Our History
Industrial Refrigeration Service, Inc. was established November 22, 1978 at the kitchen table of the Nechay home in Boring, Maryland. Shortly thereafter, Rudolf “Rudy” and his wife Eva became majority owners of the business. Relocating to a small rental property in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, little did they know that one day they would be running one of the largest industrial refrigeration companies in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Soon the business took off and it became clear that acquiring more land in Baltimore County was necessary. A house on Philadelphia Road in Rosedale, Maryland became the new headquarters of Industrial Refrigeration Service. Eva kept the administrative side of the business going inside the house while Rudy fabricated and welded in the back yard. It soon became obvious that a shop/warehouse was needed in order for their business to continue to grow.
In the later half of 1989, Rudy built the new office/shop/warehouse in the back of the house on Philadelphia Road. As the business grew, an addition was built on to the shop around 1994 requiring the demolition of the house. Rudy had a plan. He wanted to create a more competitive strategy by having Industrial Refrigeration Service fabricate more of their refrigeration systems locally versus on jobsites.
In 2003, Rudy’s strategy became a reality when Industrial Refrigeration Service moved to their new 30,000 square foot facility in White Marsh, Maryland. Our large fabrication shop, warehouse space and new administrative offices enabled the ever-growing company to maintain the high standards set by Rudy Nechay.
Professionalism, attention to customer service, and doing the job right the first time are the foundation blocks of Industrial Refrigeration. Rudy was not only the President of Industrial Refrigeration Service, he was known to sweep floors, change lightbulbs, answer phones and do any job he expected any employee to do. Keeping customer service number one entailed always having a “human” voice answering the phones and offering 24 hour emergency service. Creating a “family business” atmosphere in a large company such as Industrial was and still is considered doing things the “Rudy way”
Sadly, we lost our founder in 2013. His knowledge of the business coupled with his firm but fair attitude is sadly missed by everyone in our organization. The Nechay family proudly continues to honor his legacy by upholding the high standards he set for Industrial Refrigeration Service.