History of Air Rite Service Supply, Inc.

Air Rite Service got its start through a business friendship in 1952 when Mr. Herc Levy, a Shaker Heights, Ohio native, inventor, and owner of Viking Blower Company, asked Jack Harris to work for him. Mr. Harris, already with experience under his belt from working with General Electric and the Cleveland Illuminating Company, said, “no thanks, I want to start my own company!” So, Mr. Levy provided Mr. Harris with an opportunity and helped him form Viking Air Conditioning Company, an offshoot of Viking Blower. Later, the name changed to Air Rite Service around the time that Mr. Harris teamed up with Mr. Howard Rahm. The first main building they were in was at W. 85th and Madison Avenue in Cleveland. In 1976, the business moved to its present location at 1290 W. 117th St. in Lakewood, Ohio, former home of a Studebaker, Oldsmobile, and Ford dealerships.

New housing was going up all over Cleveland in the post war days. Trouble was, there wasn’t a “service only” company out there to handle warranty service for all the major manufacturers at the time. Most heating companies were too busy with builders constructing new houses! Air Rite Service became the go-to guys for Bryant, Cleveland Dornback, Rheem, and so many other furnace makers when their customers had post-installation service problems or needed routine service.

Building on that momentum, Air Rite Service took on the Honeywell Flame Safegard line of industrial burner controls. Pipefitters would install large burners and boilers, then Air Rite Service would come in and start up the equipment and keep it running smoothly and reliably! Experienced technicians could walk into Air Rite’s counter (and still can) and have their Honeywell controls tested to see if they needed replacement. Air Rite keeps a large inventory of these controls.

Further diversification of the business was achieved when the Honeywell, Electro-Air, and Trion electronic air cleaner lines were added to Air Rite’s service line-up. These air cleaner manufacturers needed convenient, reliable, and customer friendly repair centers around the country. Air Rite Service proved up to the challenge and has offered this service for over 40 years to the Northern Ohio area.

The company saw very rapid growth in the 80’s and 90’s by expanding its offering of air filters and HVAC (heating-ventilating-air conditioning) parts. Do-it-yourselfers and contractors alike find Air Rite’s parts stocking to be very broad. Also, the Filter & Supply Division has exploded to become one of the largest independent filter companies in the country!

After over 44 years of faithful and reliable service to Air Rite and its customers, Ken Rahm retired! He will spend his newly found free time playing golf, reading, and enjoying his wife, family, and grandchildren. Thank you, Kenny, for your loyalty, service, and friendship!