Regional energy company E.G. Smith Inc., which is owned by Lancaster’s Rhoads Energy Corp., is expanding its market in its home base of Berks County.
E.G. Smith announced Monday it has purchased Berks Products Heating & Cooling (HVAC), a division of Berks Products Corp.
All 22 Berks Products division employees will remain with E.G. Smith and will provide service to customers of the combined companies, Smith said in a news release.
Smith offers heating oil, propane, full HVAC service and other energy services to thousands of residential and commercial customers in Berks County.
Adding the Berks Products staff “will undoubtedly enable us to expand our market in Berks and provide superior service to more residential and commercial energy customers,” said Michael DeBerdine III, Smith’s CEO. DeBerdine also is CEO of Rhoads Energy.
The move means the Smith company will cover all of Berks County with an expanded workforce of technicians, delivery drivers and customer service personnel.
In October, E.G. Smith moved into a new 7,000-square-foot facility that includes warehouse and garage space to house the company’s inventory and vehicle fleet.
The company also moved its 30,000-gallon propane tank to the site, consolidating infrastructure and streamlining delivery to residential, commercial and agricultural customers.
Berks Products HVAC is a division of the larger Berks Products Corp., a provider of construction products based in Leesport, Pa.
“E.G. Smith was the ideal partner for us in this transaction,” said Jeffrey Nielsen, Berks Products chairman. He said E.G. Smith has “a strong reputation and deep roots in the Berks community. It’s also a great fit because E.G. Smith clearly values — and will retain — all our employees.”
Existing Berks Products HVAC customers will continue to receive the same pricing and terms, but will have access to propane service, online account access and other services, officials said.
Terms of the transaction will not be disclosed, the news release said.
