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Good Neighbor Podcast: Auburn and Opelika
With her genuinely good heart and a wealth of experience behind her, Susannah works to connect local business and non-profit leaders to their neighbors. In a community like ours in which so many have invested their lives, there are fantastic stories all around us that motivate and inspire, often right next door. She hopes to share some of those here, on the Good Neighbor Podcast. Book an interview today at GNPAuburn.com
Good Neighbor Podcast: Auburn and Opelika
Ep. #55: Keeping Cool: Forrest Harmon's Journey in HVAC Excellence with Harmon Mechanical
Ever wondered what it takes to keep your home cool during those blistering summer months? Join us on the Good Neighbor Podcast as Forrest Harmon, the insightful owner of Harmon Mechanical, shares his incredible journey from a high school graduate to a thriving business owner in the heating, air, and plumbing industry. Forrest opens up about the trials and triumphs he faced on his way to success, underlining the pivotal role that same-day service and an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction play in setting Harmon Mechanical apart.
In this episode, we tackle common misconceptions about HVAC systems and the simple yet critical maintenance tips that can save you from a sweaty disaster. Forrest enlightens us on the importance of regular air filter changes and proper system maintenance, revealing how these small actions can prevent major breakdowns during peak seasons. Plus, you'll get the lowdown on Harmon Mechanical’s Comfort Club, which offers biannual system servicing to keep your home comfortable year-round. Tune in for a treasure trove of insights that will empower you to better understand and maintain your heating and cooling systems.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Susanna Hodges.
Speaker 2:With me today is Forrest Harmon. He is the owner of Harmon Mechanical. Welcome Forrest. I'm happy to have you today.
Speaker 3:I'm happy to be here.
Speaker 2:Tell me a little bit about Harmon Mechanical. What do you do?
Speaker 3:We're a local heating and air and plumbing company. We do residential and commercial. We specialize in both, so we're very well-rounded.
Speaker 2:So tell me how you got into this type of business. What brought you into the world of mechanical business?
Speaker 3:Well, I graduated high school and kind of tried to go to college and it just wasn't for me. So I went and started working for a local heat and air company and worked for a couple around the area and then I decided one day that I wanted to go out on my own. And six years later, here we are.
Speaker 2:So and it's, it is an incredible journey, isn't it, into owning your own business. It's a. It's a takes a lot of courage, doesn't it? Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3:Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 2:So you know, we're recording this now. During the summer and I say this every year it seems like this is the hottest it's ever been in the South. And so what kind of, what kind of? What kind of things do people are are they experiencing to make them pick up the phone and call you?
Speaker 3:I mean, there's a, you know, never fails every summer. There's a lot you know never fails every summer. Um, there's a lot, you know a lot, of breakdowns due to, you know, not maintaining your system well, um, and you know, with that, you know, we get a lot of a lot of no air calls um you know, especially with this heat, you know, plus, anytime it gets to where it's, you know, in the high nineties, um, you know the it's just a lot, a lot more added stress on the system.
Speaker 3:So I mean you're going to have a lot more parts fail.
Speaker 2:Right. So it's kind of a I mean, people are calling you, it's an emergency right. You got to have air. Yes ma'am. Absolutely. So, what do you guys do to kind of help people get running quickly?
Speaker 3:We try to be able to get to everybody same day. We really pride ourselves on having same day service for emergencies, and so we will, you know, move things around, however we have to, and work late you know, we'll do what we have to do to make sure that you're you know you have air, we, you know we're there when you need air.
Speaker 2:Do you? You've been in the business for a long time. Are there any kind of misconceptions people have about their air conditioning or their heating that you've come across?
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, ma'am, not changing their filters often enough. You should, you know, at least check your filter once a month. If you're not going to change it once a month and then also not having, you know, the right filtration system. A lot of most of these units in people's houses have only a one inch air filter and that's just. You know. It's just not good enough filtration for the, for the system, and then also not maintaining your system.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, if everything's dirty, then you know your system's going to get hotter and work itself, you know, and it's going to work harder to cool the home. If your drain's not, you know, draining right, there could be added moisture being put into the home. Just little things like this can cause big issues, especially in the summertime, when it gets to be, you know, in the 90s. Yeah, that's when we have our comfort club and that's where we actually come out twice a year and service your system. We try to do that before peak season. So we, you know, spring and fall. That way you're ready to go for the peak season, you know, whether it's cooling or heating.
Speaker 2:Right. So many times we just kind of wait for something to happen and not really be maintaining it. And if we would just maintain, it probably wouldn't have the air go out in the middle of the summer. If you just keep it, keep the, like you said, the dirt out of it, change your filters, buddy, those are kinds of things you really need to make a priority, especially in the south yes, ma'am, absolutely so tell me a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 2:What do you do for fun when you're not working on other people's air conditioning systems?
Speaker 3:I uh love being outdoors. Um, I've got a. I've got a lab, and me and my wife've got a. I've got a lab, and um, me and my wife actually got a. We just got a golden retriever puppy. Um, you know being outside with them and um love to walk my dogs in the evenings. Um, I like to do that and de-stress and then give them some exercise as well.
Speaker 2:Right, uh, we have cats. I used to have dogs. We're animal lovers too. They're really a part of the family, aren't they?
Speaker 3:Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Well, what is one thing that you wish listeners knew about your business that they may not? You know, know.
Speaker 3:Well, we just started doing plumbing this year, so that's, I guess, something new for us. And then, you know, I guess I can't harp on our comfort club enough. Yeah, you know, the more members the better, and we do. Our comfort club is for residential and commercial. So I mean commercial companies need maintenance just as well as residential clients.
Speaker 2:So in your journey just to kind of go back to you know, your journey to becoming a business owner, part of the reason that I do this podcast is I like to encourage other people to go into business for themselves, but also to be prepared for some of the ups and downs of it. So what are some life challenges or some business challenges that you've gone through that kind of made you a stronger person or made your business a stronger business?
Speaker 3:I would say the. I mean there definitely are ups and downs in business. The I mean there definitely are ups and downs in in business, um, you know, there's some low valleys and some high mountains, for sure, um, and then there's a a lot of I guess, uh, I guess the struggle is just trying to, you know, realizing that now it's not, you know, it's not just me anymore, it's other people too depending on me, um, and so that's a I guess that's a kind of a constant struggle, but it is something that you overcome and you just, you know, keep going forward and kind of work through it and keep pushing forward.
Speaker 3:Right and it always works out.
Speaker 2:So yes, so how do people get in touch with you?
Speaker 3:How do they find you, uh, to give you a you a call? Well, they can go to our website, harmanmechanicalcom. They can also call us directly at 334-219-0717. Well, Forrest.
Speaker 2:It's been a pleasure talking with you today. I've enjoyed learning about you.
Speaker 3:Yes, ma'am, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me on.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, auburn. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpauburncom. That's gnpauburncom, or call 334-429-7404.