History

The Hill Group proudly celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2011. The original corporation was founded in 1936 as L.C. Kohlman, Inc. and only performed refrigeration maintenance. The late James B. Hill, P.E., was hired less than a year later as the firm’s engineer. Soon thereafter, the fledgling company was selected to be the local distributor of DuPont’s new Freon refrigerant – with the right to distribute it nationally.

The company survived World War II as a large servicing agency while also installing major piping systems in defense plants. Federal Ventilation Co. was formed in 1946 to provide the firm with sheet metal capability for the young air conditioning market. In 1961, James B. Hill became president of both firms, which he ultimately purchased.

Over the next half century, three generations of the Hill family and many loyal, talented associates steered our organization through additional milestones, growing it into the largest trade contractor in Illinois, with over 1,000 people and more than $290 million in annual revenue.