About Us

ABOUT US

HIGHMARK’s mission is to support building sustainability, electrification, decarbonization and cost savings. We do this by bringing the best and most innovative global building-efficiency technologies to the New York City metro area. Upon implementation, energy efficiency is improved, carbon emissions are reduced and costs are decreased. In addition, we provide comprehensive HVAC service and maintenance so buildings can achieve peak performance.

Since 2013, we’ve challenged the status quo by partnering with worldwide industry leaders to introduce high-quality and advanced technologies. With extensive HVAC experience and knowledge – and an unconventional approach – we know what it takes to bolster efficiency and sustainability. Ultimately, these efforts will better the built environment for centuries to come and enrich people’s lives.

Our team works with engineers, contractors, owners and operators across all commercial and high-rise residential building types. We customize our building-efficiency technologies for every job to meet the specific needs of the most demanding structures. The results are buildings that optimize efficiency, strengthen their electric infrastructure, further carbon neutrality, safeguard the environment and operate more cost-effectively.

WHY HIGHMARK

HIGHMARK did what few could achieve – challenge the HVAC status quo and work tirelessly to increase building efficiency. We seek to curb energy consumption, decrease emissions, enable building electrification, foster sustainability, support renewables, cut costs and enrich lives. Indeed, we’re the only company bringing the world’s top efficiency technologies to buildings in New York City.

We’re motivated by these facts:

• Conventional buildings are incredibly inefficient and waste about 30% of their energy input.
• Buildings consume about 40% of the energy and 70% of the electricity used annually in the U.S.
• Buildings account for 39% of the carbon emitted annually in the U.S. and 67% of New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions.
• Electricity-powered building efficiency technologies support building electrification, building sustainability and greenhouse gas reduction efforts. For example, building efficiency is central to New York City’s 80×50 plan to cut emissions 80% by 2050.

This motivation drives HIGHMARK to search the world for the best, most innovative and most reliable building-efficiency technologies. We then tailor our products to meet the specific needs of New York City’s demanding buildings. Further, as the situation dictates, we utilize the diverse skills of our extensive global team consisting of hundreds of professionals.

HISTORY

Richard Gerbe and Anthony Sannazzaro co-founded HIGHMARK in 2013 due to frustration with a lack of innovation and customer focus. Their goal was to challenge the HVAC industry’s status quo and bring efficiency to the built environment. As a result, their efforts provided key support for building electrification and sustainability initiatives, particularly in New York City.

Today, the industry recognizes HIGHMARK as a building-efficiency pioneer and leader. This is particularly true because of the company’s trailblazing work in building electrification and sustainability in New York City. Therefore, in reflection of its efforts, HIGHMARK has experienced double-digit annual growth since its founding. It also continues to expand its wide-ranging client base and list of manufacturing partners.

RICHARD GERBE
CO-FOUNDER

Richard Gerbe, a 2017 ENR New York Top Young Professional and a 2016 Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40 Award Winner, is a visionary and seasoned HVAC authority with nearly two decades of industry experience. His robust expertise in the best and most innovative products, technologies and processes available today for boosting building efficiency is unparalleled. Gerbe is committed to challenging the HVAC industry’s status quo and imparting a new mentality centered on greater efficiency in the built environment.

Prior to co-founding HIGHMARK, Gerbe worked as both a consulting and sales engineer at Trane for almost a decade, as well as held several other top-level positions at leading engineering and consulting companies in the HVAC industry. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the New York Institute of Technology.

ANTHONY SANNAZZARO
CO-FOUNDER

Anthony Sannazzaro, 2017 Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40 Award Winner, is a leading commercial HVAC expert, and his proficiency in chilled-water system design, unitary products, complex airside design, ice storage, controls and energy analysis is unmatched. Sannazzaro is tireless in his efforts to apply his considerable expertise to his client projects in order to boost building efficiency and cut energy use and costs.

Prior to co-founding HIGHMARK, Sannazzaro worked at Trane as a sales engineer for nearly a decade. As a technical expert, he collaborated with industry-leading engineers on numerous high-profile local and international projects, many of which earned top-level LEED certifications. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

AT A GLANCE

A company snapshot of HIGHMARK includes the following key information:

• Organization: Founded in 2013 and headquartered in New York City, HIGHMARK is a multifaceted and global organization. It consists of hundreds of HVAC professionals from across the world, including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
• Experience: Our core team represents over 30 years of combined HVAC experience. We help engineers, contractors, building owners and operators run their buildings as efficiently, cost-effectively and reliably as possible. Our customers represent the best in the business, and our partners are global leaders in building efficiency.
• Customers: Our customers are serious about operating buildings as efficiently as possible. To achieve this goal, we provide them with the best and most innovative building efficiency technologies from across the world.
• Partners: We only partner with top companies that share our vision of challenging the HVAC status quo to increase building efficiency. We’re extremely selective in who we work with, and our partners are leaders and pioneers in their fields.
• Growth: Since the company was founded in 2013, it has grown by double digits every year.

CORE PRINCIPLES

HIGHMARK’s core principles serve as the foundation of our culture by defining our character and values. Accordingly, these qualities are shared convictions that we expect to guide our associates both professionally and personally. These principles include:

• Organizational strength: We believe that strong leadership is the foundation of a solid organization. HIGHMARK’s leadership seeks to create trust, promote ingenuity, emphasize customer service and inspire a positive culture. Hence, our leadership team leads with integrity because leadership demands responsibility.
• Accountability: HIGHMARK’s culture is one of accountability since our reputation is always on the line. The following critical characteristics of our company demonstrate our commitment to accountability:
  • Adhering to the highest ethical business practices
  • Efficient operations
  • Transparency to our clients, partners and associates
  • Achieving excellence in customer service
  • Following our beliefs and founding principles
• Expertise: HIGHMARK seeks to become the industry authority in the systems we sell. Consequently, our highly trained sales engineers focus on research and education to be the “go-to-guys” in our product categories. This means that our salesforce is the most adept in the industry at bringing about positive change for our customers.
• Authenticity:  A strong and authentic belief in our mission is at the core of the business. We believe that authenticity produces sincerity, upon which all the best sales organizations are based. Above all, HIGHMARK will remain committed to our core beliefs and true to our cause.

DIFFERENTIATORS

As we seek to make buildings more efficient, we’re differentiated by the following attributes:

• Challenge the status quo: We work to change the buildings industry, which is stagnant and lacks new technologies and innovation. Correspondingly, we constantly challenge the status quo to bring efficiency to the built environment.
• Serious about efficiency: We vet and identify the best products and technologies in building efficiency. Such innovative products perform better, maximize efficiency, reduce energy use and costs, enable building electrification and further sustainability.
• Innovation hub: We search the world for the best and most innovative HVAC products and technologies on the market today. This means that we’ve done the legwork for our clients, and they can access everything in one central location.
• Extensive knowledge and expertise: We’re an extension of our manufacturing partners, and offer a keen understanding of their products and technologies. For this reason, we know what works and what should be avoided.
• Robust global team: We lead a global team of hundreds of the most qualified HVAC professionals in the industry. Our vast network spans multiple continents, from the Americas to Europe to Asia.
• Professional organization: We’re dedicated to the utmost professionalism to ensure a friction-free and streamlined customer experience, from start to finish.
• Devoted to sustainability: By implementing our innovative building efficiency products and technologies, we support building electrification and green buildings, which furthers sustainability.
• Focused on the customer: We’re committed to meeting our customers’ needs first and foremost. Thus, we’re completely focused on creating a rewarding customer experience.
• Personal driving professional: Our personal goals of environmental stewardship drive our professional goals of challenging the status quo in the buildings industry. We want to make the world a better place, and we strive for that everyday through our sustainable building services.