Industry News

Prizes include a 2025 Can Am Defender, a Traeger Grill and Malco Shopping Sprees

Malco Tools, one of the nation’s leading solution developers and manufacturers of a variety of high-quality tools for the HVAC and building construction trades, today announced its 75^th Anniversary Sweepstakes. Entrants have a chance at prizes including a 2025 Can Am Defender, a Traeger Grill and Omaha Steaks gift card, Malco $500 and $250 shopping sprees, as well as Malco’s Limited Edition Camouflage Andy™ Snips and C-RHEX® Cleanable, Reversible Hex Drivers.

“We are excited to celebrate Malco’s 75^th anniversary with a sweepstakes that marks the legacy and longevity of our company and community,” said Rebecca Talbot, vice president of marketing at The Malco Group. “Our dedication to producing innovative, dependable and high-performance hand tools for the past 75 years has positioned us as a leading innovator and manufacturer in the industry. This sweepstakes is a great way to honor that legacy and provide trade professionals a chance to win outstanding prizes.”

Entrants can purchase* any new Malco tool from Feb. 3-April 3, 2025, and register the tool on Malco’s Sweepstakes website for a chance to win. There is a limit of one entry per day, up to 10 entries per person for the entire sweepstakes.

Malco’s 75^th Anniversary Sweepstakes offers a range of prizes including:

• Grand Prize: 2025 Can-Am Defender with Flip Windshield – Hard Coated ($19,000 retail value)
• 1st Prize: Traeger Grill Ironwood 650 + $500 Omaha Steaks Gift Card
• 2nd Prize: $500 Malco Shopping Sprees (3 winners)
• 3rd Prize: $250 Malco Shopping Sprees (5 winners)
• Malco tools (350 winners)

The sweepstakes kicks off a year of celebration around Malco’s 75^th  anniversary. The company was founded in 1950 when Mark W. Keymer invented and manufactured a pipe crimper for installing sheet metal ductwork used in forced air heating systems. Today, Malco Tools offers hundreds of other innovative HVAC and building trade products.

Please visit www.malcosweepstakes.com for official rules and regulations and an alternate method of entry.

For more information about Malco Tools, visit www.malcotools.com.

*NO PURCH. NEC. Open to legal residents of 50 U.S./D.C., 18+. Void where prohibited. Begins 2/3/25 and ends 4/3/25. Subject to Rules incl. alternate methods of entry: https://tinyurl.com/ywehb9uc. Sponsor: The Malco Group dba as MalcoTools, Inc.

Acquisition expands product offering for the rehabilitation and replacement of lateral and mainline underground infrastructure

HammerHead Trenchless, a division of The Toro Company (NYSE: TTC), today announced that it has acquired the assets of ProKASRO Services USA, the distributor of ProKASRO Mechatronik GmbH and market leader of robotic solutions and rehabilitation equipment for repairing underground water and wastewater infrastructure. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

ProKASRO Services USA is known for its industry-leading robotics, UV pipe lining solutions and lateral rehabilitation technologies. Based in Centennial, Colorado, its expanded line of trenchless solutions enable utility contractors the ability to rehabilitate underground wastewater and water pipelines without the need for digging or disruption to outdoor environments.

“We are excited to announce the acquisition of ProKASRO Services USA,” said Jeff Gabrielse, General Manager of HammerHead Trenchless. “This acquisition aligns with our strategic growth initiatives and helps expand our business into new markets with the leading technologies and brand reputation of ProKASRO. With the addition to the HammerHead Trenchless portfolio, we believe we are best positioned to offer a full suite of trenchless pipe rehabilitation and replacement products for contractors from laterals to mainlines in both the CIPP and pipe bursting markets.”

Through this acquisition, HammerHead Trenchless will market these products under the ProKASRO USA brand name and serve the U.S. market with continued operations in Colorado. “With service facilities now in both Wisconsin and Colorado, HammerHead is positioned geographically to maintain customer expectations for quality and further expand the HammerHead legacy of customer service, support and innovation,” said Gabrielse.

For more information on the full suite of HammerHead Trenchless products visit www.hammerheadtrenchless.com.

The intelligent jobsite technology innovator secures record funding from KKR to expand data gathering and enrichment solutions

XOi, a leading provider of jobsite-focused technology solutions for the field service ecosystem, today announced the acquisition of Specifx, an on-demand data enrichment and metadata retrieval platform for field service equipment. The acquisition was enabled by an investment from funds managed by leading global investment firm KKR. The funding from KKR marks the most significant milestone yet in XOi’s journey to build out its system of work for the field service ecosystem.

This strategic investment from KKR, along with the acquisition of Specifx, enable XOi to amplify its use and capabilities across the field service industries, furthering its mission of serving stakeholders throughout the ecosystem, including technicians, field service providers, distributors, and OEMs.

“As the challenges of maintaining and manufacturing field service equipment grew more complex, we pushed ourselves to evolve our product alongside the demands of the industry,” said Aaron Salow, founder and CEO of XOi. “KKR’s strategic partnership will help us meet and exceed every stakeholder’s expectations of sustainability, profitability, and transparency.”

“We believe XOi’s comprehensive software stands apart in the field service space not only because it allows technicians to view and adjust multiple workflows in one efficient platform, but also for its ability to normalize and enrich field service asset-specific data,” said Jake Heller, Partner and Head of KKR’s Technology Growth team in the Americas. “The addition of Specifx further enhances XOi’s database offering. We look forward to working with the entire XOi team as they continue to innovate for their customers across the field service ecosystem.”

Prior to this acquisition Specifx helped expand XOi’s groundbreaking Insights product, which provides unique asset origination, performance, and diagnostics information. Now, the combined resources and capabilities of the two companies empower XOi to deliver a unified framework of proprietary and operational data to fuel faster and more meaningful innovation to the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing industries.

“Today marks a defining moment in our growth and we are thrilled to join forces with XOi,” said Ryan Martineau, founder and CEO of Specifx. “XOi’s extremely impressive platform, coupled with a shared mission and common customer base, allows us to accelerate our vision of next generation, asset-centric solutions that simplify the day-to-day operations for our customers.”

“We are humbled by the role we have been able to play in changing this industry and the skilled trades for the better, and we are excited to drive the mission forward for years to come,” said Aaron Salow, founder and CEO of XOi. “Our vision has never been clearer, and our passion for the trades has never been stronger.”

KKR is funding this investment primarily from its Next Generation Technology III Fund.

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC served as legal advisor and Raymond James Financial, Inc. served as financial advisor to XOi. Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal advisor to KKR.

Mindset expert will provide home service company owners with the tools they need to overcome their reluctance to adopt new technologies

CEO Warrior, a global business training, coaching and implementation organization for service business owners, announced today that its director of sales and marketing, Sandy Papavero, will speak at the AHR Expo in Orlando at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12.

The conference, an industry-leading convention for HVAC professionals, will be held Feb. 10-12 at the Orange County Convention Center.

Papavero will present “Changing Your Mindset: Don’t Get Left Behind in the Race to Adopt New Technology” in room W312C in the convention center’s west building. Attendees will learn how to overcome their reluctance in adopting new technology so they can improve their customer relationships while still managing labor costs and boosting efficiency.

“Sandy’s not only one of the skilled trades industry’s most knowledgeable business educators, she is also a licensed mindset coach,” said Scott August, CEO of CEO Warrior. “Her training in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and insights into the home service industry make her a leading expert in motivating business owners to make changes. If you are a contractor who is reluctant to adopt the industry’s latest technologies, Sandy’s presentation will provide you with the steps you can take to accept and adopt these advances so you can run your business more effectively.”

The AHR Expo debuted in 1930 as the premier training and networking event for members of the air conditioning, heating and cooling industry. The conference provides HVAC professionals an opportunity to review new products and technologies, learn from industry experts and network with other professionals in their field.

In addition to this speaking engagement, Papavero joins fellow CEO Warrior Jason Noel at the WWETT Show in Indianapolis Feb. 17-20 to discuss creating a revenue mindset. CEO Warrior will also host its Service Business Live event on March 6-7 in Nashville, Tennessee. This event features Papavero, Noel and other CEO Warrior master advisors, and is open to both members and non-members.

For more information about CEO Warrior, visit http://www.ceowarrior.com/. For more information on the AHR Expo, visit https://www.ahrexpo.com/.