Air-Systems Engineering was founded in 1991 by Mike Walton, a seasoned expert in the mechanical service industry. After years of watching poor service cost customers money and patience, Mike built the company he thought Northern Colorado deserved: a highly skilled, competitive service provider that businesses could trust.
Today ASE is a second-generation family company led by Mike's son, Philip Walton — an HVAC engineer who grew up in the trade. The service work Mike built the company on is still our backbone, and it opened the door to what ASE has become known for: design/build mechanical construction for cleanrooms, precision labs, and process systems.
We're deliberately small. Rather than aiming to be the largest contractor, we maximize our strengths through small, specialized teams — and we're selective about the design/build projects we take on, choosing work that plays to those strengths.
“How you do anything is how you do everything.”
That's the company mantra, and we mean it literally: the way we approach the smallest task reflects how we approach all of them. It shows up in weld quality, in drawing accuracy, in a Method of Procedure delivered a week early — and in our other guiding principle: bad news does not get better with time. Owners always know where their project stands.
The same senior team stays involved from preconstruction through final commissioning — no handoffs, no diffusion of responsibility.
Philip brings over 20 years of HVAC experience rooted in both engineering and field service — a rare combination that shapes how ASE approaches every project. He holds a Bachelor of Science in HVAC Engineering from Ferris State University, where he placed 2nd in the ASHRAE International Student Design Competition. His service background gives him an instinct for how systems actually perform, not just how they're drawn.
Kelly brings 18 years of HVAC experience and a precision-first approach suited to critical environments where installation quality directly affects performance. He began his career at Ice Energy, working alongside engineers to develop and service a high-efficiency thermal storage system, and has been with ASE for over a decade. His craftsmanship and sequencing discipline in active facilities are central to ASE's success on demanding projects.
Behind Philip and Kelly is a team of experienced service technicians, installers, sheet metal and piping craftspeople, and apprentices — all based in Northern Colorado — plus trusted trade partners in controls, electrical, structural, TAB, and crane work built over three decades.
Talk directly with the engineer who will design it and the superintendent who will build it.