WSO

Watsco Inc

A maker of heating and air-conditioning gear, Watsco is the largest HVAC/R distributor in North America, running nearly seven hundred locations that supply contractors with equipment and parts for home replacement jobs. It began in 1947 as Wagner Tool & Supply Corp in New York — the name "Watsco" is a portmanteau of that original title — then in 1989 pivoted from manufacturing to distribution and grew by buying up dozens of smaller dealers. Its joint ventures with Carrier (under the Carrier Enterprise name) anchor much of its business, and it sells through its own OnCall Air digital platform.