A Message from the Founder

ASHRAE was established for the purpose of ensuring proper Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). It has taken the industry over one hundred years to reach high levels of perfection based on modern technology.

Engineers and users alike continue to seek improved outcomes and performance from HVAC systems. In the late twentieth century, Dedicated Outside Air Systems (DOAS) were theorized by Dr. Stanley Mumma at Penn State University and Dr. William Coad, former President of AHSRAE. Thankfully, the technology now exists to provide highly efficient and comfortable outcomes.

In 2013, CaptiveAire adopted DOAS concepts when creating our Paragon HVAC unit as the foundation of Total Building Integration (TBI). Paragon HVAC is supplemented with a novel approach to air distribution, CAS-Supply Duct and CASLink to monitor sustainable performance. Engineers can rely on these technologies for heating, cooling, humidity control and fresh outside air to maintain low CO2 levels, less than 800 PPM.

Paragon-HVAC systems, known for their robust components and high-quality construction, deliver long-lasting performance. CaptiveAire equipment is known for longevity, frequently exceeding 20 years, and the Paragon product is built to these same standards. Today, Paragon has become a standard across a wide range of commercial and industrial applications, including warehouses, gun ranges, apartment and hotel corridors, stadiums, churches, schools, food service facilities, and medical buildings.

This year ushered in some new challenges, including tariffs, shortages of 454B refrigerant and rising prices. Thankfully, we have an adequate supply of refrigerant, allowing us to maintain very short lead times. We are also absorbing all tariffs, which we hope will be short lived.

In 2020, we abandoned just-in-time inventory. We now stock many months of key components to insure on-time deliveries. To further mitigate supply chain disruptions, we continue to expand our warehousing capacity.

In 2009, we launched a field service group, which has now grown to over 350 employees in North America. Our Field Service Technicians perform System Design Verifications, Preventive Maintenance (PM) and routine service. Modern TBI users demand and deserve perfection, which is why Factory Service is imperative for consistent performance. CASLink supports this by enabling continuous commissioning, fault detection, and even remote troubleshooting and correction in many cases.

Our design philosophy remains centered on delivering clean, filtered outdoor air that is precisely conditioned for the temperature and humidity needs of each application while ensuring an excellent experience for our users.

We thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Bob Luddy
President & Founder
Read Entrepreneurial Life, Mr. Luddy's story of the founding of CaptiveAire