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Watsco Unit Acquires 35% Ownership of Russell Sigler, Inc., a $650 Million Western U.S. HVAC Distributor

WSO | June 21, 2017

Watsco Unit Acquires 35% Ownership of Russell Sigler, Inc., a $650 Million Western U.S. HVAC Distributor

Watsco, Inc. (NYSE: WSO) announced today that its Carrier Enterprise business unit, a joint venture between Watsco and Carrier, has acquired 35% ownership of Russell Sigler, Inc. The investment continues Watsco’s strategy to partner with well-established businesses and represents an investment in the important Western U.S. region.

Russell Sigler, Inc., established in 1950, is one of the largest HVAC distributors in North America with annual sales of approximately $650 million. It serves over 10,000 customers from 30 locations throughout Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada and portions of Texas. Products sold include residential and commercial HVAC equipment manufactured by Carrier as well as parts, supplies and accessories sourced from over 700 vendors. Consideration for the purchase was approximately $63.6 million paid in cash. Watsco has exclusive rights to purchase ownership interests from current shareholders that may elect to sell in the future.

Albert Nahmad, Watsco's Chairman & Chief Executive Officer said: “One of the great stories and legacies of a family business in our industry is that of Russell Sigler. He built a great business, raised a wonderful family and was a true legend in every sense of the word. The Sigler organization has our respect, admiration and commitment to provide ideas and assistance to build on its historical success. It is truly an honor to become part of the Sigler family.”

About Watsco

Watsco provides comfort to homes and businesses regardless of the outdoor climate. There are approximately 92 million central air conditioning and heating systems installed in the United States that have been in service more than 10 years. Older systems often operate below today’s government mandated energy efficiency and environmental standards. Watsco has an opportunity to accelerate the replacement of these systems at a scale greater than its competitors as the movement toward reducing energy consumption and its environmental impact continues. This is especially important since heating and cooling accounts for approximately half of the energy consumed in a typical U.S. home.

Watsco’s traditional sales channel is the industry’s largest and currently serves 88,000 contractor businesses through 561 locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, and on an export basis to Latin America and the Caribbean. Watsco is a technology company, operating scalable platforms for mobile apps, e-commerce, business intelligence and supply chain. Strategic goals are to accelerate sales and profit growth, increase the speed and convenience of serving customers and to extend its reach into new geographies and sales channels. Watsco is also developing technologies to address the evolving buying habits of consumers in the digital economy. Over the long-term, Watsco believes its focus, scale and innovative culture offer significant advantages to address the consumer market, which is estimated to be $88 billion annually. Additional information about Watsco may be found at http://www.watsco.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document includes certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “will,” “would,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “believe,” “plan,” “optimistic,” “goal” or “intend,” the negative of these terms and similar references to future periods. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in economic, business, competitive market, new housing starts and completions, capital spending in commercial construction, consumer spending and debt levels, regulatory and other factors, including, without limitation, the effects of supplier concentration, competitive conditions within Watsco’s industry, seasonal nature of sales of Watsco’s products, the ability of the Company to expand its business, insurance coverage risks and final GAAP adjustments. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statement was made. Watsco assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law. Detailed information about these factors and additional important factors can be found in the documents that Watsco files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, such as Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.