Success Group International
HVAC / Plumbing / Electrical / Roofing · Sarasota, Sarasota County
About the company
Sarasota-based best-practices, training and buying organization for independent residential service contractors, organized into four divisions: AirTime 500 (HVAC), Plumbers' Success International, Electricians' Success International and Roofers' Success International. It sells members business systems, flat-rate pricing guides, sales and management training, purchasing discounts and access to SuccessWare 21 software. SGI is not itself a service contractor; it is the contractor-support arm that grew out of Jim Abrams' Sarasota-based Clockwork Home Services group and was carried into Direct Energy with the 2010 Clockwork purchase. It later rebranded as CertainPath.
Ownership history
- Acquisition Aquila Investment Group
What changed after the sale
Trade coverage of the April 2014 sale said SGI's headquarters stayed in Sarasota and existing staff remained in place, with members continuing to receive the same tools, training and SuccessWare 21 access. A companion May 2014 ACHR News item described the AirTime 500 division as sold to executive and member investors. The organization was later rebranded CertainPath.
Only sourced observations are listed. Customers and employees can add what they saw.
Who really profits
Money paid to Success Group International now flows to Aquila Investment Group (Sarasota, FL). Investor group formed by Rebecca Cassel, a former Direct Energy/Clockwork Home Services executive, together with her husband Lon Cassel and a group of SGI member-contractors and employees, to buy Success Group International out of Direct Energy in 2014. The stated thesis was returning the member organization to independent, member-and-employee-aligned ownership rather than corporate-utility ownership. Sarasota headquarters and existing staff were retained.
Capital events at the platform level: 2014-04-25 new sponsor — Acquired Success Group International (including AirTime 500) from Direct Energy; terms not disclosed..
Read more: why prices rise after a sale · debt, exits and the 5-year clock.
Frequently asked
Who owns Success Group International?
Success Group International is owned by Aquila Investment Group, a family office headquartered in Sarasota, FL. The sale was announced April 25, 2014; the company still operates under its original name.
Is Success Group International private equity owned?
Success Group International was acquired by Aquila Investment Group, which we classify as family office rather than a private-equity platform, based on the sources listed below.
Is Success Group International locally owned?
Not in the sense most homeowners mean. Control sits with Aquila Investment Group in Sarasota, FL, although the local brand name is still used.
When was Success Group International sold?
April 25, 2014 (announcement date).
Did Success Group International change its name after the sale?
No. Keeping the acquired brand name is standard practice for platforms; it preserves customer trust and reviews while ownership changes behind it.
Sources Reported — credible press
- ACHR News (2014-04-25) — trade press. Announcement of the Aquila Investment Group purchase of SGI from Direct Energy; describes the four divisions and Sarasota HQ.
- Plumbing & Mechanical (2014-04-25) — trade press. Plumbing trade coverage of the same transaction.
- Contractor Magazine (2014-04-25) — trade press. Names Rebecca Cassel's Aquila Investment Group as the buyer.
- EC&M (2014-04-25) — trade press. Electrical trade coverage, relevant to the Electricians' Success International division.
- ACHR News (2021-01-01) — trade press. ACHR News Mergers, Acquisitions, Name Changes directory: 'In 2014, its Success Group International (SGI) unit, including AirTime 500, was acquired by Aquila investment Group, Sarasota, Fla.'
- CertainPath — company site. Successor brand's own story page.
- ACHR News (2014-05-19) — trade press. Follow-up on the AirTime 500 division.
Researcher notes: Included because it is a Sarasota County home-services business whose ownership changed inside the 2010-2015 window, and because it is a direct descendant of Clockwork Home Services (Sarasota), which is already in the dataset. It is a contractor-support organization rather than a licensed service contractor, so the trades list describes the trades it serves, not work it performs. Founding year and founder left null - AirTime 500's origins trace to Jim Abrams in Sarasota but no source read here states a founding year for SGI as an entity.
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