News
JOINING OF FORCES IN THE WESTERN CAPE
By Benjamin Brits
Embassy Air and Zuid HVAC & Process Engineering announce incorporation and celebrate 30-year operational milestone . Roger Venn founded Embassy Air in 1991 . The company was originally a maintenance-based operation working out of a garage in Maitland with just six employees and two bakkies . Their first successful tender and formal contract was the HVAC of Maitland Crematorium . “ Nobody else wanted the job as the crematorium remained operational during the contract . To make things worse , the appointed builder went bankrupt , and the job was a loss ”, recalled Venn .
The following year , in 1992 , the company took the decision to purchase their own premises consisting of an old house and some shipping containers . This structure was later demolished and rebuilt , turning that property into the current premises where the business still operates from today .
Their first “ large contract ” was awarded via PWD – and consisted of a VRV system for Pathology Labs in Portswood . Their bid was the lowest of 21 tenders ( which was a notable concern for them at the time ), but still resulted in being a successfully delivered project .
Neville Bezuidenhout , currently managing director of the group - who is also a refrigeration mechanic by trade – began working for Embassy Air in 2004 where he quickly moved up the ranks to become a project manager . He successfully completed numerous large projects during his four-year tenure at the company . After leaving , Bezuidenhout continued to consult as a project manager for two years during the busy time leading up to the 2010 world cup .
“ The company peaked in size during that build up to the 2010 World Cup , putting some major projects under the belt . These included work at Eskom ’ s gas turbines in Atlantis , the Cape Town Stadium , various hotels , and shopping centres . At that point the company was home to approximately 200 employees and a fleet of 45 vehicles between the contract teams and service department ”, says Venn .
In 2013 , Jacques Claassen , who had already been with Embassy Air for several years , was appointed as a company director and shareholder . Adding to the company ’ s directorship was Dewald Rautenbach , who was appointed a director and shareholder of the company later , in 2017 .
“ Coinciding with the happenings at Embassy Air , Zuid HVAC & Process Engineering was formed in 2013 with a diverse focus
All image credits : Embassy Air | Zuid
Embassy Air Conditioning was started out of a garage in Maitland , Cape Town , in 1991 .
A photo of the original building that was re-built into the current offices of today , taken in 1992 .
A photo of the Eskom gas turbines that formed part of the work done by Embassy Air Conditioning before the 2010 world cup .
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