ALLENTOWN, Pa.---PP&L Resources announced Friday (12/19) that it has reached an agreement to acquire the Lehigh Valley's largest heating, ventilating and air-conditioning firm.

William F. Hecht, chairman, president and chief executive officer of PP&L Resources, said the acquisition will expand PP&L Resources' abilities to offer a full range of energy-related services to large commercial and industrial customers.

PP&L Resources will acquire H.T. Lyons, Inc., a privately held Lehigh Valley company with more than $37 million in annual revenues.

Hecht said Lyons will retain its name and operate as a subsidiary of PP&L Resources, with Ted Lyons, the company's founder, continuing as its president.

"The most successful energy businesses of the future will be full-service organizations that can meet customer needs for all-inclusive energy services," said Hecht. "Through our PP&L, Inc. and PP&L Spectrum subsidiaries, through H.T. Lyons and Penn Fuel Gas, which we are in the process of acquiring, we will be in a position to offer services ranging from energy procurement to design construction of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems. We also will be positioned to offer on-site energy management services."

Hecht said the Lyons company is an excellent way for PP&L Resources to make its entry into the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning segment of the energy business. "Lyons has an impressive customer base and a nearly 25-year history of providing quality services. We are very pleased to welcome the Lyons tradition of excellence, Ted Lyons himself and his excellent staff to the PP&L Resources family of companies," said Hecht.

"PP&L Resources' proven commitment to high-quality customer service makes this a very logical move for Lyons, its customers and its employees," Lyons said.

Founded in 1973, Lyons provides both construction and maintenance services related to air conditioning, heating, plumbing and process piping. While most of its customers are in the Allentown area, the company also has customers in New Jersey and Delaware.

Hecht said that PP&L Resources, through its various subsidiaries, intends to expand its energy-related services to the rest of Pennsylvania and to other states in the Northeast as electricity markets continue to be deregulated.

The price of the acquisition was not disclosed.

The closing, which is subject to the expiration of the antitrust waiting period, is expected to occur in about a month.