While Mestek may not be a household name; one of the products they manufacture may heat your home or business.
To learn more about Mestek, I reached out to Marketing Director Matt Kleszczynski.
He told me that Mestek was founded as Sterling Radiator Company in 1946, by John Reed in a rented garage on Bartlett Street in Westfield.
Sterling Radiator Company began manufacturing hydronic finned tube radiation. In 1954, it branched into its first new line of business – Sterling HVAC – established to manufacture gas-fired unit heaters for use in commercial and industrial buildings. Today, Sterling HVAC, a division of Mestek, Inc., consists of two product segments - gas-fired heating equipment and residential/commercial hydronic heating products.
After experiencing success in the heating segment, John Reed began acquiring other HVAC related businesses with the purchase in 1964, of Cooper-Weymouth-Peterson (CWP) – a manufacturer of coil-handling equipment.
To better reflect the company’s expanded line of products, Sterling became Reed National Corporation in 1977. Five years later, Reed National purchased competitor Beacon Morris, a manufacturer of steam and hot water heaters, convectors and Twin-Flo kick space heaters.
In 1986, Reed National merged with bankrupt Mesta Machine Company, reorganized the company’s profitable divisions – engineering services and computer operation and emerged from bankruptcy under the name Mestek, Inc.
Mestek today, is split into three categories: HVAC, Metal Forming Machinery, Architectural Products (louvers/dampers, commercial glass skylights and ornamental metal fabrication - high-end municipal and private work) and a metal fabrication company tied into the company that creates the glass. Mestek recently created the new, ornate fence at the White House.
Although Mestek has branched out into some of the most modern, innovative products in the world, hydronic products are still its foundation.
Mestek's state-of-the-art boilers and water heaters – from design to sophisticated, yet simple control platforms - are all manufactured in Westfield.
“Our goal is to continue to get equity out of the brands, vs homogenizing the products under one name. By having multiple brands, Mestek is able to give their wholesale partners some level of exclusivity by providing all these brands,” said Tim Markel, President of Mestek’s Distributor Products Group.
According to Matt Kleszczynski, Mestek is still active in strategic acquisitions that provide entry into newer product segments or that bolster the company’s market share in existing segments.
“Our most recent acquisitions are perfect examples of both entities. We acquired Slant-Fin baseboard radiation; a competitive brand well known in the residential baseboard segment, further strengthening our position as the number one fin-tube radiation manufacturer in North America. We also acquired Transom, a modern technology heat pump manufacturer based in Canada. This transaction allows us to facilitate our existing growth in heat pumps almost immediately. Heat Pump technologies (electrification) are taking off in North America as we transition to less fossil fuels and greener, environmentally friendly technologies.”
MESTEK
260 North Elm St., Westfield 413-664-5746
mestek.com