Success Starts Here
Dan Greeson and Art Hoover, co-founders of Matrix HG, met while working together at the same company as air conditioning service mechanics in the special projects division. In 2002, the duo decided to go into business for themselves.
“We wanted some time off and a little more freedom!” Greeson said with a laugh. “But for the first 12-15 years it was pretty chaotic because we were working 12 to 14-hour days every day. Saturdays and Sundays were not days off — they were just another day to answer your phone.”
Despite the long hours spent getting their business off the ground, the team’s dedication paid off.
“We experienced excessive growth at a very rapid pace,” Greeson said. “From the time we started up until 2010, we doubled in size annually. Through it all we’ve held fast to the things that made us start the company, which are our employees and customers. Employee retention and customer retention are the keys to success.”
With 190+ employees across three offices in the East Bay, North Bay and South Bay, Matrix HG has become a recognized industry leader. Closing in at 20 years of operations as a proven provider, they’ve continued to effectively execute rapid response solutions for more than 35,000 jobs to support valued commercial clients throughout the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Their core markets include indoor vehicular environmental technology and science comfort as it relates to commercial offices, high-rise residential, educational, industrial, healthcare and hospitality.
Throughout nearly two decades in business, more than 2,500 commercial clients have relied on Matrix’s dependability and integrity. From engineering through partial and full-system design, coordination of multiple subcontractors, materials selection, fabrication and performance of mechanical and some electrical scopes of work, the Matrix team thrives on delivering creative solutions for each customer’s unique applications.
“In our world of doing things, everything’s a challenge. Systems that were put in 40 years ago, we figure out how to take it out and put something new in its place,” Greeson said. “Buildings are literally built around our equipment, so getting them out of that environment is exceptionally challenging. New construction has drawings and plans you follow and it’s like a roadmap. For us, there’s no roadmap. We have to be completely creative from beginning to end while still hitting all the codes and necessary requirements.”
Take, for example, the high-profile Morgan Stanley project at One Maritime Plaza — an iconic feature in the San Francisco skyline. The complex project needed to replace failing air conditioning chillers, pumps and cooling towers, while upgrading the chiller room. The challenges: The building would be fully occupied with no room for significant service disruption, the chiller was on the 26th floor with no outside access, and the 2,000-ton cooling tower was on the roof. The Matrix team got to work coordinating the chiller replacement and working closely with the City of San Francisco and a crane company to get the job completed on time, on budget and with minimal impact to tenants, tourists and businesses.
When Matrix was awarded the contract, the building owner took some risk in hiring a vendor new to the building. However, by the end of the project, the Matrix team earned preferred HVAC contractor status and continues to support the property with planning, budgeting and servicing work.
“Our relationships with clients are key. They know when we say we’re going to do something, we get it done,” Greeson said. “Sometimes it’s a win for us, sometimes it’s not, but we’re always looking at the long-term effects of our decisions for our clients.”
For More Information: Visit matrixhginc.com or call 925-459-9200.