KIMCO Partners, left, Mark Hartwick, Director of Personnel & CFO, Ken Watt, Director of Business Development and Mark Janssen, Director of HAVC & Sales.
KELOWNA – An Okanagan technology company celebrates a significant milestone this year. Leaders in HVAC, automation, and electrical, Kimco Controls marks its fortieth anniversary.
Kimco has been serving the Thompson-Okanagan since 1984, when it was a small, local partnership company with a mechanical contracting firm.
Four decades later, the technology company is now central B.C.’s largest HVAC provider and a leader in the building automation, HVAC, and electrical fields, servicing over 600 buildings from its head office in Kelowna and regional locations in Penticton and Cranbrook.
The continual growth has always been attributed to the people behind the operations—from contractors to technicians and administrative staff.
Owners, Ken Watt, director of business development, Mark Janssen, director of HVAC and sales, and Mark Hartwick, director of personnel and CFO, all started at Kimco as employees themselves.
Under their ownership for the past 13 years, Kimco has experienced substantial growth, doubling in size and employing close to 75 people.
Kimco was contracted to automate a 13-classroom addition to BX Elementary School in Vernon. Kimco installed Delta Controls’ DDC automation to control the entrance system, lighting, water and HVAC system. The solution is expected to improve the school building’s efficiency and lead to a carbon footprint reduction.
“We’re seeing more highly skilled team members from a variety of disciplines join the team, upping the level of service and cultivating innovation here in interior B.C.,” says Watt.
Their growth trajectory is fueled by not only strategic goals and dedicated planning but also a passion for the people they work with and the communities they serve.
“We’ve invested in our home, interior B.C., for 40 years, and in return, we’ve seen the passion of this community and what we can give back,” says Watt.
Kimco supports many local organizations through ongoing partnerships with the Boys and Girls Club of the Okanagan, Maple Springs Bible Camp, JoeAnna’s House, Rutland Youth Soccer Association, and the Cranbrook Bucks.
Beyond community, Kimco is driven by the power of building automation technology to lower energy use, increase efficiency, and contribute to a climate-conscious future.
Working with partners like Delta Controls and EnteliWeb software, the technology company is constantly innovating to provide cutting-edge smart building automation solutions that help to meet sustainability goals for commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings.
Kimco provides clients with the latest technologies and innovative ideas to integrate their HVAC, geothermal, lighting, electrical, and security systems.
Building integration systems incorporate the vital pieces of a building’s inner workings like HVAC, electrical, geothermal, lighting, and security systems to remove redundancy, simplify troubleshooting, and increase energy efficiency.
Noteworthy projects include installations in various school districts in central B.C., collaborations with Interior Health, the provincial and federal government, and engagements with cannabis and agriculture facilities.
Not only is Kimco able to supply, install, and maintain these technologies, but it can also provide creative recommendations for retrofits or help source rebates through FortisBC, making the latest technologies more attainable for commercial buildings.
With forty years under their belt, Kimco is looking forward to forty more, but no matter how much the technology evolves, people will always remain central to the company’s achievements.
In his 23 years at the company, Watt confidently says that their people are the face of Kimco, embodying their ethics and helping them realize their goals. Their dedication and hard work are the true keys to Kimco’s success.
The company will continue to promote from within and provide rigorous training programs to keep staff moving forward in their careers and at the top of their field.
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