Cothrom Risk & Insurance Services
The HYTECH 24/7 platform opened Cothrom Risk & Insurance Services eyes to the downtime-prevention power of a system that’s always on the alert for trouble. It also brought the comfort and energy efficiency they were looking for.
Project Name and Location:
Cothrom Risk & Insurance Services
2300 NE 9th Street, Suite 3
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Client/Owner Contact:
Jordan Gillespie
Partner
(754) 312-5408
Project Summary:
As a rising insurance and risk management agency for a wide range of industries, Fort Lauderdale-based Cothrom knows the value of reducing losses and expenses by analyzing data. So, when they had the chance to take better control of comfort and operating costs at their office by switching to a data-driven A/C monitoring service, they eagerly made the jump to Hill York’s monitored comfort assurance program, powered by HYTECH 24/7.
With the agency in growth mode, the accompanying smartphone app was an instant highlight. The remote connectivity and feature-rich functionality enabled an expanding team of partners who were working different schedules to easily view and change settings and manage office comfort levels outside of normal business hours.
As HYTECH’s team of analysts monitored performance from a network operations center, Cothrom also saw the kind of data-driven communication they emphasize in serving their own clients. The upgrade to this smart system sheds light on specific adjustments to enhance staff comfort, stabilize system performance, and generate cost reductions and efficiency gains. After the first full year under program, Cothrom received a summary showing high marks for equipment performance despite its physical condition. The report did point out that a unit as old as theirs is vulnerable to breakdown.
“Giving Cothrom a data-based method to evaluate risks, make informed decisions and get a higher return on investment was something that closely mirrored their own service model,” said HYTECH’s Vice President of Operations Chris Hamilton. “That’s the heart of our programs appeal – true predictive maintenance that contains costs, facilitates capital budgeting, and keeps unpleasant surprises from clouding an otherwise positive business outlook.”
Fatefully, it was a rapidly unfolding situation that prodded Cothrom’s management to fully embrace the technology. A small freon leak in an outside air conditioning unit quickly grew, causing the system to freeze up during a hot spring day. The installed smart thermostat and sensors feeding live data to HYTECH’s analysts detected a decline in cooling efficiency 24 hours before the leak became critical. An automated alert was issued and a call was made to Cothrom communicating the danger signs.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t respond right away to the alerts we received,” acknowledged Jordan Gillespie, a partner at Cothrom. “The result was a broken unit and two days of downtime that created a very uncomfortable 82-degree office.”
Using its remote capabilities before traveling to the site, a service technician at HYTECH’s partner company Hill York diagnosed the problem within 15 minutes of arriving and confirmed the need to replace the older unit.
“Our take-away from that experience was to believe in the analytical power of the technology to catch problems early and avoid unnecessary downtime,” observed Gillespie. “That’s why we invested in this technology in the first place – data-rich remote monitoring backed by the professionalism of the Hill York team.”
In providing greater insight into their indoor climate and costs, HYTECH 24/7 supplies a power that’s putting Cothrom on very familiar ground: Being in control and able to analyze risks to make smart business decisions now and over the long term.
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