Charlotte, NC, Oct. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NearU Services (“NearU”), a premier home services platform, today announced that Founder and CEO Ashish Achlerkar will elevate to the role of Chairman of the Board, and services industry veteran Jay Darfler will become CEO. In his new role as Chairman of the Board, Mr. Achlerkar will continue to be active in advancing NearU’s vision to develop a 21st Century business model within the skilled trades, furthering the Company’s mission to be the preferred provider, employer, OEM partner, and acquiror, and continuing to help further scale the platform.
Mr. Darfler is joining NearU from Culligan International, a leading global water services platform, where he most recently served as President of the North American segment. As President, Jay oversaw Culligan’s largest operating region, nearly doubling the size of the segment during his tenure. Prior to Culligan, Mr. Darfler served in various senior leadership roles at ADT Security Services, Cinch Home Services, and OfficeMax.
NearU, a leading provider of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical home services was founded in 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina by Mr. Achlerkar. From 2018 to present, the Company rapidly scaled under Mr. Achlerkar’s leadership to a platform with 24 market leading brands across multiple states on the East and West Coasts. Over the course of this tremendous growth, the Company has maintained its focus on advancing skilled trades through the implementation of cutting-edge technology and the build-out of in-house training capabilities, all while fostering a people-centric culture. NearU is excited to build on its success with Mr. Achlerkar and Mr. Darfler in their new roles.
“Building NearU from the ground-up has truly been a fulfilling experience,” said Ashish Achlerkar. “With the collaboration of our highly talented team members, we have built a growing, national business. In NearU’s next chapter, we are focused on ensuring that we continue to provide our customers, employees, and community partners with best-in-class service and support. Jay is a phenomenal leader who is aligned with our culture, vision, and core values and who shares NearU’s long-term vision to build a cutting-edge, people-centric organization. He has a scrappy, entrepreneurial mindset and proven talent for building organizations and achieving growth. Through our partnership with Jay, I am confident that we will deliver on NearU’s mission.”
“Five years ago, Ashish set out to create a truly differentiated residential services platform,” said Jay Darfler. “A relentless focus on our employees, customers, vendors, and community partners allowed Ashish and the team to quickly grow NearU into an industry-leading platform. I am both honored and humbled by the privilege to work alongside Ashish, the Board, and an outstanding team of associates at NearU to lead us through our next phase of expansion and accelerating growth.”
NearU is backed by leading growth investors Freeman Spogli & Co. (“Freeman Spogli”) and SkyKnight Capital (“SkyKnight”).
About NearU
Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, NearU is an employee- and customer-centric provider of essential home services with a focus on HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services. NearU's brand portfolio has grown to include 24 longstanding and market-leading brands across multiple states on both the East and West Coasts. The Company has quickly become the preferred home services provider, employer, and partner to owners seeking to transition their businesses. NearU is well-capitalized and seeks to grow organically and through partnerships with leading HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and other skilled trade contractors. For more information, please visit www.nearu-services.com.
About Freeman Spogli
Freeman Spogli & Co. is a private equity firm dedicated exclusively to investing in and partnering with management in consumer and distribution companies in the United States. Since its founding in 1983, Freeman Spogli has invested over $5.7 billion in 70 portfolio companies with an aggregate transaction value of over $28 billion and has completed over 180 add-on acquisitions with its portfolio companies. Freeman Spogli is currently making investments from FS Equity Partners VIII, L.P. and has offices in Los Angeles and New York. For more information, please visit www.freemanspogli.com.
About SkyKnight
Founded in 2015, SkyKnight Capital manages over $3.5 billion in private equity capital on behalf of leading institutional family offices, foundations, endowments, and pensions. SkyKnight makes long-term investments into high quality businesses in acyclical growth sectors alongside exceptional management teams. SkyKnight aims to build industry defining businesses in healthcare, financial services, and tech-enabled services. More information is available at www.skyknightcapital.com.
