Our History
2004
Northstar Mechanical was founded in July 2004 by Jon Townsend, who started the business from his wife's minivan. Shortly after, Sandy Allsopp joined as Office Manager.
2005-2011
Northstar Mechanical experienced steady growth, adding technicians and relocating to its current address at 95 Camelot Drive, Plymouth, MA.
2014-2017
Northstar Refrigeration was established with Jon's son, Travis, joining the company. The focus expanded to include service, repair, and design engineering for industrial projects. Both Northstar Mechanical and Northstar Refrigeration became leaders in the Northeast, providing reliable HVAC/R solutions across various industries. In March 2015, Scott Handrahan joined as General Manager of Northstar Mechanical, contributing significantly to the company's growth with his team-first approach.
2017-2020
In 2017, Northstar doubled its office and warehouse space, and continued to expand its office and field staff. The leadership team was solidified. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, our dedicated staff and loyal customers ensured that safety and professionalism remained paramount.
2021
Facing adversity, we found unity. On April 1, 2021, Northstar Mechanical and Northstar Refrigeration merged into a single entity, growing to over 40 members.
TODAY
Since the merger, Northstar has doubled in size to over 80 employees and is celebrating 20 years of service this summer! As a family-owned business with deep roots in New England, our success is a team effort. Despite the challenges of a global pandemic and rapid growth, our core values and mission, established 20 years ago, continue to guide us. We remain committed to building the premier family-owned business in the Northeast, just as Jon Townsend envisioned when he started from a minivan with a condensing unit in the back.
“And to think, it all started out of a minivan…”
Northstar Mechanical started humbly in 2004, with Sandie Allsopp in the office and Jon in the field driving a minivan (it's not easy putting a condensing unit in a Chevy Venture). The company was started as—and has always remained—a family company. One of the first hires was Jon’s brother-in-law Shawn Neary who still works with us 17 years later. As the company grew, Jon was joined by his son Travis to start Northstar Refrigeration in 2014, and both Northstar Mechanical & Northstar Refrigeration went on to become leaders in the Northeast.
Fast forward to the present, and the adversity our team faced from COVID-19 showed us who we really were. From our valued customers to our devoted staff, we witnessed firsthand the power of resilience & unity in the face of this global pandemic. Born from this adversity was the realization that to better serve our customers, we had to come together as one company and one team. And now, as of April 1,2021 we are Northstar Refrigeration & Mechanical, at over 40 members strong. But despite the changes, the foundation of our company today remains the original vision Jon had in his minivan all those years ago: to provide unwavering customer service. We look forward to build on the decades of success that have sustained us and the generational relationships that have grounded us for many more decades to come.