Longtime Pro Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. employee Jon Vanos has bought the assets of the 25-year-old Spokane company for an undisclosed sum and renamed it Pro Mechanical Services Inc.

The commercial heating, air conditioning, and ventilation contractor, which operates from four buildings on an about 14,000-square-foot lot at 4911 N. Rebecca, employs about 50 people here, Vanos says. He says he has begun to streamline its business processes and shift its focus to designing projects that will reduce customers' energy costs.

Pro Mechanical Services recently completed a mechanical-system upgrade project for the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, at 2316 W. First. Vanos says the museum's HVAC system controls weren't running efficiently. Pro Mechanical replaced the controls and programmed a new sequence of operations that allows the facility to operate the system at a much higher level of efficiency with a considerable cost savings, he says.

Vanos had been an employee of the business since 1997, working in every aspect of its operations. He says he had been preparing to take over management and ownership of the company for more than three years. The previous owner, Richard Schrader, continues to work for the company as he phases into retirement.