Meet Air₂O: Phoenix-based hybrid air conditioning leaders

Co-Founder Mike Sullivan shares why he chose Greater Phoenix

Before moving to the U.S. from the UK, I traveled to many states to find the best location to start the Air2O HVAC business. For reasons, I still can't explain it, I felt instantly at home in Arizona.

It is a business-friendly state, has outstanding weather, culture and entertainment. There's a relatively low cost of living and talented people available, making it a wonderful place to start a business.

What city in Arizona is your company located in? 

We have a 50,000-square-foot facility in North Phoenix. 

What is your company’s mission? 

To be recognized as the world's premier custom-engineered thermal management solutions company. Also, we want to be known for our global educational programs for all our employees.  

How did you come up with the idea for your company?

Cofounder Moe Salam, the company’s CTO, and I were both HVAC engineers when we met in Dubai in 2013. A shared passion for evaporative cooling led us to collaborate on ways to improve the efficiencies of the systems we were working on – and Air₂O was essentially born.  

What makes your product/technology unique and different? 

We started by developing a product, but as we evolved, we realized that first our strength as engineers and second as manufacturers meant that we had a unique insight into what we felt the HVAC industry needed.  

We've evolved into a custom HVAC solutions provider to many mission-critical industries including data centers, semiconductor plants, lithium battery manufacturers, indoor agriculture and farming. Each industry requires specialized HVAC solutions that you can’t buy off the shelf.   

Explain why you chose Greater Phoenix to grow your company: 

The support I've had from the business community in Arizona, whether it's the Arizona Commerce Authority or the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, has been wonderful. There's no way we would have been able to gain the traction that we have without them. I came to Phoenix in 2017 and didn't know one person. I got plugged into the Arizona Commerce Authority early on, and their support and guidance have been instrumental. 

Are you currently working with any local businesses? 

Recently, we designed and installed our advanced evaporative cooling technology which is being used to cool the new hangers for Southwest Airlines at Phoenix Sky Harbor in the most efficient and sustainable manner. We believe, with all the additional manufacturing growth in the valley, we will be at the center of the excitement.  

Are you hiring? 

Yes, business is good, and we will always be looking for talented and innovative engineers, and techs who build and support our units. Learn more about career opportunities with Air₂O.