YELLOW JACKET Down Under: Meet Wholesaler Refspecs in New Zealand

Refspecs Refrigeration Specialties Ltd. is a specialty refrigeration and air conditioning wholesaler that sells spare parts and equipment in New Zealand, where it’s headquartered, and throughout the Pacific region.

The company’s store is located in Auckland. It sells many YELLOW JACKET products from the counter inside the shop as well as online. THE BUZZ chatted with the co-owner and manager of Refspecs, Rob Morgan, to find out more about what makes Refspecs unique.

Rob Morgan

BUZZ: Tell us about your company’s name. What does it stand for?

Morgan: We came up with the Refspecs name by combining the first parts of ‘Refrigeration’ and ‘Specialties’. We felt that this was a better trade name than the full company name – Refrigeration and Specialties, Ltd.

BUZZ: How did you get the idea to start your own store?

Morgan: I worked at another large wholesale company for more than nine years. During that time, I got the idea to start my own company. I felt that I could offer a more intimate, higher level of service as a smaller independent supplier. Along with my wife, Mary Morgan, and her mom, Alison Moffat, we opened up our doors in 2010. We now have eight full-time employees and have been growing ever since.

BUZZ: When did you first get involved in the HVAC/R industry?

Morgan: My older brother, John Morgan, is a refrigeration engineer. When I was in school, I spent all of my breaks working various jobs in the refrigeration and HVAC industries. When I was 17-years-old, I decided to leave school to take up a refrigeration apprenticeship. I knew it was what I wanted to do from a young age.

BUZZ: How many YELLOW JACKET products do you carry?

Morgan: A lot! We have 220 YELLOW JACKET products that people from the Auckland region, and as far as the Pacific Islands, can buy. Our most popular-selling product is the YELLOW JACKET ACCUPROBE II Leak Detector.

YJ Products

BUZZ: What would you say makes your company unique?

Morgan: One of the most unique things about my store is that our employees all have experience in the HVAC/R industry. So all of our customers can be assured that they will receive the right level of technical support and customer service.

We don’t have machines answering our phones, so our customers always get to talk to a person when they call. I think that’s pretty unique and I wouldn’t want to run our store any other way.