Electric Motor Controls, VFD Solutions & Power Quality Experts Since 1953
About AC DC Hotline
Our Heritage
Founded in 1953, AC DC Hotline combines decades of electrical expertise with a global supply chain. We provide hands-on support for motor controls, VFDs, soft starters, and more. Led by Director Roger Fritz, our team ensures reliable, practical solutions for industry needs.
Our Services
We serve industry with top-tier motor controls, VFDs, sensors, and power solutions. Our global network guarantees quick delivery and expert support to keep your operations running smoothly.
Our Method
Our technical expertise and customer focus ensure fast, accurate support. We diagnose issues, recommend solutions, and deliver reliability with proven field experience.
Our Founder's Legacy
Roger T. Fritz: Power & Control Expert
Roger T. Fritz — Engineering Power & Innovation
Roger T. Fritz is a second‑generation power‑systems specialist whose career spans global industrial projects, advanced motor‑control engineering, and the development of high‑efficiency electrical solutions. Born in O’Neill, Nebraska, Roger grew up in a family where motors, controls, and manufacturing were a way of life—an early foundation that shaped his lifelong commitment to engineering innovation.
Roger’s technical roots were strengthened through extensive studies with Curtis Read, the renowned RCA engineer, and through advanced work with IEEE and power‑plant switching expert Redal Curtis. These formative experiences built the framework for Roger’s deep expertise in electrical power quality, VFD technology, and industrial energy conservation.
Throughout his career, Roger has contributed to major engineering initiatives across the United States and internationally. His work includes participation in the 1995 EPRI Electrical Power Research Project, delivering energy‑conservation insights for injection‑molding operations, and leading VFD installations at the Ford Aerostar Plant in Virginia, where he engineered multi‑motor hydraulic press systems ranging from 200 to 1500 tons.
Roger’s portfolio includes thousands of VFD design studies, pilot programs, and application developments that have shaped modern standards for motor‑system efficiency and reliability. His nearly two decades of contract service with National Grid (2001–2020) further solidified his role as a trusted expert in industrial energy optimization across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York.
As a Speaker for the Association of Energy Engineers, Roger has educated industry professionals on motor‑system design, clean power, and advanced drive technologies.
Today, Roger leads a global supply network supporting industrial customers with motors, VFDs, soft starters, and engineered control solutions. His international reach includes seven motor manufacturing facilities and four panel‑building operations across Europe and the United States. Through AC‑DC Hotline and partner brands, Roger delivers rapid, reliable, and technically grounded solutions for customers worldwide.
For Roger, engineering is more than a profession—it’s a legacy. Soft starters, VFDs, and motors are in his blood.
William J. Fritz: Power Innovator
William J. Fritz was an engineer, inventor, and visionary whose work in electrical power, manufacturing, and applied research placed him decades ahead of his era. Born with a natural instinct for machinery and problem‑solving, William’s life took shape through service, discipline, and an unrelenting drive to understand how power moves the world.
After serving in the U.S. military during the rebuilding of Germany following World War II, William developed a mastery of electrical systems under extreme, real‑world conditions. His technical skill and leadership quickly drew national attention, leading to a historic commission from MIT to lead one of the most ambitious electrical research projects of its time.
At the center of this project stood a 300‑foot experimental tower, surrounded by a 36‑mile semi‑circle of electrical conductor delivered by train and installed with military precision. Working in partnership with NASA and leading scientific institutions, William oversaw atmospheric and electrical experiments involving controlled gas releases, aircraft‑based data collection, and early computer‑driven frequency‑control systems housed in a full semi‑trailer mobile lab. The test site in O’Neill, Nebraska—chosen for its vast, flat terrain—became a proving ground for breakthroughs in airflow, induced power, and atmospheric behavior.
This project marked the beginning of a legacy.
William’s passion for innovation inspired his brothers—Joe, Donald, and George, all military‑trained electricians—to join him in building what became one of the most diverse and inventive family enterprises in the Midwest. Together, they founded 13 companies, each rooted in practical engineering and American manufacturing:
- Industrial fan manufacturing
- Steel pipe fabrication
- Agricultural equipment and machinery
- Multiple patented technologies
- Tractors and power systems
- Electric motors, controls, and phase converters
- And a wide range of industrial and agricultural innovations
Their companies powered farms, factories, and communities across the region, creating jobs, solving real‑world problems, and setting new standards for reliability and craftsmanship.
William J. Fritz was more than an engineer — he was a builder of opportunity. His work blended scientific curiosity with hands‑on practicality, and his influence shaped the next generations of the Fritz family, including the continuation of the electrical and motor‑systems legacy through AC‑DC Hotline and beyond.
His life stands as a testament to American ingenuity: service, innovation, and the courage to build what has never been built before.