After nearly 50 years in the HVAC industry, Wil Buskey, ARC Mechanical Contractors’ owner, officially retired December 31, 2017. From the time he was honorably discharged from the US Navy where he learned about HVAC/R and electrical systems, Wil worked in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration business in some capacity.
Left to right: Jody Perkins, Andy Courchesne, and Wil Buskey pose next to Wil’s retirement gift, a sheetmetal sign crafted by Brian Page, ARC’s sheetmetal foreman, who used a CNC plasma cutter to cut out the letters. The two-layer sign has a copper back layer, which is exposed by the letters cut-out of the top silver layer. The wooden frame was made by Trumbull-Nelson Construction Company in their cabinet shop. The retirement party was held at Trail Break in White River Junction.
The new owners, Jody Perkins and Andy Courchesne, may be new to ownership, but they’re not new to ARC. Jody Perkins started as a service technician in 1992 and became the service manager in 2005, and president in 2011. Andy Courchesne joined ARC in 2011 as sales manager and became the sales and operations vice president the same year.
ARC began in 1947 as Allen Refrigeration Company by Chester ‘Chet’ Allen in Bradford, Vermont. Like Wil, Chet was also in the Navy and became an electrician. After Chet’s wife passed, he sold the company. In 1987 Rod Whitcomb and Howard Myers bought the company and changed the name to ARC Mechanical Contractors to more accurately reflect the company’s mission and direction. Howard sold his shares to Rod around 1995. When Rod retired in 2002, he sold the company to Wil, who had been with ARC since 1990.
An Allen Refrigeration Company label discovered in 2017 by one of ARC’s service technicians on a refrigeration system.
Under Wil’s leadership, the company grew from about 35 employees in 2002 to 66 employees today. Andy who manages our team of 34 licensed plumbers, HVAC/R/heat pump installers, and sheetmetal fabricators noted “our team has the experience and skills necessary to install just about any type of heating, cooling or plumbing system.”
With the foresight of all good leaders, Wil prepared for this day. He spent the past few years developing a plan to seamlessly transition the company’s ownership to Jody and Andy. Wil is confident ARC will maintain its focus on quality workmanship and great customer service. “I have no doubt that ARC will continue to grow and thrive in the industry under Jody and Andy’s leadership,” Wil wrote in his company-wide announcement to ARC employees.
Over the last five years, ARC has implemented many process improvements in multiple parts of the business, including safety, accounting, payroll, estimating, and employee benefits. “Andy and I have worked closely with Wil to implement these improvements, and we’re constantly looking for ways to improve,” Jody said.
