• Under the terms of the agreement, ACE Solves It All will continue to operate under its current name and brand
• Gryphon is based in San Francisco and is aimed at medium-sized businesses

Southern Home Services, backed by Gryphon Investors, has acquired ACE Solves It All, a Florida-based HVAC company. No financial details were disclosed.

Southern is a home service provider.

Commenting on the deal, Jarrod Brinker, chief strategy officer, said in a statement: “As we are based in Orlando, we have long admired ACE's reputation for excellence and are pleased to have their team join Southern.” Our home office Support staff will help the company achieve its growth goals while maintaining its local identity.”

Under the terms of the agreement, ACE Solves It All will continue to operate under its current name and brand.

Gryphon is based in San Francisco and is aimed at medium-sized businesses.

The post Gryphon-backed Southern Dwelling Providers acquires HVAC agency ACE Solves It All appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

To celebrate and honor our angels, a Phoenix local has been nominated by the community to be rewarded with a brand new A/C, provided and installed at no charge valued up to $10k

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The post ACE Residence Providers Donates New A/C Unit to Deserving Native in 4th Annual ‘Honor Our Angels’ Giveaway | Ap appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — The Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted its first ribbon cutting of 2022 Wednesday with Ace Handyman Services South Bay.

This family-owned business opened its Manhattan Beach location in January 2022. The company provides handyman services in the South Bay, including the communities of Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Palos Verdes and more.

“We are excited to be part of the Manhattan Beach small business community, providing both quality workmanship and superior customer service to the residents of Manhattan Beach,” said Scott Weller, Owner of Ace Handyman Services South Bay.

The event marked the first in-person event in 2022, as many public events were on pause during the pandemic.

“There was a noticeable excitement in the air as we gathered to celebrate in-person, once again,” said David Archer, President/CEO of the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce. “The businesses are looking forward to connecting with its community now that the mask mandate has relaxed.”

The post Ace Handyman Providers South Bay Opens In Manhattan Seashore appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

To celebrate and honor our heroes, a military member/veteran will be nominated by the community to be rewarded with a brand new a/c unit valued up to 10k

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Copyright 2022 Send2Press Newswire

The post ACE Dwelling Providers Honors Our Warriors by Offering a New A/C to Army Veteran for the third Annual Giveaway | Ap appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Andy Bell puts his good luck at work. In 2001 he was running a small company called Handyman Matters and won $50,000 worth of legal services from a business contest. He used the windfall to draft a franchise disclosure document and operations manual, which ultimately helped him begin franchising his company. Then, in 2019, just months before the onset of the pandemic, he sold that company to Ace Hardware. His company was transformed into Ace Handyman Services, which was perfectly positioned to assist people in their homes during COVID. It now has 252 territories across 42 states, having added around 100 in the past year, and has landed almost squarely in the middle of our list.

Here, Bell explains how that explosive growth happened.

Who approached who about the acquisition?

[Ace Hardware VP and CFO] Bill Guzik called me one day. He was seeing the “do it for me” economy start to emerge, and he wanted to position Ace to bring help into people’s homes. It took me a nanosecond to say “absolutely” to partnering with them.

What is the “do it for me” economy?

People see home as a sacred place and want to make it more comfortable and useful for not only their personal lives but also their careers. So this economy creates more services to assist with the greatest investment many of us have.

How has the association with Ace helped you during COVID?

We were really fortunate to rebrand in March 2020. There are some statistics that say 9 out of 10 people recognize the Ace brand in America, and that really inspired our franchise owners. The consideration that potential franchise owners gave us was greater and more profound than before.

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You’ve more than doubled your locations since the acquisition.

Ace has continued to invest in us. We’ve doubled our staff, training, marketing, support, and administrative capabilities. There are disciplines within Ace that we’ve been able to leverage, like accounting.

But that would’ve only gone so far had the fundamentals of the business not been so strong. We answer the phone and show up on time. We’ve got technology that tells the customer who’s walking into their home and what their credentials are. We kept doing everything we’ve done in a lot of respects, but now we’ve been introduced to millions of Ace Hardware customers.

Why do you think you’re now drawing many new franchisees with corporate backgrounds?

People who did a lot of face-to-face sales tend to not be the biggest proponents of doing everything on Zoom. They see this as an opportunity to change direction but not change how they do business.

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Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks. Now, it also wants to be known as the place to go for handyman services.

That’s not going over well with a San Antonio businessman who’s been offering home-repair services under the name Ace Handyman Services for 4½ years.

John Allen’s Ace Handyman Services Inc. this week sued Ace Hardware Corp. to stop the retailer from using the name Ace Handyman Services in Bexar and surrounding counties for a new franchise business offering home repairs, maintenance and improvement services.

“We have built a strong reputation for high-quality work and service,” Allen, 50, said Thursday. “If Ace Hardware were to start using the name ‘Ace’ for the same services we provide, it would cause serious confusion for our existing customers and potential customers.”

That would run Allen out of business, his suit adds.

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A representative for Ace Hardware, a retailer-owned cooperative based in Oak Brook, Ill., said in an email the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation. The company, with more than 5,300 hardware stores in 70 countries, generated $6.1 billion in revenue last year.

Ace Hardware jumped into the home repair and improvement business in September when it acquired Handyman Matters, a Denver-based franchise that handles homeowners’ to-do lists and larger projects. Handyman Matters had 56 franchisees employing about 250 people in 23 states.

Two of the franchisees operate in the San Antonio area, according to Allen’s lawsuit. They’re also defendants in his complaint.

At the time of the deal, Ace Hardware announced it would change Handyman Matters’ name to Ace Handyman Services — the same name as Allen’s business.

The re-branding was expected to be completed this quarter. San Antonio trademark and patent lawyer Ted Lee, who represents Allen, said he understood the switch takes effect Monday.

Ace Hardware is following in the footsteps of larger competitors in offering home repair and home improvement services.

Home Depot and Lowe’s each use independent contractors to offer a range of home services. In its 2018 annual report, Home Depot attributed an uptick in demand for installation services to shifting demographics, including “baby boomer customers who may have historically been DIY customers but who are now looking for someone to complete a project for them.”

Amazon is tapping into the market, too. The company rolled out a program in 2015 that connects customers with professionals who can put together furniture, install ceiling fans and replace light fixtures. Online marketplaces such as Thumbtack, TaskRabbit and Handy have also developed a following.

On Monday, simultaneously with filing the lawsuit, Allen’s lawyers obtained a temporary restraining order against Ace Hardware and the San Antonio franchisees. They are barred from using the mark Ace Handyman Services in Bexar and seven adjacent counties under an order signed by state District Judge Norma Gonzales in San Antonio.

The judge issued the order “ex parte,” meaning lawyers for Ace Hardware were not present to argue against it. A hearing on a temporary injunction is set for next week.

The suit also seeks unspecified actual and punitive damages.

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Lee said use of the word “Ace” in connection with a home repair and improvement business would create an issue locally because of Allen’s use.

“We wouldn’t have the right to prevent anybody from using ‘Ace’ for all kinds of different things,” Lee added. “But when they come into our trade territory, with the same name, for the same services that we’re offering, there’s a problem.”

The lawsuit describes Allen as a disabled veteran. He served in the Marine Corps from 1988 to 1991. He sustained a neck injury during aerial gunner training in a helicopter and subsequently was discharged as a result of the injury, he said. A bulging disk causes nerve issues in his neck and arms, and he routinely suffers migraine headaches, he said.

Allen’s business has one employee and three contractors.

After Ace Hardware acquired Handyman Matters, it filed five trademark applications with the intent to use Ace Handyman Services and other names.

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About three weeks ago, the lawsuit says, Allen visited one of the local Handyman Matters franchises. A representative said he had contacted Handyman Matters corporate offices to inform them that an Ace Handyman Services already operated in San Antonio.

The representative was told “not to worry about it. Handyman Matter would handle it,” the suit says.

Allen’s claims in the lawsuit are for common law trademark infringement and unfair competition.

Staff writer Madison Iszler contributed to this report.

Patrick Danner is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering banking and civil courts. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pdanner@express-news.net | Twitter: @AlamoPD

The post Who’s going to repair this? San Antonio handyman battles Ace {Hardware} over new enterprise’s identify. appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.