The origin of Hillphoenix dates back to 1887 when C.V. Hill, a New Jersey grocer, dissatisfied with the coolers at that time, decided to build his own. Around 1909, the company became known as Hill Refrigeration. In 1964. the company is sold, and becomes a division of Emhart Corp. In 1985, Grant Brown, a Georgia entrepreneur, forms Phoenix Refrigeration Systems which is later acquired by Dover Corp. in 1993. Phoenix acquires Hill Refrigeration the following year to form Hillphoenix.