Viking M&A Assists with Acquisition of Wendel Mechanical

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Jul 11, 2023, 17:20 ET

Viking Mergers & Acquisitions of Tampa, Florida, announces the successful acquisition of a founder operated & longstanding full-service commercial HVAC and mechanical services company.

TAMPA, Fla., July 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking Mergers & Acquisitions announces the successful acquisition of Wendel Mechanical, a full-service commercial HVAC and mechanical services company that has been serving the Class A commercial real estate market throughout the Tampa Metropolitan Area for 20+ years.

Wendel Mechanical was founded by the current owner, John Wendel, and has developed a strong presence in the competitive commercial space by providing timely & quality service to an ever-growing clientele. John began his career in the trade in 1972 as a technician for a similar mechanical services business in Tampa, Florida, prior to founding Wendel Mechanical. Wendel Mechanical holds a primary focus on commercial service, replacements, and maintenance agreements for large commercial customers, property management groups, and one-off commercial buildings throughout the Tampa area.

After decades of experience in the HVAC industry and as a business owner, John approached Viking to locate a qualified and driven individual or group that could take over the business and continue to build on the strong foundation that he developed. During the sales process, the Viking team vetted and met with numerous strategic, private equity, and financial buyers. John Wendel stated the following about the efforts from the Viking team; "I wanted to share with everyone the professionalism of the folks that worked with me (Christian Aunspaugh and Jacob Middleton). These folks worked extremely hard as the sale of my company was probably one of the most complicated sales they have done. If it weren't for their knowledge and experience I don't know what I would have done. I want to thank them very much for closing the deal."

Wendel Mechanical was acquired by Jody Liner, President of Liner Services. Jody's experience includes 20+ years in the HVAC industry. By securing a buyer with such tenured experience in the industry, this allowed John a limited transition period for the business, a licensed qualifier post sale for the business, and a cordial closing process for all parties. Before his acquisition of Wendel Mechanical, Jody had closed numerous acquisitions in the HVAC space in which he grew each company over a multi-year holding period, to then experience successful exits of the businesses which have continued to thrive after his departure. John and Jody's interests and goals for the future of Wendel Mechanical were very much aligned, which allowed for a fruitful transaction for all.

The buyer of Wendel Mechanical, Jody Liner stated, "I have experienced four acquisitions with three brokers and I must tell you that Christian Aunspaugh, hands down is the best I have dealt with! His expertise, support, commitment, patience and maturity for a man of his age is very rare in today's world. I believe he is a great asset and hope Viking recognizes him as being a future leader in their organization."

Christian Aunspaugh, Associate Partner and Jacob Middleton, Advisor of Viking Mergers & Acquisitions provided leadership for the transaction team.

About Viking Mergers & Acquisitions
Viking provides exit strategies and M&A services to middle-market business owners. In business since 1996, 50% of Viking's advisors are former business owners. Viking has an 85% close rate, representing over 800 successful transactions and is the leading advisory firm of its type in the Southeast United States. Viking operates thirteen (13) offices, including two headquarters located in Tampa, FL and Charlotte, NC.

SOURCE Viking Mergers & Acquisitions