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Evan Eachus

Founder & Chief Executive Officer at FirstCall Mechanical Group

Austin, Texas, USA

EE
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Why they matter

Founder-CEO executing a fast-moving commercial HVAC/mechanical roll-up for SkyKnight Capital, with five-plus acquisitions in under three years and prior PE operating experience at Sycamore Partners.

Background

Evan Eachus is the Founder and CEO of FirstCall Mechanical Group, a commercial HVAC, refrigeration, electrical, and plumbing services platform he launched in February 2023 in partnership with SkyKnight Capital. Before founding FirstCall, he spent roughly six years as a Principal at Sycamore Partners (2015-2021), where he focused on portfolio operations and sat on the boards of Staples, Inc. and Essendant; he holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Since launch, FirstCall has grown from four founding regional operators to a multi-state platform of roughly 200+ employees through a steady cadence of tuck-in acquisitions.

Notable deals

  • 2023
    Launched FirstCall Mechanical Group with SkyKnight Capital via simultaneous acquisitions of STR Mechanical, Technical Services, TimCo Heating and Air, and JAX Refrigeration's services assets
  • 2024
    Acquired Capital City Mechanical to expand FirstCall's footprint into the Columbus, Ohio market
  • 2025
    Acquired CLS Facility Services, a Cleveland-based national facility maintenance provider, expanding FirstCall's multi-craft and national-account capabilities
  • 2025
    Acquired LC Anderson, a commercial HVACR contractor serving life sciences, healthcare, private education, and manufacturing clients

Call-prep brief

Evan Eachus — Founder & CEO, FirstCall Mechanical Group

Background

  • Founded FirstCall Mechanical Group in Feb 2023 with backing from SkyKnight Capital, combining four regional HVAC/refrigeration/electrical/plumbing operators (STR Mechanical, Technical Services, TimCo, JAX Refrigeration).
  • Prior Principal at Sycamore Partners (2015-2021); sat on boards of Staples, Inc. and Essendant. Harvard MBA.
  • Sits on the operator side of a sponsor-backed platform — not an independent owner, so any conversation likely runs through or is visible to SkyKnight.

Current focus

  • Scaling a Southeast/national commercial mechanical services platform via tuck-in M&A (Capital City Mechanical 2024; CLS Facility Services and LC Anderson 2025).
  • Building out national-account and multi-craft capability (CLS deal) alongside core HVAC/refrigeration.

What he cares about

  • Preserving acquired teams' leadership and culture post-close (consistent theme in his acquisition quotes).
  • Recurring/preventive-maintenance revenue mix and blue-chip commercial/industrial customer relationships (distribution centers, universities, government).

Recent moves

  • Two acquisitions announced in August 2025 alone (CLS, LC Anderson), suggesting an accelerating deal cadence.

Sensitivities

  • As a sponsor-backed platform CEO, he may not be free to discuss SkyKnight's fund economics, exit timeline, or competing sponsor conversations without clearance.

Questions to ask

  1. What's the underwriting logic behind the pace of tuck-ins — is FirstCall targeting a specific revenue/EBITDA threshold before a next capital event?
  2. How centralized vs. federated is integration (back-office, branding, pricing) across acquired operators like CLS and LC Anderson?
  3. Where does SkyKnight's parallel residential platform (NearU) create synergy or conflict with FirstCall's commercial focus?

Outreach draft

Subject
Question on FirstCall's mechanical services roll-up
Hi Evan, I've been following FirstCall's build-out since the SkyKnight launch in 2023 — the pace of tuck-ins this year (CLS, LC Anderson) stands out in a commercial HVAC/mechanical space that's still fairly fragmented. I work with a deal team evaluating the commercial building-services roll-up model, and your background straddling both the operating and PE side (Sycamore, now FirstCall) would make for a valuable conversation. We're not looking to compete for deal flow — just keen to learn how you're thinking about integration, national-account strategy, and where the next phase of growth comes from. Would you have 20 minutes in the next couple of weeks for a call? Best, [Your Name]

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