Watsco, Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of Southern Ice Equipment Distributors.
Founded in 1984 and based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Southern Ice is a leading distributor of food-service and commercial refrigeration equipment, parts and supplies, including products manufactured by Manitowoc Ice, a division of Pentair. The company operates seven locations in key Sunbelt markets including Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Southern Ice will operate under its existing name and under the direction of its current leadership team to provide continuity to customers, employees and OEM partners.
In addition to Southern Ice, Watsco completed two other acquisitions earlier in the year:
- Lashley & Associates, a distributor of commercial supplies and custom air movement products based in Houston, Texas, was purchased in January 2025.
- Hawkins HVAC Distributors, a distributor of HVAC equipment and supplies located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina, was acquired in April 2025.
With these acquisitions, Watsco has added 10 new locations and approximately $47 million in annualised sales in high-growth Sunbelt markets. These markets offer new brands, broader product offerings, and expanded distribution points to better serve customers.
Albert H. Nahmad, Watsco’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are pleased to welcome these great businesses to the Watsco family. We look forward to investing in their growth plans, leveraging our transformative technology platforms, and supporting customers and employees as part of our family.”
Watsco is actively seeking additional opportunities to invest and grow through acquisitions. Since entering distribution in 1989, Watsco has completed 72 acquisitions, including many multi-generation, family-owned businesses. Watsco’s “buy and build” strategy can be summarised as follows:
- Identify and partner with great companies in the HVAC/R industry
- Support their leadership and employees, and honour their culture and legacy
- Ask for aggressive growth plans and help them achieve their ambitions
- Motivate teams and reaffirm an ownership culture with long-term equity
- Deploy the industry’s most comprehensive suite of customer-focused technologies
- Solicit and collaborate on big ideas to foster a spirit of innovation and growth
