Imperial Brown Buys Artic Temp

In the first announced merger of the new year, Imperial Brown, a manufacturer of walk-in refrigerators and freezers, has acquired Artic Temp, a Prague, Okla.-based maker of walk-ins. Terms of the deal, effective January 1, were not disclosed.

The acquisition of Artic Temp provides Imperial Brown three plants across the U.S., including its Portland, Ore., headquarters and in Salisbury, N.C. The workforce at employee-owned Artic Temp has made the transition to Imperial Brown, with one exception; after serving as president of Artic Temp since the death of her father and company founder is 2011, Diane West is stepping down from her post. “I’ve always known I wanted to pass Artic on to a quality business that keeps its word, takes care of its employees and creates a family atmosphere,” she says.

Imperial Brown was formed in 2012, after Imperial acquired W.A. Brown & Son.  Over the past four years, the two firms have been merged into one cohesive company, from manufacturing to quoting, with more than $1 million in new machinery invested in the North Carolina plant.

Justin Sandall, CEO of Imperial Brown, has similar plans for Artic Temp; he says he will add $1.5 million in new equipment and wants to grow annual revenue there to at least $10 million.