©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com
By Jill Nagy
“We’re breathing in a lot of stuff in the air that we cannot see,” said Patrick Schmidt, vice president of sales at Air Pro Solutions, a new business selling, installing and servicing air filtration systems.
When he and other member of his sales staff visit a potential customer, they bring along an air quality meter that can measure that “stuff in the air” and then show it disappearing as one of the company’s Air Box filters goes to work.
Air Pro, located at 229 Washington St. in Saratoga Springs, services an area including Saratoga and Albany counties, the Glens Falls area and the North Country. They are independent dealers for Air Box units manufactured in the Carolinas. Currently, the company employs three sales people and two service people.
When businesses and other institutions prepare to reopen, they usually begin by stocking masks, plastic shields, hand sanitizers, antiseptic wipes and similar equipment.
“The air piece of it,” he said, “is the last one usually” and arguably the most important.
Air Pro sells portable, stand-alone units about the size of a dehumidifier. There is also a model in a cabinet that fits into the wall.
They filter in three stages: an activated carbon filter removes odors; an anti-microbial filter removes the larger particles; the final filter, a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter, can remove particles as small as viruses, including COVID viruses. The first two filters have to be replaced every six months. The HEPA filter is good for three years.
He said the units are available in two sizes with a third, larger, one on the way. The smaller unit, powerful enough for a classroom, sells for about $2,500. The larger one, enough for a gymnasium or auditorium, runs about $4,500. Air Pro also rents the units on six-month leases and can provide financing.
The manufacturer began by manufacturing air filtration systems for clean rooms, including some at GlobalFoundries and Regeneron. More recently, they branched out into a line of smaller external systems.
Schmidt got involved in the business about nine months ago, after an earlier career in the health care field, he said.
Air Pro Solutions has been busy. Customers include restaurants, schools, and medical facilities. Schmidt is confident that, once they get used to clean air, people will continue to invest in it.
“I don’t see that going away,” he said, noting that many Asian countries “have been doing it for a long time—because their air is so bad.”
Schmidt’s phone number is 518-281-0994. The business can also be reached at 1-888-556-0230.