The Challenge
Source Refrigeration & HVAC had a growth strategy that was working everywhere except in its own brand. As the company expanded nationally through acquisition, it kept running into the same problem: in markets where Source already had field technicians operating, acquired companies felt like they were being absorbed by a competitor, not welcomed into a platform. The brand that was supposed to accelerate growth was creating friction at the moment of integration.
The Source name also lacked the national credibility the strategy required. Rolling it out into new markets meant asking acquired companies and their customers to adopt a brand that didn’t signal scale, stability, or leadership. The brand wasn’t just a cosmetic problem — it was a strategic liability.
The Solution
CSBG conducted roundtable discussions across the country alongside extensive research and discovery to understand the brand dynamics at play in each market. The strategic recommendation was clear: retire Source as the lead brand and create a new overarching corporate identity, one built to lead the platform and endorse future acquisitions rather than compete with them.
The new brand, CoolSys, was developed as the holdco identity, with Source repositioned as a regional brand operating beneath it. The endorser model meant that future acquisitions could be brought into the CoolSys family without erasing the local brand equity that made them worth acquiring: XYZ Service, a CoolSys company.
We built out the full CoolSys identity (name, mark, mission, vision, and core competencies) and executed the brand across all channels: web, signage, collateral, PR communications, and templates.
Once the platform brand was established, CSBG developed a high-end marketing presentation designed to appeal to potential sellers, outlining why an owner might consider a transaction, the benefits to them and their employees, and what the process looks like. Brand as a tool for deal origination, not just post-close integration.
What We Delivered
Foundation
Landscape audits
Stakeholder interviews
External focus groups
External & internal surveys
Identity
Name exploration
Logo development
Content frameworks
Style guide
Launch roadmap
Mission, vision & core competencies
Launch
Website
Building signage
Branded collateral
PR communications
Launch communications
Brand intro deck
Deal Origination
Seller-facing marketing presentation
Acquisition value narrative
Process communications
Result
CoolSys launched with a platform identity built to grow, one that could absorb acquisitions without the brand friction that had slowed Source’s expansion. The endorser architecture gave each acquired company a path into the platform that preserved local credibility while building toward national scale.
The seller-facing materials opened a new front: using brand as a tool for deal origination. CSBG continued to support CoolSys with ongoing campaigns that strengthened their position in a competitive labor market, helping the platform grow its technician base despite sustained industry-wide shortages.
