Joe Kirmser is CEO of PremiStar, a leader in commercial HVAC, mechanical services and building automation solutions for commercial and industrial facilities. Founded in 1930 as Reedy Industries, PremiStar today employs more than 2,000 people, including over 1,700 field-based technicians. Since joining the company in 2019, Joe has created and overseen the implementation of a new business strategy that resulted in a 250% increase in revenues, a 300% increase in EBITDA, and 30 acquisitions that have expanded the company’s footprint throughout the Midwest and also entering the Mountain West, Southwest and Southeast regions.
Previously, Joe was CEO of QSI Facilities, a leader in national outsourced facilities services based in Wichita, Kansas, with over 300 employees. Under Joe’s leadership, QSI more than doubled revenues and tripled EBITDA. Key components of this growth were a comprehensive repositioning of the company as well as completion of four accretive acquisitions within an 18-month period. QSI was acquired by Cushman Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) in January 2019, at which time Joe chose to remain in the private equity space, leading to his current role at PremiStar.
Before joining the world of private equity, Joe developed his sales, marketing, operations, and senior leadership skills working for publicly traded companies. Most notably, he served as president of Lenel Systems, a division of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX) from 2010 through 2013. Lenel is the world’s largest integrated enterprise video and access control company, serving over 90% of the Fortune 500 and global education, government, commercial, and industrial institutions.
Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Duke University where he was a four-year starter on the varsity men’s lacrosse team. During his time at Duke, the team won its first ACC title in 1995 and made its first appearance in the Final Four in 1997. He was a two-time All-American selection and was recently inducted into the Connecticut High School Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Joe holds an MBA from the Olin School of Management at Babson College.
