Siccardi Flying With Coenco Success

Coordinated Environmental Control Inc. (Coenco) recently purchased a King Air turboprop airplane. That’s because the Fayetteville manufacturer of cost-efficient climate-control systems is now in 30 states and is a major vendor to Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Tyson Foods Inc. and even J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.’s online provider, Transplace.com Inc.

Frank Siccardi, Coenco owner and developer, said that in 2000, the company had sales of $1.5 million, a 300 percent increase over 1999. But since the start of the company’s fiscal year Oct. 1, the company has already doubled the number for 2000.

“Our projected revenue this year is between $5 million and $10 million,” said Siccardi, who has 15 employees on North Hughmount Road in south Fayetteville.

Coenco supplies its trade-marked Positive Air System mainly to industrial warehouses, food-processing plants, chicken houses and mechanical depots. The technology relies on a bulletlike movement of air by stainless-steel or die-cast aluminum fan tubes called Real Air Movers to create a uniform temperature, humidity and fresh air in large buildings.

Instead of spraying air in circles like traditional fans, the system carries it in a straight line for 150 feet and bounces it off walls. The work is done by low-horsepower motors supplied by Motor Technology Inc. of Dayton, Ohio, and Baldor Electric Co. of Fort Smith.

“This is the result of 25 years of sitting on buckets in chicken houses in the middle of the night,” said Siccardi, a longtime veterinarian. “You work and tinker with things for years, and then all of a sudden, things go tilt. That’s what I’m looking at.”

The systems are in more than 30 Wal-Mart warehouses, including the new, 1.5 million-SF distribution center outside Dallas; dozens of food-processing plants; and a major mechanical terminal in Houston that is used by Transplace.com.

Poultry farmers have seen some of the most dramatic results from the Coenco system, including improved feed conversion costs, odor reduction, increased warmth and dramatically reduced heating costs.

Terry Frederick of Fayetteville has been Tyson Foods’ top grower for the last two years. He installed Coenco equipment in his chicken houses and, for his last flock, grossed 32 cents per bird. The region average was 16 cents per bird. He also reduced his gas costs per head from more than 20 cents to 4 cents.

Depending on a building’s size and existing climate controls, the air movers may only have to be on for 30 seconds every 10 minutes.

Siccardi said Coenco turns buildings “into thermal banks.”

“The vast majority of environmental-control equipment and methods are ineffective and wasteful,” Siccardi said. “We can cut your heating costs by 50 to 70 percent, sometimes 90, depending on how sophisticated your existing system is.”