In 1945, Warren Farr Senior, established wholesale distribution sales at Refrigeration Maintenance Corporation, then a large installing and servicing refrigeration contractor. The very beginning of that family business, however, goes all the way back to E.W. Farr and the year 1921.

Prior to Refrigeration Maintenance Corporation, Warren Senior was no stranger to the world of mechanical refrigeration. He was introduced to this new and exciting technology by his father Earnest Wightman Farr (known as E.W. Farr). In 1921, E.W. Farr opened The Kelvinator Cleveland Company to sell appliances, including residential and commercial refrigerators.

These refrigerators replaced the “ice box” commonly used for food preservation. These early refrigerators were “split systems” (similar to today’s split system air conditioners) with the “refrigerator box” located in the kitchen and the compressor located in the basement.

In 1923, a Kelvinator refrigerator cost $750 which is roughly equivalent to $9,000 today! Undoubtedly, the reason that the business was located on Cleveland’s prosperous Euclid Avenue was to be close to “Millionaire’s Row” where Rockefeller, Carnegie and other barons of business maintained homes.

Warren Senior began his refrigeration career while working for his father at The Kelvinator Cleveland Company and attending the much-respected Kelvinator Refrigeration Service Training School.

After attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and after his intensive refrigeration service training, Warren Senior converted The Kelvinator Cleveland Company into Farr Refrigeration Services, which successfully grew and then relocated into expanded commercial space at 1127 Carnegie Avenue in downtown Cleveland. It was during this move that the company was renamed to Refrigeration Maintenance Corporation. From its early beginnings, Refrigeration Maintenance Corporation was founded on the principles of the highest possible customer service combined with the best efficiencies of the industry. The earliest known employee handbook provides the following mission statement for all employees:

“It is our job at Refrigeration Maintenance Corporation to render the highest type of service at the lowest possible price. Such a policy will make it possible for the Company to give its customers, employees, and stockholders the highest possible return.”

This is a philosophy that has been continuous throughout our history in our mission of “Service Speed, Expertise, and Relationships.” It didn’t take long for Refrigeration Maintenance Corporation to become one of the nation’s largest refrigeration installation and service contracting companies. An early company brochure proudly boasted completing over 15,000 service calls annually, traveling over 125,000 miles (equivalent to five times around the earth) each year, and providing a complete inventory of over 20,000 parts to 85 dealer partners.

In 1953, Refrigeration Maintenance Corporation had again outgrown its facilities and moved to 701 St. Clair Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. This new facility was designed to support the future company as Refrigeration Maintenance Corporation grew its wholesale distribution business with the addition of the Carrier® air conditioning product line. By 1961, the company had become 100% wholesale and was renamed Refrigeration Sales Corporation. The new facilities added significant warehousing space and a larger wholesale parts counter.

The 1980’s saw more growth for RSC, with new stores opening in Elyria, Canton, and Mentor. Additionally, the company expanded its footprint into the Columbus area. By the mid-2000’s, RSC had opened a new distribution center in Columbus, and the current central distribution center and corporate headquarters in Valley View.

RSC today is still primarily a wholesaler, though we’ve come a long way from our humble beginnings in a small brick building in downtown Cleveland. In early 2023, RSC was acquired by the Master Group, Canada’s largest independent HVAC/R Distributor. While RSC remains a locally operated company with a consistent leadership team, we’ve benefitted tremendously from the size and scale of our alignment with Master Group. Above all, RSC remains committed to relentlessly serving our customers, and to relentlessly improving lives, in every degree.