Driving productivity and client retention: Aero Performance Group's success with PEAK

Partnership wins at a glance

• Increased scale and productivity: The Consulting Services division of Aero Performance Group (Aero) has grown its active project portfolio by 50% without any additional resourcing.
• Improved retention: The PEAK Platform’s real-time visibility into building performance and utility consumption has strengthened client trust and increased the rate of Aero’s fixed-term projects expanding to longer-term engagements.
• New revenue stream: PEAK’s comprehensive features have enabled Aero to create a new, ongoing technology-based revenue stream that complements its existing offerings.
• Client energy savings: Aero excels at delivering significant energy savings for its clients. By utilizing PEAK’s AI-powered monitoring, Aero identifies and fixes issues faster, increasing the energy saved for clients.‍
• Greater client engagement: Aero has been able to immediately communicate value delivered to clients using PEAK’s dashboards and significantly increase client visibility.

About Aero Performance Group

Aero Performance Group is an award-winning division of the Hill Group based in Chicago. Its Consulting Services division improves building performance, reduces environmental impact, and supports the sustainability goals of its major property owner clients. Aero blends engineering brilliance with hands-on field experience and real-time responsiveness to perform best-in-class work for the buildings, occupants & communities it serves.

Aero’s challenge

Before adopting PEAK, Aero used a legacy system for energy performance analysis, which was complex and manual. Integrating data from multiple sites with varying building automation systems and IT requirements was cumbersome. Without automated fault detection and diagnosis (FDD), engineers manually reviewed BMS data to find issues, slowing their response to fixing inefficiencies. The system also lacked advanced visualization tools and standardized reporting, forcing the team to compile reports manually.

Selecting PEAK

Following a comprehensive market evaluation, Aero now leverages PEAK across its diversified portfolio of US properties to quickly identify and fix issues, introduce optimizations, and reduce energy consumption for its clients. Aero cited several notable differentiators that set CIM and PEAK apart from the alternatives they evaluated.

Onboarding speed

‍PEAK’s seamless integration with any building automation system and AI-powered onboarding process has significantly accelerated Aero's commissioning process. PEAK’s proprietary machine-learning capabilities have automated many traditionally manual commissioning tasks. Aero can now bring new properties online faster and maintain consistent operational standards.

Comprehensive feature set

‍Aero selected PEAK for its extensive suite of advanced features, including energy tracking, AI-driven fault detection, equipment uptime, and indoor environment monitoring. With real-time access to building data, Aero gains immediate insights into operational performance, enabling the team to fix issues and introduce optimizations faster than ever before. 

Enhanced visualization for clients

‍The platform’s real-time dashboards offer Aero the opportunity to share unprecedented transparency with clients, enabling them to actively monitor performance and collaborate more effectively with Aero’s team. As a result, client engagement has significantly improved.

Exceptional support

‍The CIM team delivered consistent and comprehensive support throughout the integration process. CIM has proven to be a dependable partner, proactively addressing challenges and offering tailored solutions. The reliability and quality of CIM's support have empowered Aero to operate confidently, knowing they can rely on prompt and effective assistance.

“By seamlessly integrating with our systems, PEAK has enabled us to identify energy-saving opportunities more efficiently while providing our clients unmatched visibility into their building performance. The platform’s real-time monitoring, powerful FDD, client-friendly dashboards, and exceptional support from the CIM team have helped us to scale quickly, improve client engagement, and maintain a high standard of operational excellence across our growing portfolio.” - Daniel Hosko, Commissioning Manager at Aero Performance Group

Partnership outcomes to date

Since embracing PEAK, Aero has achieved several significant outcomes that have profoundly impacted the company’s operations and growth trajectory.

Increased scale and productivity

‍PEAK has enhanced the team's ability to scale by dramatically reducing the time Aero’s team spends on manual commissioning tasks, improving issue rectification times, and automating client reporting. This has enabled the team to grow the number of active properties under its remit by 50% without adding any additional resources. 

A new revenue stream

‍PEAK’s advanced AI-powered monitoring and fault detection capabilities have enabled Aero to create a new, ongoing technology-based revenue stream that complements its existing consultancy-based offerings.

Improved retention

‍PEAK’s real-time visibility into building performance and utility consumption has strengthened client trust and enabled Aero to demonstrate the tangible benefits of its services. This enhanced transparency allows clients to see immediate efficiency improvements, fostering deeper confidence in Aero's expertise. As a result, many of Aero's fixed-term projects have transitioned into longer-term engagements.

Greater client engagement

‍Aero now offers clients a more interactive and transparent experience through PEAK’s dashboarding and advanced data visualization. Most of Aero’s clients now regularly log into the platform to monitor building performance, review identified faults, and track utility consumption. This unprecedented level of engagement has strengthened client relationships and fostered more collaborative partnerships.

Energy savings

‍Aero was recently honored with the 2023 Top Performer – Most kWh Savings award through a local utility program. This is the third year in a row that Aero has received this prestigious award, which recognizes the company’s excellence in achieving substantial energy savings. This award highlights outstanding achievements in energy efficiency, particularly in reducing kilowatt-hour consumption through retro and monitoring-based commissioning.

“PEAK has helped us increase productivity and significantly expand the number of projects the team can actively work on. We have been very impressed with the platform’s AI-powered monitoring, and the advanced visualization capabilities have enhanced our client engagement, helping to improve our retention rates. We are proud of our award-winning track record in delivering energy savings, and CIM has quickly become a key partner for our ambitious growth plans." - Nick Muscolino, Vice President at Aero Performance Group

Looking ahead

Aero is set to continue leveraging the PEAK platform to sustain and accelerate its growth as it expands its national footprint. To enhance service delivery, Aero plans to deepen its use of the platform by integrating more advanced features. This strategic approach will enable the company to deliver even higher-quality services to its clients. Additionally, Aero will maintain a close partnership with the CIM team to continually refine and optimize its processes, ensuring it remains at the forefront of innovation and client satisfaction in the industry.

"I’m impressed by the exceptional value Aero Performance Group provides to their clients. We’re thrilled our technology boosts productivity and client retention across their expanding portfolio. This collaboration showcases technology's role in driving growth and sustainability. We look forward to supporting Aero’s goals and helping them innovate and deliver outstanding value." - David Walsh, CEO of CIM