The Wittichen Legacy
Honoring the leadership and legacy of President Charles Herring.
Family, Innovations, and 112 Years of Service
The story of Wittichen is, at its heart, a story about people. For more than a century, generations of leadership have shaped the company into what it is today. As President Charles Herring prepares to retire after more than 50 years of service, we reflect on the history, growth, and values that built Wittichen Supply Company. We look back to where we began in the early 1900s, to where we are today in 2026.
Over the decades, Wittichen has grown from a single Birmingham operation into a network of branches serving contractors across the Southeast. Along the way, the company has navigated industry changes, new technologies, and evolving leadership; but the foundation has remained the same. Those principles, passed down through generations of leadership like Charles, are what continue to define The Wittichen Way.
The Beginning of the Wittichen Story
To understand the entire Wittichen legacy, we must go back to the beginning. It begins in 1900 with a woman whose determination shaped not only her family’s future, but eventually an entire industry across the Southeast. In that year, after the passing of her husband Florian, Kate Wittichen left Maryland and moved her family to Birmingham, Alabama. Kate wasted no time leaving her mark on Birmingham. In 1905, she helped found St. Andrews Episcopal Church. By 1910, she was serving as the second president of a charitable organization created by the women of the church to provide healthcare for children in need. That small effort grew into Children’s of Alabama, one of the state’s most important hospitals. Kate passed in 1927, but her values – service, community, and compassion – would echo through every generation of the Wittichen family.
Carl, the eldest of Kate’s sons, remained in Birmingham while his brothers moved elsewhere. In 1913, he founded the Wittichen Transfer and Coal Company. Three years later, he sold the coal portion and renamed the business Wittichen Transfer and Warehouse Company. The warehouse, located on 16th Street South and Avenue B, stored everything from household goods to chemicals used in early refrigeration – a technology still developing nationwide. Wittichen also became the Alabama agent for Aero Mayflower Transit Company, the largest transit company in the world at the time. By 1930, Wittichen pioneered the first use of Anhydrous Ammonia, Sulfur Dioxide, and Methyl Chloride for refrigerant systems in Alabama. When DuPont introduced “Freon” in the mid-1930s, the company began stockpiling refrigerants, parts, and equipment to support what would become a transformative industry.
Seeing the explosive potential of refrigeration, Carl Sr. sent his son, Carl Jr., to Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) to study Chemical Engineering and Business Economy. It was a deliberate plan: prepare the next generation to lead the company into an emerging field. After Carl Sr.’s passing in 1942, the warehouse company was sold, and its capital fueled the rapid growth of the newly formed Wittichen Chemical Company. Partnerships with DuPont, Allied Chemical, Honeywell, White Rodgers, Johnson Controls, Tecumseh, and others solidified Wittichen as a key supplier in the region.
As the Chemical Company grew, Carl Jr. quickly proved himself to be more than a successor. The mid-20th century was a defining period for the HVAC/R industry. Refrigeration was leaving the industrial world and entering homes, grocery stores, restaurants, and hospitals. Service companies needed reliable access to refrigerants, replacement parts, and technical expertise. Wittichen became known not only for having inventory, but for understanding the systems behind it. Still, Carl Jr. saw what many distributors of the era missed: chemicals alone were not enough. Customers needed motors, compressors, controls, valves, and the emerging technologies that powered modern HVAC/R systems. Without a parts division, Wittichen risked being left behind.
In 1945, he acted on that insight and created the Parts Department – what would become Wittichen Supply Company – under the leadership of Drexel Daily. The Chemical Company was later sold, and that sale was reinvested into building the new Supply business. Through the 1950s and 1960s, Daily shaped the culture that Wittichen employees still recognize today. The focus was simple: keep the shelves stocked, keep the customer first, and treat every technician like a partner in the field. Branches opened in strategically growing areas as post-war construction and air conditioning demand exploded across Alabama. By 1970, Wittichen had expanded to seven branches.
The late 1970s brought another major transition. David Henderson – who had married Carl Jr.’s daughter Vicky – joined the company and began training closely under Drexel Daily. Henderson brought a modern perspective at a time when the industry was shifting toward high-efficiency equipment, more complex controls, and a growing reliance on electrical components. When Daily passed away unexpectedly, Henderson stepped into leadership. Under his guidance, Wittichen entered a new era of modernization. Henderson implemented structured inventory systems, strengthened vendor partnerships, and expanded the company’s footprint with intention. He understood what made Wittichen unique – its relationships – and also what it needed to reach the next stage.
During the same period, J.C. Herring played a pivotal operational role. Trusted with overseeing multiple branches, he became one of the key stabilizing forces behind Wittichen’s growth. His approach was hands-on, practical, and deeply rooted in mentorship. Many employees hired during this era credit J.C. for shaping their careers. When J.C. retired in 1989, his son Charles – who had started in the warehouse in 1973 sweeping floors, loading trucks, and learning every corner of the business – became the Birmingham Manager. Charles’ experience across virtually every department gave him a unique ability to lead with perspective and empathy. He knew what branch employees faced every day because he had lived it.
In 1998, Charles was promoted to General Manager, the first to hold the title since Daily’s passing nearly two decades earlier. Under the combined leadership of Henderson and Herring, Wittichen entered its strongest period of expansion. New branches, satellite locations, and strengthened vendor partnerships solidified Wittichen as a dominant regional distributor. By 2015, the company had grown into a 25-branch network across Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
In 2021, after more than a century of family stewardship, the Wittichen family made the historic decision to “pass the torch.” It was not a sale made out of necessity, but one made with intentionality. The HVAC/R industry was becoming more global, more technologically complex, and more competitive. For Wittichen to continue growing, and to protect the culture the family had built, the next chapter would require resources and scale that extended beyond a single family’s ownership.
With that decision, Gryphon Investors acquired Wittichen. The transition marked the end of an era but also the beginning of a new one. David Henderson, who had served the company for 44 years and helped shape nearly every modern system and process, retired shortly after the transition. Charles Herring stepped into the role of President, becoming the leader who would guide Wittichen through this new phase while ensuring the company’s identity remained firmly intact. At the same time, Matt Helms, formerly the Tuscaloosa Branch Manager, joined corporate leadership as the first Branch Operations Manager – a role created to strengthen branch support and operational consistency across the network.
Gryphon then formed Heritage Distribution Holdings (HDH), a parent company designed to bring together strong regional distributors and create a collaborative, best-in-class network. Two years later, in 2023, HDH was acquired by Beijer Ref, one of the world’s largest and most respected refrigeration wholesalers. This development connected Wittichen to a global network of distribution, innovation, and technical knowledge.
Despite the scale of Beijer Ref, Wittichen remained distinctly Wittichen. Leadership stayed in place, the company name stayed the same, and the relationships with customers and vendors continued uninterrupted. What changed was the opportunity ahead: access to global resources, deeper product lines, and a broader platform for growth across the Southeast. These ownership transitions – first to Gryphon, then to Beijer Ref – did not erase the past. Instead, they positioned Wittichen for the future.
As we enter 2026, Wittichen stands on the edge of a new milestone: the opening of a new branch in Madison, Alabama – the first new location in over a decade. At the end of March, President Charles Herring will retire after more than 50 years of service, leadership, and stewardship of the family’s heritage. His retirement marks the beginning of a new era, but not the end of the story. For 112 years, Wittichen has navigated industry shifts, technological revolutions, ownership changes, and generational transitions. Through all of them, the company has stayed grounded in the same core values established by Kate and carried through every leader since: service, trust, relationships, and the belief that customers should always come first.
Today, the Wittichen legacy lives in every employee. It lives in every branch that opens, every delivery truck on the road, and every customer who walks through our doors. Our history is long. Our foundation is strong. And our future is still being written – one branch, one employee, and one customer at a time.