Business Strategy

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Culture and Business Strategy

Watsco began its HVAC/R distribution strategy in 1989 and has grown by using a “buy and build” philosophy, resulting in substantial long-term growth in revenues and profits. The “buy” component of the strategy has focused on acquiring or investing in market leaders to either expand into new geographic areas or gain additional market share in existing markets. We have employed a disciplined and conservative approach, which seeks opportunities that fit well-defined financial and strategic criteria. The “build” component of the strategy has focused on encouraging growth at acquired companies, by adding products and locations to better serve customers, investing in scalable technologies, and exchanging ideas and business concepts amongst leadership teams. Newly acquired businesses have access to our capital resources and established vendor relationships to provide their customers with an expanded array of product lines on favorable terms and conditions with an intensified commitment to service. We have also developed a culture whereby leaders, managers and employees are provided the opportunity to own shares of Watsco through a variety of stock-based equity plans. We believe that this culture instills a performance-driven, long-term focus on the part of our employees and aligns their interests with the interests of other Watsco shareholders.

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Growth Strategy in Existing Markets

Our strategy for growth in existing markets focuses on customer service, product expansion, and the implementation of technology to satisfy the needs of the higher growth, higher margin replacement market, in which customers generally demand immediate, convenient, and reliable service. We respond to this need by (i) offering a broad range of product lines, including the necessary equipment at an array of price-points, parts, and supplies to enable a contractor to install or repair a central air conditioner, furnace, or refrigeration system, (ii) maintaining a strong density of warehouse locations for increased customer convenience, (iii) maintaining well-stocked inventories to ensure that customer orders are filled in a timely manner, (iv) providing a high degree of technical expertise at the point of sale, (v) collaborating with customers to advertise and market their business and services in local markets, and (vi) developing and implementing technology to further enhance customer service capabilities. We believe these concepts provide a competitive advantage over smaller, less-capitalized competitors that are unable to commit resources to open and maintain additional locations, implement technological business solutions, provide the same range of products, maintain the same inventory levels, or attract the wide range of expertise that is required to support a diverse product offering. In some geographic areas, we believe we have a competitive advantage over factory-operated distribution networks, which typically do not maintain inventories of parts and supplies that are as diversified as ours and which have fewer warehouse locations than we do, making it more difficult for these competitors to meet the time-sensitive demands of the replacement market.

In addition to the replacement market, we sell to the new construction market, including new homes and commercial construction. We believe our reputation for reliable, high-quality service, and relationships with contractors, who may serve both the replacement and new construction markets, allows us to compete effectively in these markets.

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Joint Ventures with Carrier Corporation

In 2009, we formed a joint venture with Carrier Global Corporation (“Carrier”), which we refer to as Carrier Enterprise I, in which Carrier contributed company-owned locations in the Sun Belt states and Puerto Rico, and its export division in Miami, Florida, and we contributed certain locations that distributed Carrier products. We have an 80% controlling interest in Carrier Enterprise I, and Carrier has a 20% non-controlling interest. The export division, Carrier InterAmerica Corporation, redomesticated from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Delaware effective December 31, 2019, following which Carrier InterAmerica Corporation became a separate operating entity in which we have an 80% controlling interest and Carrier has a 20% non-controlling interest. On August 1, 2019, Carrier Enterprise I acquired substantially all of the HVAC assets and assumed certain of the liabilities of Peirce-Phelps, Inc., an HVAC distributor operating from 19 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

In 2011, we formed a second joint venture with Carrier, which we refer to as Carrier Enterprise II, in which Carrier contributed company-owned locations in the Northeast U.S., and we contributed certain locations operating as Homans Associates LLC (“Homans”), a Watsco subsidiary, in the Northeast U.S. Subsequently, Carrier Enterprise II purchased Carrier’s distribution operations in Mexico. We have an 80% controlling interest in Carrier Enterprise II, and Carrier has a 20% non-controlling interest. Effective May 31, 2019, we repurchased the 20% ownership interest in Homans from Carrier Enterprise II, following which we own 100% of Homans. Homans previously operated as a division of Carrier Enterprise II and subsequent to the purchase operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.

In 2012, we formed a third joint venture with Carrier, which we refer to as Carrier Enterprise III. Carrier contributed 35 of its company-owned locations in Canada to Carrier Enterprise III. We have a 60% controlling interest in Carrier Enterprise III, and Carrier has a 40% non-controlling interest.

On April 9, 2021, we acquired certain assets and assumed certain liabilities comprising the HVAC distribution business of Temperature Equipment Corporation, an HVAC distributor operating from 32 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. We formed a new, stand-alone joint venture with Carrier, TEC Distribution LLC (“TEC”), that operates this business. We have an 80% controlling interest in TEC, and Carrier has a 20% non-controlling interest.

Combined, the joint ventures with Carrier represented 56% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2021.