Commercial HVAC in Caledonia & Milwaukee

Buildings between Milwaukee and Racine deal with sticky lake air in July and subzero wind off Lake Michigan in January, and commercial HVAC equipment has to carry both loads without running up the utility bill. Southport has designed and installed commercial HVAC across southeastern Wisconsin since 2005, working out of a 45,000-square-foot facility where our team fabricates much of the ductwork before it ever reaches the jobsite.

Call 262-898-3000 to request a bid or schedule a walkthrough of your Caledonia facility.

Signs Your Commercial HVAC System Needs Attention

Most commercial systems give plenty of warning before they quit. Catching these early usually means a planned repair or retrofit instead of an emergency replacement during a February cold snap.

• Rising utility costs with no change in operating hours or occupancy usually mean equipment is losing efficiency.
• Comfort complaints from one wing or floor often trace back to duct sizing, failed dampers, or VAV box controls.
• Rooftop units in their second decade tend to need more frequent compressor, fan motor, and heat exchanger repairs.
• Short cycling or nonstop runtime puts extra wear on compressors and burners and shortens equipment life.
• Stale air or humidity problems in classrooms, offices, or senior living spaces can signal ventilation that no longer matches how the building is used.

Commercial HVAC Design, Installation and Service

Every project starts with load calculations based on the building envelope, occupancy, and what actually happens inside each space. A warehouse with dock doors opening all day needs a different approach than a three-story office or a memory care wing. Our engineers lay out equipment, duct routing, and ventilation to meet Wisconsin commercial code before anything is ordered, so the system is sized for the building instead of a rule of thumb.

On larger jobs, we run BIM coordination to find clashes between ductwork, piping and structure on screen rather than in the field. For the 175,000-square-foot West Allis Department of Public Works building, that process resolved trade conflicts before installation began, which kept crews from tearing out and reworking installed runs.

Fabrication happens in our own sheet metal shop. Duct sections, fittings and transitions are cut and assembled under shop conditions, then delivered ready to hang. For the 250,000-square-foot Woodman’s in Racine, our team prefabricated both the spiral and rectangular ductwork. Contractors who need fabricated duct for their own projects can buy it through our wholesale ductwork program.

The equipment we install and service includes rooftop units, industrial heat pump systems, geothermal systems, ventilation and air distribution systems and VAV systems with their controls. At Lake View Technology Academy in Kenosha, we prefabricated most of the ductwork and the VAV box controls for a new 48,000-square-foot school. Once equipment is set, the system is started up, balanced and checked against design airflow before we hand it over.

New Construction and Design-Build

On design-build projects, one team handles engineering, fabrication and installation, so questions get answered without passing drawings between three companies. We also install to engineered plans on bid-spec work.

Retrofits and Equipment Replacement

Aging rooftop units, undersized ventilation and outdated controls can be replaced in phases to keep the building open. We evaluate what can stay, what needs to go and how to stage the work around tenants or production.

Preventative Maintenance

Scheduled inspections cover filters, belts, coils, burners, refrigerant charge and controls. Regular visits catch small failures before they take a unit offline and help equipment reach its expected service life.

Why Choose Southport for Commercial HVAC?

Our engineers, sheet metal fabricators, and installers work for the same company, which shortens the path between a design question and a fix. We have been building commercial systems in Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee counties since 2005, and our preventative maintenance programs keep that same team involved after the ribbon cutting.

Ready to talk through your building’s heating, cooling and ventilation needs? Call 262-898-3000 to request a commercial HVAC bid.