Our History
From humble beginnings in 1973 to being a choice provider for HVAC/R parts and equipment across Texas, Century's rich history has paved the way to setting the bar for outstanding service.
After one year of working for a company in the HVAC wholesale industry, Century's Founder Dennis Bearden decided that there had to be a better way to operate an HVAC distributorship. It was then that Dennis developed a business philosophy that has been Century's driving force: to regard employees as family and treat customers as friends with a generous amount of customer service.
This simple but powerful idea caught on; Century continued to grow and by 1995, through new store openings and acquisitions under the leadership of President Rick Luke, Century A/C Supply grew to eleven branches in the Houston and southeast Texas area.
In 1998, Century found a home in the San Antonio area after establishing Core Distributing. Not long after, in 2001, Century added Major Supply to the list of acquisitions, which then led to the opening of additional Houston area branches. With continued growth, in March 2008, Century added Johnson A/C Supply to its family and expanded into the Dallas area. Growth and expansion continued and in 2019, Century had a total of 28 locations throughout the state of Texas.
As a distributor of Ruud equipment since 1986, Century's longstanding relationship with Ruud's manufacturer, Rheem, led to a new partnership in 2020. Along with its sister company, Air Management Supply, Century A/C Supply entered into a new partnership with Rheem. This partnership presents a strategic opportunity for long-term growth and reinforces the strong supplier relationships we have built over the last several decades. Branches within Century A/C Supply's York territory were phased into a new company, Century HVAC Distributing, owned entirely by Bearden.
Today, Century A/C boasts thirteen locations across the greater Houston area including the Houston Metro area, Lufkin, Conroe, Angleton, and Bay City. As of 2023, Rick Luke has assumed an advisory role with Century A/C while remaining President of Air Management Supply. Ken Schreiber, previously General Manager of the Ruud region, is now President of Century A/C Supply and continues to carry on Dennis and Rick's vision of being easy to do business with while providing exceptional customer service through an industry-leading company culture.
Dennis Bearden
Rick Luke
Ken Schreiber
Ricky Cheek