Southern Home Services Acquires Vanderford Air and Plumbing Near Houston

What happened

Southern Home Services said in a November 3, 2026, release that it had acquired Vanderford Air and Plumbing of League City, Texas. The transaction closed November 2. Vanderford gives Southern a second location in the Houston market. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The seller

Vanderford Air and Plumbing has served League City, Friendswood, Dickinson, Pearland, and Galveston since 1976. It began as Crosby Air Conditioning under its founder, then became Vanderford Mechanical and Vanderford Air before taking its current name. Before the sale, it was a second-generation, family-owned and operated business. Robert Vanderford was the owner, and Les Hickman is the general manager.

The company provides heating, air conditioning, and plumbing service to Houston-area homeowners. It also does commercial HVAC and plumbing work, including restaurant plumbing, along with generators and water quality systems.

"Southern's commitment to local brands made them the right fit," Robert Vanderford said in the announcement. "I'm excited about what this means for our team."

The buyer

Southern Home Services was founded in Maitland, Florida, in May 2016. It is a house-of-brands platform supporting locally operated HVAC, plumbing, and electrical companies across the South, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic. It has grown through more than 30 acquisitions, and Vanderford follows three that Southern and its brands announced earlier in 2026, the most recent in August. Drew Poskon is president, and Jarrod Brinker is chief strategy officer.

Gryphon Investors, a middle-market private equity firm, completed a majority investment in Southern in October 2021, buying it from MSouth Equity Partners. Southern sits within North American Essential Home Services (NAEHS), Gryphon's home services holding company, alongside Right Time, which operates a house of brands across Canada.

How Southern has built in Texas

Southern entered Texas in 2020. In October 2025, it acquired Nick's Plumbing & Air Conditioning in Houston, its fourth Texas location. Nick's continued to operate under its own name after that sale. "Houston is an important market for us, and a second location lets us deepen our long-term investment in this region," Brinker said of the Vanderford deal. OffDeal's overview of home and facility services covers the trades these platforms buy, HVAC and plumbing among them.

What this means for plumbing and HVAC owners

An owner whose nearest rival has sold to a house-of-brands platform has not lost that platform as a buyer. For a platform that keeps local companies side by side, a rival's sale can mean a buyer has arrived in the market, not that its place there is filled.

OffDeal is an advisory firm that helps lower-middle-market business owners sell with confidence. Reach out to learn more about our expertise with plumbing and HVAC businesses in Texas.

Own a plumbing and HVAC business with $5M–$100M in revenue? We’re glad to give you an honest read on what it’s worth and who would buy it — no pitch, no pressure. Get a free valuation.

Source: PR Newswire - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-home-services-expands-houston-presence-with-acquisition-of-vanderford-air-and-plumbing-302928328.html