Buckeye Ventures has announced that Ron Smith, an HVACR Business editorial board member, has joined the company's board of directors; and that Alfred Roach Jr., a pioneering figure in the comfort services industry, has been appointed the company's chairman of the board.

"This is like having two hall-of-famers on our team," says Alan Mintz, Buckeye Ventures' CEO. "I've had the good fortune to work with and learn from both Ron and Al for many years, and I can unequivocally say that there is no one in the business who's more able to provide the level of guidance and insight that they offer. They will be instrumental as Buckeye Ventures continues working to become the best-run, most-innovative firm there is."

Smith joins Buckeye Ventures after a 45-year career in the contracting industry, during which time he earned a reputation as an enthusiastic champion of groundbreaking approaches to pricing, sales, branding, operational structure, and organizational management. He writes a monthly column, “The Discipline of Leadership,” for HVACR Business and hosts an interactive discussion on www.hvacrbusiness.com.

Roach first joined Buckeye Ventures' board of directors in June of 2006, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience in the hvac industry, both as a contractor and a consultant. He is widely known and respected among comfort service providers as one of the principal architects of flat-rate pricing through the rate system promoted by Callahan/Roach Products & Publications, a company he founded with partner Mike Callahan in 1991.

Buckeye Ventures was founded in November of 2004 to acquire top-performing hvac and plumbing contractors and build them into a powerful, profitable network that reaches from coast to coast. Among the company's distinguishing features is that individual contractors who join the organization receive the strengths of a national provider without being required to sacrifice their individual brands or business models. Moreover, by joining Buckeye Ventures, business owners looking for an exit strategy can take advantage of the fact that the company's stock is publicly traded, which provides both liquidity and an accurate market valuation, according to the company.

For more information: Visit www.BEYV.com or call Alan Mintz at (949) 376-6677.