Company Profile
R.F. MacDonald Co. has been in business since 1956. We have over 280 employees involved in sales and service of boilers and pumps for commercial and industrial applications. Our employees are involved in applications engineering, equipment sales, parts sales, field service and customer support. Experienced graduate mechanical engineers are also on staff to assist contractors, engineers and end users in equipment selections, installation planning, layout, permitting and project supervision.
Our efforts to proactively promote our field service availability and capabilities are a key differentiator between our company and other equipment sales companies. Our customers expect and deserve prompt reliable service for the products we provide.
Specifying engineers and installing contractors have also come to rely on our company to quickly and professionally resolve equipment and systems issues during initial equipment operation.
Our company has and will continue to identify areas of added value for the benefit of our customers. We package pump systems and boiler room equipment into pre-piped and wired skids, for example, simplifying field installation requirements. Engineers, contractors, and end users have favorably embraced this concept. We have in-house shop-fabricating facilities that provide these capabilities. Our field service personnel provide design input to ensure serviceable units, input not often available at the equipment manufacturer’s facilities.
Market Impact
We have provided over 15,000 boilers since 1956 into the California and Nevada areas that we serve. We have provided pump systems in thousands of wide-ranging industrial applications. Through our years of effort to properly apply the equipment we sell, to service it after we sell it, and to maintain and strengthen our relationships with our customers, we have gained invaluable experience in the industries we serve. We have many key employees that have been with our company for more than 10 years and several who have been with us for more than 20 and 30 years. We also have attracted and retained many employees that have been in the industry for many years prior to joining our company. As we have grown our experienced employees have trained our new employees. We strive to be the most experienced company with the most capable personnel in the industry and in the area we serve.
However, times have changed and we continue to change with them. We still have the skills to properly apply, maintain, and repair boilers and pumps but this equipment has become increasingly complex. This is especially true in California, which leads the way in reducing air pollutants. We have been involved in low NOx boiler applications since 1978 and have furnished over 1,000 boilers since then to meet the most stringent emissions standards in the country. Pumps have also been impacted by air quality regulations. As a result, we have become seal specialists through our association with John Crane Mechanical Seals. We also provide Goulds mag-drive sealless pumps for the most severe applications.
Cleaver-Brooks Partnership
In August 2026, Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc., a leading provider of integrated boiler systems and other thermal energy solutions, acquired R.F. MacDonald Co. to continue growing our service presence and strengthen our customer support capabilities.
The partnership reflects Cleaver-Brooks’ commitment to investing in customer relationships while expanding its sales, technical support, and service capabilities. By coming together with R.F. MacDonald, Cleaver-Brooks’ customers in California and Nevada can continue working with the trusted professionals they know, while gaining access to additional engineering resources, product expertise, and operational support – all under one combined organization.
“We are extremely excited about expanding our relationship with Cleaver-Brooks and joining forces with the incredible team at R.F. MacDonald Co.,” said Bart Aitken, President and CEO of Cleaver-Brooks. “For 70 years, R.F. MacDonald Co. has represented our products with professionalism, technical expertise, and a customer-first approach. Bringing our teams together allows us to build on that success, strengthen our presence in the market, and deliver even greater value to our customers and partners.”
We have built a reputation for responsive customer service, technical knowledge, and strong relationships across many aspects of the boiler and thermal solutions industries. R.F. MacDonald Co. and its team of just under 300 employees have played an important role in growing Cleaver-Brooks’ business throughout California and Nevada.
Jim MacDonald, Chairman of R.F. MacDonald Co., stated “After generations of proud family ownership, followed by a transfer of ownership to our employees several years ago, this new chapter will provide our company with additional scale and resources to accelerate growth. Our core values – commitment to our customers and dedication to our employees – will hold firm as we come together with our longtime partner, Cleaver-Brooks.”
“This marks the start of a great new era as we start our eighth decade in business. Joining Cleaver-Brooks creates new opportunities for our customers, employees, and partners,” said Jim Lowell, CEO of R.F. MacDonald Co. “We share a commitment to solving customer challenges with reliable products, practical expertise, and responsive service. This combination gives us the resources to deliver even greater value.”
As a subsidiary of Cleaver-Brooks, the company will continue to operate under the R.F. MacDonald Co. name, with the same leadership team and in the same territory. Customers received a seamless transition, with no interruption to existing sales contracts, technical support, or ongoing projects. The combined organization will continue to provide the same trusted service while offering expanded capabilities, including:
• Enhanced technical sales and application engineering support
• Direct access to factory resources and product expertise
• Improved coordination between sales, engineering, and customer service
• Greater investment in inventory, training, and customer responsiveness
• Expanded opportunities for future growth and innovation
This acquisition is part of Cleaver-Brooks’ broader strategy to strengthen customer engagement, accelerate innovation, and deliver industry-leading solutions across its markets.
About The Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.
Cleaver-Brooks, a business unit of Miura Co., Ltd., is headquartered in Thomasville, GA. The company designs, manufactures and delivers efficient thermal solutions so customers can reduce their energy costs and environmental impact. Cleaver-Brooks serves customers across the Americas, Middle East and Asia with a commitment to quality, innovation, and exceptional customer service. Visit cleaverbrooks.com for more information.
