How A Family HVAC Company Stayed Ahead Since 1933

Peakzi Podcast: Ninety-plus years in business doesn’t happen by accident, and it definitely doesn’t happen by “just fixing furnaces.” We’re joined by Steve Boehmer, owner of Boehmer Heating and Cooling , to trace how a family HVAC company founded in 1933 in Pittsburgh keeps earning trust across generations and why that local reputation still beats bigger names when homeowners need help fast.

We dig into the habits that keep the business relevant: pioneering service agreements, embracing early computer systems, and now adapting to AI search optimization as the next major shift after traditional SEO. Steve shares how they use Peakzi to build helpful AI-ready content, track visibility with platform scoring, and benchmark against competitors. We also talk about using market data to make smarter decisions, from demand signals to hiring conditions and even local permit activity.

The heart of the conversation is the customer promise: treating the home as a system and HVAC as comfort, health, and safety. Steve explains why indoor air quality matters when windows stay shut, how combustion checks and carbon monoxide awareness protect families, and how whole home energy solutions like air sealing and insulation can change how a house feels and performs. We close with what it takes to build a great team, why NATE certified technicians matter, and how maintenance memberships create the kind of peace of mind that keeps customers coming back for 30–50 years.

Subscribe for more home services success stories, share this with an owner or operator who’s thinking about the next wave of marketing, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

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More info at: https://ai.boehmerheating.com/

Peakzi Podcast: Home Services Success Stories

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Introduction

Julian Placino 0:00

Welcome to the Home Services Success Stories podcast powered by Peakzi, the number one AI platform for growing your home services business. I'm Julian Placino, your host, and we have another terrific show in store for you today. Because today we have Steve Boehmer, who is the owner at Boehmer Heating and Cooling. Steve, welcome to the podcast. How are you? Thank you, Julian. Well and very well. It's great to have you here and excited to learn more about your success story. So let's learn a bit more about the genesis of the business. So Boehmer has been family owned since 1933. So take us back and tell us a little bit about how the company started.

Steve Boehmer 0:38

Sure. Or my grandfather started the company. He left uh the Holland Furnace Company and started Baymer Heating during the Depression and uh in the local Pittsburgh neighborhood of Mount Washington. And his three sons, Herb, Bill, and Dave, uh joined the company with him for a number of years. And uh and then my brother and I, my brother Dave and I are the third generation owners. Uh so I'm the last one that's uh not retired. Um, but it's been quite a legacy here in Pittsburgh.

Julian Placino 1:09

It's been quite a legacy indeed. And and what do you think that legacy means? How would you describe its significance so far?

Steve Boehmer 1:16

Um, it's I think that there's um an appreciation for locally owned family businesses. I think people enjoy that as opposed to the big box or the franchise or the really big corporate names. So uh we're just glad to that uh we're able to stand for quality and uh commitment to to the people in the area that we've had for all these years.

Innovation From Service Agreements To Computers

Julian Placino 1:39

Yeah, I think that's great. So local and also standing for quality, being true to what the brand has been for all these years. So something I know about the brand as well is that early on the business wasn't just about fixing systems, but you were innovating the way business was done, innovating service agreements, business systems, and technology. So tell us about some of those innovations and how does that shape the way that you run the business today?

Steve Boehmer 2:03

We've always had a legacy of pioneering new things and staying, you know, I want to know if it was a cutting edge, but certainly staying uh advanced. Uh my grandfather within the first 10 years uh, we had four locations here in Pittsburgh, which uh kind of unheard of back then. Uh and then my uncles became pioneers in service agreements when they first heard about them and quickly jumped in uh to have service agreements that people could have peace of mind that they had a contract with us and were able to get service when they needed it. Um, and they followed through on that with uh some of the early computer systems. We had uh a Radio Shack TRS-80 with our first computer, and they digitized our customer database back in the 1980s. So we just always had that forward thinking, let's stay relevant, let's stay uh top of mind, let's uh do what we can to stay top of the industry.

Julian Placino 3:00

Gotcha. Okay. So how does that affect, you know, as the owner of the the business and also looking forward for like future vision, how do you think about innovation and technology? What do you think are the biggest opportunities and trades and home services moving forward?

Steve Boehmer 3:14

Well, things are changing so fast. Um, we went from internet search optimization to now AI is is moving forward so fast that uh uh we just want to make sure that uh we're staying up with that technology, being a part of it, being relevant, making sure people can find us when they need us uh so that we continue to lead the market.

Julian Placino 3:39

Okay. Well, I generally kind of um uh have these types of conversations closer to the end of the recording, but we're actually here right now speaking about innovation and technology. So this show is powered by Peakzi, and you are a Peakzi customer. So I'm curious, how would you describe to other home services leaders what Peakzi is?

Steve Boehmer 3:58

Uh so Peakzi helps us uh be relevant in search uh for AI search optimization. So uh they've helped us build the um web domain that's a subdomain uh for AI search and add content and relevant uh frequently asked questions to that. Uh and so we continue on that effort to make our make that content relevant uh so that when people are searching on uh AI, whatever AI platform, that will become uh the trusted source will become the number one most visible uh solution to the search.

Julian Placino 4:38

Okay, and how long have you been a Peakzi customer? I think it's been about nine months now. Nine months, okay, okay. And what would you say have been the most um significant outcomes so far of using the platform?

Steve Boehmer 4:50

Well, we enjoy uh watching the uh the dashboard and seeing how our experience changes in terms of our scores, you know, the overall score, Peakzi score. Uh, but we can also see how we do against our competition, and we can see how we're doing in the market as to how people are searching for terms and how we're showing up.

Julian Placino 5:10

Gotcha. So, how you kind of stack up against the competition? Are there any kind of gaps that you may be able to improve upon? Um, as well as you mentioned uh search terms. So, what's the demand based on empirical data versus kind of guessing like what's the hot service right now? So I think those are good points. Yeah. Any other interesting features about the Pixie platform that you'd like to share before we kind of move on?

Steve Boehmer 5:34

Um it's it's larger than I thought it would be. So there are ways you know that we can look into marketing, we can look into uh demand for technicians in the market, uh, look into real estate, uh, we can see what's happening in terms of permits being pulled in the city. So it's just vast uh the different things we can look into and check. So it's uh it's been very eye-opening that way.

Julian Placino 6:05

Okay. So her the marketing application, you mentioned technicians are recruiting and hiring, um, as well as all sorts of interesting data that can help you make strategic decisions about the direction to take your business.

Steve Boehmer 6:16

That's right.

Third Generation Leadership And Culture

Julian Placino 6:17

Yeah, so there's all a good point. So well, well, back to to your leadership story. And again, third generation. So stepping into leadership in the mid-1990s, you know, what responsibility do you feel inheriting the business with that kind of history?

Steve Boehmer 6:34

It's funny because when I joined the management team, I read a book that uh mentioned how the third bit the third generation usually kills the business. Oh, really? Okay. But I think in a lot of cases, it becomes uh uh a place where people in the family might go to work just because they need a job. We were fortunate enough that uh our other family members, our cousins, had careers that that they were very interested in. Uh so it was down to my brother Dave and I to uh that we had the drive and the goals and the desire to succeed. So I didn't worry so much after that uh about our legacy. Um but it's just carrying on with uh you know we've established our vision to be the leading HVAC company in the market uh and uh develop core value. So uh we're building our culture here just so that from the leadership team all the way through all the people in the field, we all have the same customer-focused mindset.

Comfort Health Safety Beyond HVAC

Julian Placino 7:39

Gotcha. Well, let's talk about some of the things that have made Boehmer successful throughout the years. So Boehmer focuses on comfort, health, and safety, and not just heating and cooling. So, why is that an important distinction for homeowners?

Steve Boehmer 7:53

I think a lot of people think about their heating and cooling as a box. They've got a box in the basement, for example, or a box outside that does the cooling. Um, but it's so much more than that. If we think about how much time we spend in our homes, um, and this is a chance to really take care of our comfort, you know, when whether we're in front of the TV or we're sleeping or playing with kids or whatever, we're there a lot of a part of our days, and uh and so comfort is is significant. Uh and then the indoor air that we breathe, you know, we're in a market that's cold in the winter, so our windows are closed up, and oftentimes the air quality can be worse uh inside than it is outside. So being able to provide better air quality that we breathe while we're at home is important to us. And then the safety aspect, you know, we most of our market uh we burn natural gas for heat. Uh, the byproducts would be carbon monoxide. So we have a very safety conscious mindset that when we do a tune-up, we're checking the combustion and making sure it's it's burning properly, making sure that our customers have uh safety devices like carbon monoxide alarms so that they can be safe in their homes. But it's that holistic look at the house as opposed to just a heating source or just a cooling source, I think is important.

Whole Home Energy And Building Science

Julian Placino 9:08

So going far beyond just brake fix, but really optimizing for comfort, for health, and for safety. And like you said, holistic, I think that's great. And also, you also specialize in whole home energy solutions. So, what exactly is that and and why should customers care?

Steve Boehmer 9:25

It's kind of the next step in seeing the house as a system, understanding how our houses work better. So in 2014, we worked with the Building Performance Institute and became certified building analysts. It helps us understand how the house works, that the air in our house is always changing. Air is coming in from outside and it's exhausting through places we don't realize. Uh, and that leads to comfort issues, uh, energy efficiency issues, it leads to poor air quality. Uh so we became to understand that better, we're able to help uh homeowners understand how they can air seal and insulate their homes and just provide so much more value and so much more enjoyment out of their homeowners.

NATE Technicians Hiring And Training

Julian Placino 10:06

So gotcha. And that goes back to kind of what we mentioned earlier. So optimizing for comfort, uh, energy and efficiency, and also air quality, which leads to your health. So it is far beyond really break fix. That's a great sort of a way to shift the way you you think. So um so so tell us also a bit about your team, because so much about what makes a home services organization greater, the people, of course, right? And and Boehmer strongly emphasizes NAT certified technicians. So, for homeowners who may not know, what is North American Technician Excellence and how does that affect them?

Steve Boehmer 10:41

Well, it's a certification program that's designed for the technicians. Um, it's designed to be hard enough that somebody just graduating from trade school would likely not be able to pass it. They need to have some years' experience in the field, some knowledge, some skill. Um, and so we use it in a couple of ways. One is that uh a technician that can pass that test uh has an understanding of where they stand in the industry and knows more of what their value is and that they feel confident in being able to find and repair problems quickly. Uh and I think that obviously is uh place to the homeowner as well, that they know when they get a nate certified technician that we're gonna be able to find and repair it on the you know on the first try.

Julian Placino 11:30

Gotcha. So it's just another layer of excellence and vetting to make sure that your your people are quality. So outside of the outside of the certification, knowing your team members intimately, what would you say makes your people great?

Steve Boehmer 11:45

Um well, we we hire four personality for character first and skills second because we believe if we have the right person that we can train them. Uh and so our training actually focuses around uh North American technician excellence. So we use that as a curriculum as we train our people. So um we're delighted to have the team that we have. They get trained on a regular basis to uh to improve their skill level uh as well as their soft skills and communicating with home members. Yeah. So I think that's that's all part of uh how we provide the best service experience in the home.

Maintenance Membership And Peace Of Mind

Julian Placino 12:22

So ongoing training and development to continue the pursuit of excellence and also making sure you just have the right uh folks on the team. I think that's great. Another really interesting kind of stat about the business is that you have over 3,500 maintenance members. There's a lot of home services organizations that try to create like these ongoing programs, but you proof is in the body, right? So I'm curious, what what do you think these customers see in this particular service, this value that you offer? And why do you have so many?

Steve Boehmer 12:52

Yeah. I I think they have peace of mind. You know, I have a friend that uh that was so happy to give jokes that he has a guy. I've got a furnace guy. Um, so that they know that if something happens in the middle of the night or on a holiday, they're not worried about who am I gonna find that can come and help us out and service our system. They've got somebody that they know that uh comes out to their house on a regular basis and the maintenance and hopefully avoids any breakdowns, that their system is operating properly and efficiently, and that if they do have a problem, they they know who to reach out to and that we're gonna respond to them in a quick manner and get them taken care of. So it's that peace of mind, it's that reassurance that they enjoy.

Differentiation Vision And How To Connect

Julian Placino 13:33

I think that's great. So, really, the the offering could be it's peace of mind because as a homeowner myself, sometimes it feels like it's just a matter of time until something breaks. But but if you have that peace of mind and a trusted source to be able to go to, that's just one less thing you don't have to worry about as a homeowner. And I think that's that's really great. So um, so a lot of HVAC companies, they talk about quality, and there, as you know, there's so much competition out there. So, what do you think specifically makes Boehmer great? Like, why should customers or maybe even future employees choose you?

Steve Boehmer 14:06

Uh we mentioned culture before. I think that's uh that's something that's that's important to everybody here in the company. So uh we're often in different places, you know. We've got an office team, we've got a call center here to respond to customers' needs, but our technicians are in the field all over the city every day, and uh we don't always get a chance to come together and talk about things. So we make opportunities to get together as a company to celebrate, uh, to instill our values in our culture. Um, so it's that continual process of uh just reinforcing our core values and and then the follow-up that we do with our customers is to make sure that they're super satisfied. So things that we do that help uh help have that consistent level of quality and treatment.

Julian Placino 14:54

So so much has to do with the the care of the people, the team, um, and they in turn take care of your customers. So all of that uh works together. So I think that's great. So so closing things out, Steve, again, third generation um uh uh business, when you look at things, and now being you know the leader of the organization, what is your long-term vision? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind for your community, your your customers, your your team members?

Steve Boehmer 15:23

I just hope to have the the legacy that um that we currently have. So I have people now that tell me they've worked with us for years, or they'll say, you know, my parents used you when I was young, and now we own our own home uh and we use you and we go back 30, 40, 50 years. That's the kind of legacy that people are confident and comfortable with us to take care of their needs all these years. And again, that so they can have a peace of mind uh not to worry about what they're gonna do.

Julian Placino 15:52

Peace of mind, and I think that's a really great legacy to leave behind. So uh so, Steve, I guess uh as as we begin to close things out, anything else that you'd like to share about Boehmer, the brand, about the business?

Steve Boehmer 16:04

No, I just appreciate the chance to uh to chat with you about this. Thanks so much for uh for uh joining me and this opportunity.

Julian Placino 16:11

Yeah, it was great getting to know you and also your success story. So close us out with how do folks connect with you? What's the website, your social media? How do folks connect with you?

Steve Boehmer 16:22

Uh we try and make it as easy as possible for people to get a hold of us. So uh uh on our website, Boehmerheating.com, they can uh they can book uh right away or they can connect with a phone call. Um primarily just want to whether they want to call and have a voice connection or whether they want to uh you know chat on our website or just book directly into uh into our CRM and set up their own service call. But we just want to make it easy to do business.

Julian Placino 16:59

Okay, so website best place to connect with you. So we'll make sure to have that as well as your social media in the show notes uh so folks can connect with you easily. So, Steve, it's been great getting to know you, and we certainly wish you continued ongoing success.

Steve Boehmer 17:12

Brilliant, thanks so much. I appreciate the time today.

Julian Placino 17:15

Absolutely. And that is it for today's episode. So thanks for tuning in, and we'll see you next time on the next episode of the Home Services Success Stories Podcast powered by Peakzi, the number one AI platform for growing your home services business.