Commercial HVAC industry pioneer Jon Pierce died on January 13, 2009 in Houston, TX after a brief illness. Pierce was 70.

Jon Pierce began his career as a design engineer with Texas Instruments. He founded Pierce Mechanicals in 1968 in Fort Worth, TX. The company became an industrial service and maintenance business. He also started Pierce Contractors, LLC, for Design/Build general contracting. Pierce Contractors designed and built several hundred commercial and industrial buildings in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Pierce was active in a number of professional organizations, where he made many long and close friendships. He served a term as president of the North Texas chapter of the Association of Building Contractors (ABC). He served on the board of directors and the executive committee of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) for several years, and was ACCA national president in 1977.

As a business management contributing editor to then Contracting Business magazine, Pierce provided insightful articles on business management topics.

John Saucier, president, Temperature, Inc., Nashville, TN was in an ACCA MIX^® Group with Pierce.

“Jon didn't see problems as obstacles, he only saw challenges,” Saucier says. “Jon Pierce abhorred a problem. If he knew about it, no matter if it was his problem or yours, he was single-minded about finding a solution.

“He freely offered help to anyone who appeared to need help.”

Pierce's survivors include his wife Lynn; son Kelly Marshall Pierce of Denver, CO, daughter Julie Whitworth of Tampa, FL, and grandchildren.