Cox Engineering

HVAC generally conjures images of machinery and equipment. Cox Engineering takes a different view. The company sees itself first and foremost as a people business. Their enduring mission is to attract and hire the best talent in the industry, and cultivate that talent into the responsive teams that ensure customer success. While many companies tout their people, Cox Engineering has put talent at the very core of its vision for the future – and committed to building the culture that turns skilled individuals into responsive teams for clients. This value system has been a guiding light throughout Cox’s history, and today’s company leadership has made it the driving force behind future business plans. It’s this commitment that will ensure that Cox Engineering continues to be the one-stop-shop for all HVAC needs.

The people of Cox Engineering deliver decades of combined experience across design, fabrication, and installation of both HVAC piping and sheet metal ductwork. Besides being a mechanical contractor, Cox Engineering also has two manufacturing arms— Cambridgeport and Cambridgeport Custom—where it manufactures air-handling equipment and accessories.“Not only are we a mechanical contractor that provides installation and service, but we also have these two divisions where we perform all the manufacturing and sell products to other contractors—a unique capability that most of our competitors do not offer. Our modern production facility allows us to fabricate both sheet metal and piping and manufacture equipment in-house for many different kinds of projects all under one roof—an ability that fuels our air handling construction success,” says Jon Desmond, CEO, Cox Engineering.

Extraordinary circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic show the value of trusted relationships and deeply committed and talented professionals. While, in the wake of the global pandemic, schedules continue to get more aggressive coupled with the demand for building off-site with decreased manpower, Cox Engineering is empowering organizations that are muddling through this situation. The company comprises in-house designers who leverage state-of-the-art computer modeling systems and other technologies to design the most advanced, efficient heating and cooling system for various purposes—from new construction to retrofitting historical structures.

The proficiency in developing and designing these advanced solutions hinges on the company’s ability to stay abreast of the latest disruptions in the industry. From employing 3D modeling and utilizing Revit as per architects’ requirements to leveraging Tableau for business intelligence, Cox Engineering embraces constant change to keep itself and its clients ahead of the curve and unlock new opportunities. “Over the last six months or so, we have also learned that constant communication is vital to our business. Going through this COVID experience, we have been sending a newsletter to our clients and our employees per week, ensuring that they are in the know about the updates in the business and the supply chain,” adds Desmond.

At the core, Cox Engineering is committed to enabling the talented and responsive teams that meet the specific requirements of each client. In doing so, the company works closely with the clients early on to understand their needs—be it installing the HVAC package or the air handling equipment. The process also involves understanding challenges pertaining to each building, the build sequence, the amount of work to be carried out off-site, and more. With a sprawling industrial building spread over 110,000 square feet in Randolph MA and 60,000sf in Georgetown MA, the company looks forward to focusing exclusively on the pre-fabrication of HVAC systems.

Targeting Boston as its primary market, Cox Engineering is often approached by healthcare organizations, institutions, colleges, and universities with buildings as old as 40 to 50 years, with the air handling equipment installed in a sub-basement. In such cases, the company empowers its clients with its retro-commissioning/recommissioning, retrofit project management, energy savings, and energy audit services. “We design replacements for the HVAC equipment. We fabricate the air handling units and design replacement for the client in smaller modules. Instead of contracting pieces of it, we bring in our expertise in both sheet metal and piping equipment to control the whole project,” informs Desmond. The company also offers round-the-clock service for its clients, going beyond to meet expectations and ensure customer satisfaction.

Putting theory into practice provides several successful stories of Cox Engineering’s services and solutions in action. Desmond cites the case of a local hospital that needed to replace and rebuild its years-old air handling equipment. “The equipment served a maternity ward that couldn’t be shut off for more than twelve hours a week. We came up with a solution where we rebuilt the unit piece-by-piece over eight weekends, only being able to shut the unit off for eight or twelve hours,” he recalls. The project was highly successful, and the Cox Engineering team was able to completely rebuild the entire piece of air handling equipment. The hospital now has a high-performance unit that will last for years to come.

Success stories like these are testament to the value that Cox Engineering brings to its clients. Moving ahead, Cox Engineering has ambitious plans for the future and has chalked up a comprehensive roadmap for the same. All of it is founded on the premise that by maintaining a strong internal culture that attracts and nurtures the best talent, Cox Engineering is ready to serve as the committed, responsive partner that its HVAC clients deserve.