PRIVATE EQUITY OWNED
ARS / Rescue Rooter
Includes ARS, Rescue Rooter, American Residential Services
home services · Memphis, TN
- PE Firm
- Charlesbank Capital Partners / GI Partners
- Acquirer
- Charlesbank Capital Partners
- Year Acquired
- 2014
America's largest residential HVAC and plumbing company. Where PE profits from your broken furnace.
What They Did
- Charlesbank Capital Partners acquired ARS/Rescue Rooter in 2014; in 2020 GI Partners took a majority stake, with Charlesbank and management re-investing alongside
- Nation's largest residential HVAC and plumbing service provider, with 70+ locally managed service centers across 23 states
- The company has been built through aggressive acquisition of local HVAC and plumbing businesses — consolidating an industry where consumers once had independent choices
- Roughly 6,500 employees nationwide, per the PE firms' own deal announcement — your broken furnace is a line item in a growth plan
Since the Acquisition
- BBB complaints document a pattern: improper HVAC installations, conflicting diagnoses between technicians, and no-callback on warranty claims
- Customers report newly installed systems failing within months, with the company slow to honor warranties or make repairs
- When your local plumber or HVAC company gets bought by a PE-backed national chain, the personal relationship and accountability disappear
- Buying up independent contractors and consolidating them under one brand means fewer choices and less leverage for homeowners when something goes wrong
Sources
- ARS / Rescue Rooter BBB Profile — Better Business Bureau(2024-12-01)
- GI Partners Joins Charlesbank at American Residential Services — PR Newswire(2020-09-15)
- Exclusive: American Residential Services explores $3.5 billion-plus sale, sources say — Reuters(2026-03-23)
- ARS Rescue Rooter gets $395K fine, stiff rules — Arizona Daily Star(2012-04-26)