Dealers Find a Niche with Portable Solutions from TEMP-AIR

When an air-conditioning system goes on the fritz in an office building or in a home, it can quickly become a major inconvenience for all those affected. But when a misfiring system affects a service or application that requires a preset cool temperature — a computer server room or a specialized assembly line, for example — it becomes more than an inconvenience — the business is at stake.

TOPAZ TZ-18A in a server room application.

That's where a company like TEMP-AIR can save the day — and potentially save a business from losing lots of money. The Burnsville, Minn., company is one of the leading providers of temporary heating, cooling, dehumidifying and air-filtration services, and it has solutions for every application. For HVACR distributors, TEMP-AIR manufactures its TOPAZ line of portable air conditioners, which are designed for portability and convenience. TEMP-AIR also has two other areas of business: its rental operation, run through its 12 locations in the United States, and its thermal remediation division for pest control.

TEMP-AIR was started in 1965 as Rupp Industries, and it remained a family-run operation until a group of investors purchased it. In September 2007, they changed its name to TEMP-AIR. “The primary things that attracted my interest in TEMP-AIR were the quality of the people, the quality of the products they manufacture and the exceptional service that TEMP-AIR provides,” said TEMP-AIR CEO Jim Korn at the time that the investors purchased the company. “It is my hope to build upon the tradition at TEMP-AIR of attracting quality people, manufacturing quality products and giving our customers outstanding service.”

TEMP-AIR's TOPAZ air-cooled and water-cooled air portable air conditioners represent a product line that can help to set apart HVACR wholesalers from the pack. Building managers and contractors who have worked with commercial buildings have found it helpful to have a TEMP-AIR dealer that they can count on when they need portable air-conditioning equipment for a job.

Dan Grinols

Building on its success in the rental industry, TEMP-AIR started the Topaz product line in 1999. It was poised for success with TOPAZ because of TEMP-AIR's roots in HVACR rental equipment. “We build our equipment around the rental industry,” notes Dan Grinols, TEMP-AIR's vice president of engineering. “We have a strong background in dealing with the equipment on a temporary or portable basis. That's one of the things that separates us from some of the other companies out there.” The company manufactures the equipment in the United States.

While other companies may retrofit HVACR equipment to be portable, TEMP-AIR actually designs its equipment for how technicians will use it in the field. “We build durability and toughness into it,” Grinols says. TEMP-AIR also makes the equipment easy on the ears. Unlike other portable air- conditioning models that are loud, the TOPAZ units cool quietly at the lowest decibel level for portable air conditioners while delivering full performance at a wide range of temperatures and altitudes with a thermostatic expansion valve. This valve automatically adjusts to the environment, functioning day after day, year after year, regardless of the conditions. The units can be set through a mechanical thermostat or through a seven-day, 24-hour programmable temperature control.