TruTemp acquires D&D HVAC and Sandhills: what it means for HVAC buyers

TruTemp Holdings LLC

acquires

D&D HVAC

Price

Not disclosed

Structure

Two add-ons to platform

Targets founded

2006 / 1976

Locations

Sanford & Aberdeen, NC

Backers

Centre / Baldwin Creek

Published 22 October 2026 · Deal announced 2026-10-13 12:00 UTC · Acquisitions.com Deal Reports

This report is for anyone looking at HVAC, plumbing or electrical businesses to buy, and for owners thinking of selling one. It covers what TruTemp bought, what was and was not disclosed, and what a private equity add-on deal in a small North Carolina town tells a first-time buyer. Every fact comes from the buyer's press release or its law firm's announcement.

What TruTemp bought

TruTemp acquires D&D HVAC and Sandhills Heating & Refrigeration in one announcement. Both are long-running local HVAC companies in central North Carolina.

D&D HVAC, LLC was founded in 2006 in Sanford. It installs, replaces, maintains and repairs HVAC systems for property owners, homebuilders and general contractors. Dairus Davis leads it and stays on after the deal.

Sandhills Heating & Refrigeration, Inc. was founded in 1976 in Aberdeen. It does HVAC and electrical replacement, installation, maintenance and repair, and has long ties to custom homebuilders in the area. Bradford Hainley leads it and also stays.

After the two deals, TruTemp's service area runs from Raleigh, Apex and Durham south through Sanford and Aberdeen, according to the release.

Who the buyer is

TruTemp Services is a residential HVAC, plumbing and electrical platform based in Apex, North Carolina. Centre Partners, a lower-middle-market private equity firm founded in 1986 with offices in New York and Los Angeles, formed it in 2025. Baldwin Creek Partners, a Connecticut firm founded in 2022, is a co-investor.

The platform started with the purchase of Maynor Service Company, which serves the Raleigh, Apex and Durham area. Centre Partners described that first deal in a September 2025 release. D&D and Sandhills are the first add-on deals TruTemp has announced since then.

McGuireWoods advised TruTemp on both acquisitions, the law firm said in its own announcement. No other advisors were named.

Price and structure

The price was not disclosed. Neither release gives a purchase price, a multiple, a revenue figure or earnings for either company. Nothing is said about seller rollover, earn-outs or debt. We do not estimate what was paid.

What is public is the shape of the deal. Both companies are add-ons to an existing private equity platform, not stand-alone purchases. Both founders stay in charge of their businesses. That is the usual pattern in a home services roll-up: the platform buys a well-run local shop, keeps the name and the leader, and adds back-office support and capital.

Why it fits TruTemp's plan

The buyer's own words are the best guide to its strategy. Brett Chappell, Chairman of TruTemp Services, said: "Both businesses are exactly the type of businesses we want to partner with". Jeff Bartoli, Senior Partner at Centre Partners, said the aim is to "build a scaled Field Services platform across the Southeast".

Put plainly, the plan is to grow in one region, both by acquisition and by organic growth. The two targets sit just south of the Raleigh-Durham area where Maynor already operates. Each adds an HVAC base, Sandhills adds electrical work, and both bring homebuilder relationships. That gives the platform a connected service area rather than scattered shops.

What it means for buyers in home services

If you are a first-time buyer or a small roll-up operator in HVAC, this deal is a signal, not a threat. Here is what to take from it.

Private equity is buying in towns of 30,000 people, not only in big cities. Sanford and Aberdeen are not large markets. A platform with institutional money will now compete for the same local shops an individual buyer looks at. Expect more owners to get a broker letter or a direct call from a platform before they ever list.

Sellers in these areas will see higher offers and ask for them. A buyer who needs an SBA loan has to show the deal still cashflows at the price a platform set in the seller's mind. The SBA's 7(a) loan program sets the rules on equity, terms and seller notes that most small buyers use.

There are still shops the platforms skip. A platform wants scale, a leader who stays, and clean books. A smaller business where the owner wants out, with messy records, is often too small for them and right for you. We lay out how to set a buy box and read the numbers in how to buy a business.

If you want to be the platform rather than sell to one, the model is clear: buy one good shop, keep the operator, then add nearby shops with shared back office. We help roll-up operators with financing introductions and AI across the businesses they buy. Moran Pober has over ten years advising buyers and sellers and built and sold Rollups.com, so this playbook is familiar ground. For how AI changes the back-office part, see how to do an AI-powered roll-up.

What to watch

Three things will tell you whether this platform is a one-off or the start of a pattern in the Carolinas.

• Whether TruTemp announces plumbing add-ons next. Its description names plumbing, but both deals so far are HVAC and electrical.
• Whether it crosses state lines. "Across the Southeast" suggests it will, which would put a buyer in South Carolina, Georgia or Virginia in the same position as one in Sanford today.
• Whether more sellers in central North Carolina go to market through brokers, or get bought before they list. A quiet market with fewer listings is itself a sign the platforms are active.

If you are looking at an HVAC business in this region, it pays to know who else is calling the owner. Talk to us before you make an offer.