Give Us Your Worst Problem
West Techs Chill Water Specialist was founded in 2006 by Mike Petty, a large-tonnage chiller mechanic who had spent nearly three decades mastering his trade with the industry’s leading chiller manufacturers. Mike could overhaul a centrifugal chiller with the best in the business—but what set him apart was his refusal to stop at the chiller flanges. He looked at the whole system: the pumps, the towers, the controls, and the way a building actually ran. If the real problem lived somewhere upstream of the machine, that's where he went.
That mindset became our founding pitch to customers, and it was a bold one: give us your worst problems—on any equipment—and let us make a name for ourselves by how we handle them.
Inside the shop, the motto in those early days was even simpler: "Make It Happen." No excuses, no hand-offs, no waiting on someone else. We challenged our customers to test us on it.
They did. And we did.
From One Mechanic to a Full Mechanical Partner
Word travels fast in West Texas when someone fixes the problems nobody else could. And to be clear about who earned that reputation: it was our technicians—in plant rooms at 2 a.m., on rooftops in August—one solved problem at a time. Customers who called us for a chiller started asking us to take on everything mechanical in their buildings. Growing into new capabilities was never a corporate strategy for us—it was a direct answer to customers who wanted one accountable partner instead of a chain of subcontractors and third parties.
That's the thread running through every milestone since:
2013
West Techs acquired a local mechanical contractor and its fully equipped sheet metal fabrication shop, expanding into mechanical installation, retrofit, and new construction work while establishing our headquarters at 142 N. Clack Street in Abilene.
2015
Expanded local service coverage throughout Midland, Lubbock, Amarillo, and the surrounding areas.
2017
Partnered with Distech Controls to support the growing demand for building automation solutions.
2021
Opened our Odessa office and launched electrical services to better serve customer needs.
2022
Established a dedicated Lubbock facility to support continued regional growth.
2023
Expanded local service coverage into Weatherford and surrounding markets.
October 2024
Acquired Centric Mechanical Services, extending our operations into the Dallas–Fort Worth market and bringing together two organizations committed to the same customer-first philosophy.
Today, West Techs services all major brands of chillers, boilers, cooling towers, pumps, and virtually every type of commercial and industrial HVAC equipment—supported by in-house controls, electrical, fabrication, installation, and rental capabilities. Our fleet of portable rental chillers and cooling towers stands ready 24/7 for nationwide deployment, with access to rental generators and boilers to provide complete temporary solutions when our customers need them most.
Brand-Neutral. Customer-First. Always.
A chiller is a 20-to-30-year investment, and we've never believed our customers should make that decision based on a manufacturer's marketing. As a brand-neutral provider, we evaluate every option based on what actually matters: full-load and part-load efficiency, reliability, lifecycle cost, maintainability, and long-term serviceability. Our only allegiance is to the solution that best fits your application—because we're the ones who will stand behind it for decades.
We sharpen that expertise as proud members of the Independent Contractors Exchange (ICE) Group, a network of leading independent HVAC and chiller service contractors committed to sharing technical knowledge, innovative retrofit solutions, and evolving industry best practices.
Stronger Together
Our recent strategic partnership with Oklahoma Chiller Corporation expands the resources, technical expertise, and support available to our customers while preserving the local leadership, responsiveness, and accountability that define the West Techs experience.
Together, our organizations share knowledge, best practices, and specialized resources to solve complex mechanical challenges while ensuring every decision about serving our customers remains in the hands of the same West Techs
team they know and trust.
The Legacy Continues
Mike Petty retired at the end of 2025, leaving behind more than a company—he left a standard. He also left it in familiar hands. The leadership team guiding West Techs today didn't arrive from somewhere else; nearly all of us came up through this company — starting on the tools, in the field, or in the office, and developing our careers alongside the company itself. Our President, Trace Broadfoot, joined in 2009 as a technician when we were still a crew of three or four — a path that isn't the exception here, it's the expectation. We grow our own, promote from within, and empower the people who've done the work to lead the people still doing it today.
From a handful of employees in 2006 to a team of 80 industry-experienced professionals serving West Texas and the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex today, every technician who wears the West Techs name carries the same charge Mike built this company on:
Look past the flanges. Solve the whole problem. Earn the next call by how you handled the last one.
The principles behind that charge—Integrity, Service, Craftsmanship, and Teamwork—continue to guide everything we do.
Bring Us Your Worst Problem
If you're looking for a commercial HVAC and chiller partner that still answers to that standard, we'd welcome the opportunity to talk. Contact West Techs today—and yes, feel free to bring us your worst problem.
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