Eight Projects, Five Companies, One Table: How ABC Mechanical Plans With Its Partners

Eight projects. Five companies. One table.

On October 13, 2026, ABC Mechanical brought its project partners together at Northrich Florida’s facility in Weston, Florida, for our Florida Project Kickoff. On the agenda were eight school HVAC projects across the state, and one goal for every one of them: plan the work together, so we execute it once and execute it right.

The recap video above shows how the day came together. Here is what happened in the room, and why it is how we approach every major project.

Why we start at the table

Large replacement and retrofit projects bring many trades together: mechanical, controls, electrical, roofing, equipment supply, and crane and rigging. When those trades meet for the first time on a rooftop, problems get discovered late, when they are hardest to solve.

So we start earlier. Before a single unit is lifted, every partner sits down with our team, walks through each project, and gets their questions answered in person.

“A lot of times the phone calls really don’t help,” said Rey Rivera, General Manager of ABC Mechanical. “It’s good to get face to face and build that teamwork connection.”

A team built on relationships

Over the past year, ABC Mechanical has grown into larger installation, retrofit and replacement work. That meant building more than an internal crew. “We decided that we needed to bring in a good team that we can depend on,” Rey said.

That team was not pulled from a bid list. “I very specifically curated and built this particular team, based on relationships that I’ve had in the past,” Rey explained. Here is who was at the table.

Smart Building Solutions: controls

Schools often run a mix of control systems, installed over the years by different vendors. Smart Building Solutions, led by owners Ross and JC, brings those systems together into a single platform. Yoandry, who leads their controls work, put it simply: “I like challenges. I don’t care what controls you have in your school, what controls you have in your building, we can always work around [it].”

Rey’s view of his work: “I’ve had nothing but respect for the amount of expertise and intelligence that young man has.”

Northrich Florida: equipment and technical support

Our host for the day, Northrich Florida, has been in the business since 1959. Cliff Dickinson, one of the owners, summed up the company’s roots in a few words: “Been here 46 years. Second generation.”

“I don’t know of a stronger partner that I could possibly have in Northrich,” Rey said. Northrich supports our projects with equipment, technical expertise and shop work, so equipment arrives ready for the site. As the Northrich team put it, “We do a lot of custom modification here in the shop, not in the field.”

Their bench is deep. Willie Lopez has been working in AC since 1999, and Rey did not hold back: “Having him on a team is ridiculously invaluable.”

JV&R Services & Repair Corp: electrical

Julio Rocha, president of JV&R Services & Repair Corp, is a lifelong electrician whose team handles both high voltage and low voltage work. Rey described how JV&R stepped in on a last-minute chiller replacement at a school: “He came in, jumped in, straight in. Absolutely no issues. Communication was top notch. Work is so clean.”

Shieldline Roofing: roofing

A leak around a rooftop unit often gets blamed on the AC when the real problem is the roof. Shieldline Roofing inspects and seals the area around each unit’s curb before new equipment goes in, so a roof problem is never mistaken for an HVAC problem and no one loses time chasing the wrong leak. Riley noted that Shieldline holds just about every license and certification a roofing contractor can carry, and Rey was quick to add: “They’re highly organized. They’re very detailed in the work they do.”

The wider project network also includes Sims Crane & Equipment for crane and rigging support.

Project by project, scope by scope

The core of the day was a project-by-project review of all eight schools. For each one, the mission brief laid out an aerial view of the site, the building details, the equipment being replaced and the scope of work. The projects range from rooftop package unit replacements to chilled-water air handlers and fan coil units, split systems, clean-air devices and building automation upgrades.

The goal was not to present. It was to get the questions asked. Rey wanted every partner to leave knowing exactly what their portion of each job would be, so nothing is left to assumption once the work starts.

Built around the school calendar

School projects come with a hard deadline: the building has to be ready when students come back. Work is planned for weekends and school holidays, with crane lifts, electrical, controls and temporary cooling coordinated in advance.

“We’re used to dealing with all the things that come with school projects,” said Alex Dickinson of Northrich Florida. Often that means getting the job “done over the weekend, because school starts Monday.”

Rey agreed: “It’s not just the replacement of the equipment and doing it right. It’s the timing.” The real measure of success, he said, is what happens at eight o’clock in the morning, when the kids walk into school and the building is comfortable.

The details that prevent problems later

Many of the decisions made at the table were small, practical, and exactly what keeps a project on track:

1. One complete documentation package

   One complete documentation package for every job, delivered up front, with device data and installation and maintenance manuals together, so nobody is chasing information the day before startup.

2. Shop work done in the shop

   Shop work done in the shop. Controls, sensors and electrical components are assembled in the warehouse wherever possible, which means less work on ladders and rooftops.

3. Roofs inspected and sealed first

   Roofs inspected and sealed before new equipment goes on.

4. One shared group thread

   One shared group thread for the whole team, so anyone with a project dependency can reach the right person quickly, with contacts exchanged before everyone left for the day.

After the briefing, the experts moved from the conference room to the equipment. In Northrich’s warehouse and yard, the team reviewed the technical equipment hands-on: control panels, wiring and mechanical components, unit by unit.

Execute once, execute it right

Every project in the brief follows the same execution standard: disciplined pre-planning, clean communication, coordinated site logistics, safe work practices, and documented startup and commissioning. In the brief’s own words: “The goal is simple: execute the work once, execute it correctly, and hand back reliable systems.”

Rey closed with an open invitation to the team: “Please don’t be afraid to ask questions. I want to make sure that we get these done right the first time.”

This is how we coordinate with our partners

We plan it together, so we execute it once, and execute it right. That is the ABC Mechanical approach on every project, from a single rooftop unit to a multi-site, multi-trade program.

Thank you to Northrich Florida for hosting, and to Smart Building Solutions, JV&R Services & Repair Corp and Shieldline Roofing for bringing their expertise to the table.

ABC Mechanical is veteran owned and veteran led. Driving Operational Excellence & Client Success.

Planning an HVAC replacement, retrofit or controls upgrade? Contact ABC Mechanical to talk through your project with our team.