Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities

EP# 9: Optimizing Your Air Conditioning: Nick Carter's Path to HVAC Success with Carter's Air Conditioning

• Skip Mauney & Nick Carter • Episode 9

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What makes Nick Carter with Carter’s Air Conditioning a good neighbor?

Could your air conditioning system be running inefficiently without you even knowing it? Join us on the Good Neighbor Podcast as we chat with Nick Carter from Carter's Air Conditioning. Nick shares his incredible journey from working a physically demanding job to successfully taking over and running an HVAC business. He offers invaluable insights into the essential maintenance your air conditioning units need, emphasizing the importance of checking air filters at least once a month, especially if you have pets or live in a dusty environment. This episode is a treasure trove of practical tips to keep your AC units running smoothly and maintaining optimal air quality in your home.

We'll also get to know Nick beyond his professional life. Discover how his passions for drumming and trout fishing help him stay balanced, and hear firsthand the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. Nick's story is one of faith, perseverance, and the crucial role of personal touch in building a trustworthy local service business. Learn how he overcame the fear of starting his own company and why reliability and direct customer service have been key to his success. For those looking for more information or immediate assistance, Nick shares how you can connect with Carter's Air Conditioning via Facebook and provides his direct contact number. This episode is not to be missed!
To learn more about Carter’s Air Conditioning go to:

https://www.facebook.com/nick.carter.186/

Carter’s Air Conditioning

(423) 329-6425



Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monning.

Speaker 2:

All right, welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Everybody, are you in need of an air conditioner that works? Do you need to repair your AC? Are you burning up in this super, record-setting heat summer? Well, I might have somebody today that can help you. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your neighbor, mr Nick Carter, with Carter's Air Conditioning. How are you doing, nick?

Speaker 3:

Doing great. How about yourself?

Speaker 2:

Good Doing, just fine, just fine. I know our listeners are going to be really excited to hear all about you and your business, so why don't you tell us a little bit about your company?

Speaker 3:

Well, I took over a man's company back in the first of March of this year of 24. And it's been a ride so far. I've enjoyed it. It has its ups and downs, but it's going real good.

Speaker 2:

Very good. How did you get into the business of AC work?

Speaker 3:

Well, I worked at Summers Taylor for like 12 years and I had to get out of that kind of work. It's just whenever I got older to retire I thought well, man, I don't need to be broke down and 65 years old and can't do nothing. I wanted to get into something a little more easier that you could do, that you could use your brain doing instead of just back breaking work all the time. So I went to school at Northeast State and I got my certification EPA certification in heat and air conditioning and so I've been doing it now, going on seven years. I worked at a few places and I've got quite a bit of experience, so it's a pretty good trade.

Speaker 2:

So when you took over, you said you took over an existing business. Uh, did I guess.

Speaker 3:

I'm assuming he had a like a client list that you took over yeah, he had like 800 to a thousand customers and uh, yeah, so I just took over all his clientele and it's been on since then there you go, there, you go.

Speaker 2:

Well, it sounds like it's going well. Are there any myths or misconceptions in the air conditioning industry that you point out?

Speaker 3:

I guess a couple of things Maybe that it needs to be maintained more than people think it does, for air quality maintained more than people think it does, and you know for air quality and you know it's like getting a new vehicle and you know keeping the oil changed and the air filter cleaned and all that and changed or what, but keeping things maintained and you know keeping it working before it breaks, before something happens, keeping it looked at. You know a lot of people don't think it's very important, but it's one important thing.

Speaker 2:

What would you say would be the most important thing to do to maintain your equipment.

Speaker 3:

At least change the filter or look at it at least once a month, you know, because if it can't breathe, it can't do what it's supposed to do.

Speaker 2:

And you recommend looking at it once a month. It should be, should you? Change it that often, because I've always, and I might be incorrect, but I always use the like when you change out the batteries in your uh smoke detectors to also check your filters like every six months.

Speaker 3:

But that's that may be too long yeah, uh, check at least once a month because, especially during uh different conditions like, uh, you know, say, you live around out in the county and live out in next to hay fields and stuff and it's, you know, dusty a lot, or if you have pets I have pets, I've got a cat and a dog and I've got to check my lease once a month because it'll have cat hair in it and dog hair and you know that kind of thing, and especially at Lent and stuff like that, especially if it's one of the ones that's in the floor and that's where all the dirt's at and it catches a lot of that.

Speaker 2:

Gotcha. So at least well, I learned something once a month. I need to be checking it once a month.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, at least look at it.

Speaker 2:

Yep. So outside of work, Nick, what do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3:

I play drums, I'm a drummer. I've been a drummer since I was 14, and I'm 51, and I love to play. Oh, wow, yes, and I like to hunt and fish and stuff like that also. What kind of fishing do you like to do, interesting?

Speaker 2:

thing I like trout fishing. That's, that's one of my favorites same same here I do fly fish no, I just throw it out there and hopefully something will catch it.

Speaker 3:

But or bite at it, but most of the time it's just it's trout fishing.

Speaker 2:

Or just throw it out there and hopefully something will bite it yeah, well we're fortunate to live in a part of the country where there's a, there's an abundance of trout streams, oh, yeah definitely. I love to eat trout too, man yeah, me too, I like it, oh my gosh. Well, let's uh, let's change gears for just a minute. Um, can you describe or think of one hardship or life challenge that you rose above and can now say because of it you're better and stronger? Does anything come to?

Speaker 3:

mind. Yeah, matter of fact, before I took over this business, I prayed to the Lord about it. I've been wanting my own business for a pretty good while. I was like, well, it's hard to get people to to, uh, you know, because there's a lot of people that do do it. But I know the lord. He gave me this business and I prayed about it for the longest time and, uh, the only thing I had to buy was a trailer that the guy had it was about new and he gave me everything else and I know it was provided by the Lord, but I was just afraid to step out and just do it on my own. But I did and I overcome that. It was just a fear of you know, hopefully, that I was going to make it, you know, and so far everything's been great.

Speaker 2:

That's a great story, man. I think that's one step. Most entrepreneurs, people that start their own business, that's just getting over that initial hump of, okay, I'm going to do this and and taking that chance. It just seems most people are risk averse, I guess, and and that's a risky thing to do but, it's also, as I understand, can be very rewarding as well.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So, nick, tell us anything that our listeners. What's the one thing that our listeners need to remember about Carter's air conditioning?

Speaker 3:

Not sure, Ron.

Speaker 2:

Well, you're locally owned, you're your own boss. I know I've talked to a lot of other service kind of businesses doing these podcasts.

Speaker 2:

The one thing that sticks out to me is when I was talking to a guy who runs a woodworking shop and he builds signs and furniture and that sort of thing and he was a chef for a lot of years and he said you know, the first step was hard for him to step out, but he loved working with wood and but he, the thing that stuck with me with him is the one thing he said to remember. He said I am the secretary, I am the general manager, I am the guy who actually, you know, cuts the wood and cleans up the sawdust, and you know and all that he said. So I'm not like some kind of conglomerate or corporation where you got to talk to somebody in India, that I imagine if somebody calls your number it's coming to your cell phone.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, directly, and it's. I've got calls early at 630 in the morning, I ain't even got out of bed yet and like, hello, this is Nick.

Speaker 2:

Wow, wow Well you know, and that means a lot to people. I know it does mean when you can call a business and actually talk to the guy who runs the place you know, and get something done. I think there's a level of trust there that is not there with like chains.

Speaker 3:

Right, and somebody that will answer the phone or they'll and they'll call somebody back if somebody's called or left a message. And getting back in touch with people, that's a big, a big important thing that I guess a lot of people don't do, because I hear that a lot. I'm glad you answered the phone, or I'm glad you called me back, or I'm glad you could get here so soon. I've had a crampacked full day and not get home until 8 or 9 o'clock at night but still trying to get people's air conditioning going because it's been record heat, air conditioning going because it's been like record heat and elderly people or people with kids and stuff or people that don't feel sick, they need that.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, absolutely, and it means a lot. People remember that. Help them out, especially when it comes to sweating yourself to death. How can our listeners learn more about Carter's Air Conditioning?

Speaker 3:

I've got a Facebook page. It's Carter's Air Conditioning. I haven't got to do a whole lot with it, of course, but hopefully in the future I'm going to be able to post some things, or post some things that I did, or something like that Go ahead.

Speaker 2:

I'm sorry.

Speaker 3:

And if somebody needs to get in touch with you quick, yeah, my phone number is 423-329-6425. So it's like if you, if you text us 423-329-NICK.

Speaker 2:

That's. That's pretty cool.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that's. That's easy to remember too. Yeah, Very cool. 3-2-9, Nick 3-2-9, nick.

Speaker 2:

All right. Well, nick, I really appreciate you being on the show and we wish you and Carter's Air Conditioning all the best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

I appreciate you. Thank you, paul, thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, paul. Thank you, thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom, or call 423-719-5873.