Alex Hamilton — Owner of CPI Service, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling

Alex Hamilton is the owner of CPI Service, a Bay Area plumbing, heating, and cooling company built on decades of trades experience. He took ownership of CPI Service in 2023, bringing a background in construction management, industrial field engineering, and energy-sector business strategy to a company whose reputation was built by the technicians already on its team.

Rather than running the business from the trades floor, Alex focuses on the systems around it: how projects get planned, how field operations scale, and how a service company grows without losing the quality that earned its reputation in the first place.

Credentials & Background

Alex holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Western Carolina University, earned between 2011 and 2013. He began his career as a field engineer on industrial projects with Amec Foster Wheeler, then moved into a project engineer role at Wood, where he spent several years managing the planning, permitting, and execution of large-scale mechanical and industrial work.

He went on to earn an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley (2020–2022), concentrating in energy, finance, and entrepreneurship. During that time, he served as Co-President of the Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC), a student-run organization connecting the energy and cleantech industries with the Berkeley community. In 2022, he founded Blue Mountain Equity Partners before taking ownership of CPI Service in 2023.

Alex's Path to CPI Service: Why He Took Ownership

2011–2018

Field Experience

Building a Foundation in the Field

Alex's path started on industrial job sites, not behind a desk. As a field and later project engineer with Amec Foster Wheeler and Wood, he worked directly on how mechanical and industrial systems are designed, permitted, and built, an experience that gave him a ground-level understanding of the trades long before he owned a trades company.

2020–2022

Business Education

Energy, Finance, and Entrepreneurship at Haas

Looking to pair his field experience with a stronger business foundation, Alex pursued an MBA at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, focusing on energy, finance, and entrepreneurship. Alongside his coursework, he co-led the Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC), deepening his focus on how energy and infrastructure businesses are run and scaled.

2022–2023

Entrepreneurship

Founding Blue Mountain Equity Partners

In 2022, Alex founded Blue Mountain Equity Partners, applying his combined field and business background to identify and support well-run operating companies, groundwork that led directly to his acquisition of CPI Service the following year.

2023–Present

Company Leadership

Taking Ownership of CPI Service

In 2023, Alex took ownership of CPI Service, a plumbing, heating, and cooling company already staffed by technicians with decades of combined trades experience. His focus since has been on operational efficiency, technician development, and keeping the company's service quality consistent as it grows across the Bay Area.

The goal is not to reinvent CPI Service. It is to preserve the technicians and standards that built its reputation while running the business with greater structure, consistency, and discipline.

How Alex Approaches CPI Service

Alex treats CPI Service as a trades-first company that happens to be run with an operator’s discipline. His priorities include:

Invest in Technicians

Alex prioritizes the technicians who perform the hands-on plumbing and HVAC work rather than treating field staff as interchangeable.

Apply Engineering Standards

Construction and industrial engineering principles guide how projects are planned, permitted, coordinated, and completed.

Grow Without Compromising Quality

Operations are structured to support growth without sacrificing response times, workmanship, or the customer experience.

Prioritize Long-Term Efficiency

Alex brings an energy-sector perspective to HVAC and mechanical services, with an emphasis on system efficiency and long-term reliability.

Protect CPI Service’s Reputation

The company remains committed to the honest, high-quality work that established CPI Service throughout the Bay Area before Alex took ownership.

Connect with Alex & CPI Service

Have a question about a plumbing or HVAC project, or want to talk with the CPI Service team directly? Reach out below.

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