality in the early digital offering you had.  But the trust that these issues were being addressed was always there.  Today, I think that KMC offers the best product in the business."  He continues, "I see a night-and-day difference in KMC marketing.  Your support has improved dramatically over those early years.  The product is fantastic.  We love this relationship."

"And the KMC product enables us to pursue multiple markets," Gary notes.  CCSI does get involved in several vertical markets from commercial office to schools, to healthcare, to federal, state, and local public projects.  

"Tight control is essential in hospitals," Gary explains.  "In the past, if someone wanted tight control of temperature or humidity, we'd have to meet those needs through a chilled water system.  Today, we can use DX (direct expansion) control.  Through heat pumps, rooftops, or split systems, we can get the same control.  And we're not just talking about on/off but modulating control in a very efficient manner.  We've used such methods even where the tightest control is required, such as in surgery rooms."

Ed Denton has led the CCSI effort in terms of military and other government projects.  "Public projects, especially federal government projects such as with the military, can be intimidating to would-be suppliers or contractors.  It takes a year or more to get your act together so that you can effectively go after such work.  Many give up during this time."

"But once you get in," Gary adds, "you can enjoy the same long-term relationships that you have in the commercial arena."

"That's right," Ed continues.  "I hate to keep repeating myself, but it truly is all about relationships.  The challenge is getting on the military base and getting to the right people.  But once you are in, you discover that these customers want the same thing that a commercially focused engineer or facility manager wants-someone to take care of their needs; someone they can depend on.  If you do a good job and follow their procedures, you build a relationship of trust and they will find a way to stick with you for their future needs.   Further, they don't care about cost IF they have the budget.  Budgets and payback are important to them.  Show the payback and they'll use the budget."

As the interview for this article concluded, Ed and Gary exchanged final hints for business success:

Ed: "Follow the golden rule."
Gary: "Do what you say you'll do."
Ed: "Be consistent in the message and delivery."
Gary: "Learn to laugh a lot."

Their unique business model and their adherence to such simple rules have led to long-term relationships of trust.  In turn, such relationships have led to true success by any definition.