.png)
GNP Morgan County Podcast
The Good Neighbor Podcast... Bringing Together Local Businesses & Neighbors of Morgan County!
GNP Morgan County Podcast
Here’s What A "Customer First" HVAC Company Looks Like
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Your AC quits when it’s 90 degrees, or your furnace stops on the coldest week of the year, and suddenly you’re not shopping for “a company” you’re searching for someone you can trust to show up, communicate clearly, and respect your home. We sat down with Nick and Jeremiah Harritt, brothers and business partners behind HRS Heating and Cooling, to talk about what dependable local HVAC service should feel like in Morgan County and Martinsville.
We get specific about the stuff homeowners hear all the time but rarely get explained: what EPA certification actually means for refrigerant work, why being licensed, bonded, and insured protects you, and how modern heating and cooling systems have changed with new refrigerants, added sensors, and smarter controls. Nick and Jeremiah also share how they keep their technicians sharp through ongoing HVAC training, including supplier sessions and even a factory tour that shows how today’s air conditioners and furnaces are built and tested.
Indoor air quality comes up a lot too, and we dig into what homeowners are asking for now: whole-home humidifiers, UV lights, and better filtration to help with comfort and cleaner air. Then we shift to real-world decision making: the warning signs that suggest it’s time to repair versus replace, why preventative maintenance plans matter, and how financing options can turn a major HVAC replacement into a manageable monthly payment. We also break down system types like single-stage, two-stage, variable speed, and modulating equipment, plus a candid warning about costly DIY mistakes on newer control boards.
If you value responsive local service and want to make smarter choices about HVAC repair, AC installation, furnace replacement, and indoor air quality, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a neighbor, and leave a review so more people in Morgan County can find the show.
Welcome And Meet HRS
SPEAKER_00This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Tim Serber.
SPEAKER_02Well, welcome back, everybody, to the Good Neighbors Podcast in Morgan County. This is a show where we sit down with business owners, leaders, neighbors who make our community what it is. I'm your host, Tim Serber. And today I've got a great conversation. I'm excited about this. I've been waiting on this one. But you know, when the heat goes out in January, your AC quits in the middle of the summer when you're just uh cutting up and down. You want somebody local, somebody who you can trust, and somebody who can actually come out and fix the problem. You know, answer the phone even is a good thing for them. So that's exactly who we have in the studio today. I'm joined by Nick and Jeremiah Harriet, brothers, business partners, and owners of HRS Heating and Cooling, right here serving Morgan County and the surrounding area. Nick and Jeremiah, welcome to the show. Hey Tim. Hey Tim, thank you. How you guys doing today? Good, doing pretty good today. Thank you. All right. Well, I tell you what, for folks who haven't met you guys yet, give us a quick introduction. You know, who are who's Nick and who's Jeremiah and what's HRS heating and cooling?
SPEAKER_03Uh my name's Nick. Um this is my brother Jeremiah. Him and I own the company.
SPEAKER_04Uh we uh I mean we uh we strive to do the best we can in the heating and cooling world for the homeowners.
SPEAKER_03Uh we're a family-owned company. Yeah, um, you know, everything's pretty personal, so we're a well family-owned company that uh you know we we definitely take pride in our work.
SPEAKER_02Well, and and I know you guys do. You know, going into business with a sibling is a big deal, right? I mean, I went in with my kids uh on a couple adventures in my life, and that was a lot of fun, let me tell you. Headaches, but also good times too. So, how how did you guys decide to build HRS together? And
Starting A Family HVAC Company
SPEAKER_02then how do you divide up the work? Who handles what day to day?
SPEAKER_04Uh well, um Nick came on with us five years ago, six years ago, seven years ago, ten, ten, yeah, yeah. Nick's been with us for 10 years. I started the company 13 years ago, Nick came on 10 years ago. Okay. Um we uh we worked hard to um decide which route we were both gonna handle for the most part. Uh Nick now handles all the install side, uh, runs the entire install department. I take care of the service and estimates. Um and for the most part, everything works just fine. I mean, I'm sure there's days that we uh get down each other's throats a little bit, but we work through it and come out best for the interest of the homeowners.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and and I know you guys, you guys have big hearts and you you have compassion to do what's best for the client. And I that's important. You miss that in a lot of companies nowadays. Now you found at HRS with the idea of putting the customer first, kind of what we just what we just talked about.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_02You know, take take us back. What was happening in the industry or in your own experience that made you feel like this is the right starting point for you, Jeremiah, and then deciding when to you know get Nick in there to help out?
SPEAKER_04Uh well for me it was more family related. I didn't have enough time for my daughter. Um, I was working 16, 17 hours a day for everyone else, and I wanted to change that, have more time for family. So uh Nick kind of gave me the boost to uh he convinced me to start my own company, and a couple years later he wanted to come on board himself.
SPEAKER_02Nice, not a regret, right?
SPEAKER_01No, no, no.
SPEAKER_02Well, you know, you uh when Morgan County homeowners call H HRS, what's the experience you want them to have from the phone call to reaching out of the driveway, pulling out of the driveway? What I mean, what what are you trying to accomplish with that client?
Making Service Feel Personal
SPEAKER_03Um, so not not that you're just a customer, a phone number, or uh, you know, just your your typical run-of-the-mill company. We, you know, we want you as when you call us to know that um, you know, it's personal. Um, we we wanted we we want to treat you like you're uh part of the family. Um, you know, when our parents were older, uh both of them are past by now, but um, you know, when when they were older, they had contractors, stuff like that would come in, you would expect them to treat them with respect, um, to treat their house with respect. And uh, you know, in a sense, that's exactly what we try to do. We want to make sure that from the moment you call April um to the moment that it's in the calendar, it gets myself or Jeremiah, um, you know, that at that moment in time you know that whether or not we've seen you, met you before, but we know you, you know, you're not just that, you know, that customer number or anything like that. You're you're you're a human being to us, and uh, you know, we that's we just try to make it personal.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah, I tell you that uh I I think the pandemic kind of crushed the uh personal thing. I think it really hurt a lot of businesses, and uh a lot of them haven't figured out how to come back from it. You know, I think you guys have. I mean, I I I've heard you guys talk, I've met April, you guys are a great team. Uh I remember meeting you guys there at the uh Chicago Pizza there in Trafalgar when we first met. I really was impressed by just how genuine you guys were. So uh I think that's um I hear a lot of businesses say that, but you guys actually do it, and that's awesome. I that's we aim for that. We aim for that.
SPEAKER_03I mean this is our livelihood, you know. It's not just uh it's not just a company, it's not just uh, you know, a job. Like this, this is our livelihood. I've got three daughters and a wife. Jeremiah's got his daughter, um, you know, and then the people that we employ, you know, they all have families, and that's right. It's not just about what Jeremiah and I can do, it's it's about taking care of everybody. I mean, even from our us to to them, I mean, it really is. It's all about the families.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's awesome.
EPA Bonded Licensed Explained
SPEAKER_02Now, you guys can work on several different brands. Uh, you're EPA certified, you're bonded, you're insured and licensed. That's really important, folks. Don't work with don't let anybody in your house that's not insured, bonded, or licensed to do any type of work. I mean, that's they don't have it, you're gonna be sorry, probably. Yeah, you know, translate, do what? So we see it daily. Yeah, I bet you do. I bet you do. You know, translate what it means for the homeowner listening. Why should those credentials matter to them when they're picking a company?
SPEAKER_04Oh, or um, so we'll start with the EPA. The EPA, we have to have the EPA license to haul, install, recover any type of refrigerant. Basically, the free-on, if most homeowners know it as free on in your air conditioner. Um, that's an important one. It means we're certified by the actual EPA, which is a government certification. Um, to do that, we have to take a class, we have to take tests, pass the test, and get certified. Um, insured and bonded, that basically means that if anything happens to your home or any of your goods in your home, um our insurance is going to take care of all that if there are any damages. Um we have had mistakes happen in the past, but it's always corrected. Um, and usually it's very minor mistakes. Uh, as far as licenses go, um, you have to trust the company you're hiring, and you want to make sure they're licensed by this city or state or county that you're living in. Um, we hold a Marion County license, which is recognized throughout the surrounding counties. Um statewide. Statewide, yeah. Yeah, it's recognized statewide. So if we went up to Kokomo or anywhere up north, we would just get authorization with our Marion County license to be able to work further.
SPEAKER_02Okay. So if you guys actually wanted to travel like north, say to Lafayette, you guys actually have to transfer your license, kind of transfer to the Tippekino County area.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you get a hold of the uh the city, um, you know, any type of permits, office, things like that. Um, and they they recognize it. Um, you know, if if they if they are picky at all, you know, uh, but they'll we've never had an issue with uh, you know, our own license being recognized. Sometimes, you know, you have to um uh if you if you're planning on doing a lot of work there, you may have to go in there and get your specific. But because of the credentials with Marion County, which is the most strict um that we know of that we've ever dealt with, um, you know, that that's the reason why they recognize it. Because it's not a it's not an easy test. It's not like what makes things hot, what makes things cold. Like it's uh it's a real test. I mean, there's schooling that goes along with that, you know, to be able to at least pass it.
SPEAKER_04I mean, I'll I'll openly tell you I failed the test twice before I got my license, which means I took the classes three times. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, yeah, and that's that's good to know. I mean, you know, I'm glad it's just not something simple because heating and cooling is just a tad bit important to everybody, especially in the winter time. You know, we didn't have air conditioning in our house until about uh I'd say five years ago. And uh, you know, you get used to it, but then you get used to having air conditioning because I really like to have the air on at nighttime when I sleep. During the day, I don't care.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, my merits wouldn't have lasted that long.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, ours, ours has, but you know, we we enjoyed it. But now as we said, you guys service and repair all brands, not just Carrier or Brian or whoever they are all out there. Why
Training For Rapid HVAC Changes
SPEAKER_02is it important to you and how does it the ongoing training factor into keeping your text sharp?
SPEAKER_03Technology changes. I mean, uh last year, oh my gosh, there's been so much changes. I mean, within the last few years, there's been so many changes. Uh, even with the change of refrigerant, um, the two new changes, because it's flammable. Um, there's a new sensor that has to be on each one of these coils that has to be, you know, wired into your furnace. Um, so not that it will blow up, but so it doesn't blow up. Um, you know, so it doesn't catch fire. I mean, it they dilute the air so that you know it doesn't uh they take all precautions for safety for the homeowners.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I mean, technology when it comes to, I mean, we thought it was a big deal when they started doing Wi-Fi and thermostats, and now I mean, you can literally talk to your thermostat, you can do all types of things. So to be able to keep up with that, um, because it it's in the end, it's it's about comfort. Um, but the government, which is you know more concerned with efficiency, um, it with the way technology is with the communicating systems, um, it puts the best of both worlds. Um, so it makes it easier for people that aren't real high-tech, but you know, they know how to use a phone, you know, you just touch it. Right, it makes things so much easier for them too.
SPEAKER_04And having our guys trained and they go in the homes that takes the worry off of the homeowner having to worry about these guys know what they're doing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Now, do they need education as to uh send them to training, or do they the manufacturers provide a lot of that? Combination of both. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. So normally we go to like a specific warehouse or supply house to get the training.
SPEAKER_02Okay, all right.
SPEAKER_04Um, and then we just did the um carrier factory tour about a month and a half ago. Yeah. To where we actually got to walk through the factory and watch them build the air conditioners and furnaces and that'd be cool. Build everything and bring it all together to a finished product in the end. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that would be cool. Is that was that up in Indy?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, up there off of Moore Street.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'd be well that's that's really cool. I I I think that stuff is intriguing to me, as interesting as I'll get out seeing something being made.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you know, I I always think that goes along with it is wild. Uh it's not just a simple turn it on and that's what it is, or put it together. Like they've got some of these rooms, they said cost millions of dollars for each room, and they'll have they have, you know, for how how well can it, you know, how quiet is it, how uh, you know, how low a temperature, how high of a temperature can they run? Um, you know, the spraying of water to see um the acidity, um, to see how well the coils will last, especially during like uh they're out in out west or down south like Florida where salt water is in the air real bad. You know, it's it's just wild. It's not it's not just a simple, oh look, they're building a furnace. Like it's an all-day process to go through there and see all the different things that they do.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I can imagine the technology has changed in that just like it has in everything so quickly. Now, and I think that's cool.
Indoor Air Quality Requests Rising
SPEAKER_02Now, indoor air quality uh is a uh something on your service list that's become a bigger and bigger conversation, I would assume nowadays. Um what are your customers asking about now and that they weren't say asking five, 10 years ago?
SPEAKER_04We get a lot of requests for humidifiers in the winter time. Humidifiers is a big big factor. Um mold, bacteria, cleaning the air better, a lot of UV lights and filtration systems.
SPEAKER_02Now, do you guys clean the vents, the air uh not is it the duckwork? Duckware, thank you. No, we don't.
SPEAKER_03No, we don't anymore. We used to, um, but we had issues out of manufacture uh repairing the piece of equipment and they fell through they uh right during COVID. Um unfortunately, you know, we took a big hit with that um because we paid for this big piece of equipment and you know it ended up um well not being repairable by you know by anybody. So we we kind of we kind of walked away from that. Um but we have a few people that we recommend and stuff, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Nice, nice. Well, it's good to have connections because you can't sometimes do everything, right? Right. Um you know, and I and I get that.
Repair Or Replace Warning Signs
SPEAKER_02So let's let's turn to you know, some common questions that uh for homeowners or from homeowners. Um let's help the folks listening at home. What are the signs that a heating and cooling system uh is nearing the end of its life versus something that just needs a repair? I mean, that that would seem to be hard at times with all the technology and everything that they have out there.
SPEAKER_03Um I'd say the big thing is utility bills, uh watching your utility bills, which um, you know, the way things are, you know, everybody's utility bills continue to rise as it is no matter what. Um, but when they get to the point where you can't, you know, you it's hard to afford the month by month, or you're starting to see that it's you know, um it's just yeah, it's just it's causing more and more. Um, you know, that's definitely a sign. Just maybe start looking into it. Um also multiple repairs, um, weird noises. I mean, I know it's a small thing, but you know, any of that can really um, depending on the situation, um, it can definitely kind of go back and forth on whether or not we're gonna repair or it'd be better off to replace.
SPEAKER_02Now, do you do you guys uh I assume offer preventive maintenance agreements?
SPEAKER_04Oh yeah, yes, sir. Yeah, that's recommended by the manufacturer to have them serviced every year as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and and that service means cleaning the coils, the air filter, putting in new air filters or new filters, not air filters, I guess. Well, I guess they are. But um, you know, you you why is that is that uh usually an extra cost to to have that service agreement? It is, yes.
SPEAKER_04Um it's it's you get two visits a year, and this is um pretty much any company that offers these. You get two visits a year. Um we offer a discount, um, like a free service call once a year with that service plan. Um and then any discount on any kind of repairs if there were any needed that be applied to the homeowner.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. And do you guys do uh work on you know the units you see outside, but also these new things called split level or split zone.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yep, we do. We work on and install them and maintenance them. Yep.
SPEAKER_03Okay, that's everybody has one in our family. Yeah, we all have one.
SPEAKER_02You know, we got some I'd say six, seven years ago in the house. That's how we got air conditioning finally. Yeah, because there's no ductwork in this house. So we have the old uh oh gosh, they heat up brick at night, and then a fan blows the heat out during the day, so it heats up during they they were back in the uh mid-90s, they came out with that, and the the electric company had a big sale on them, like 70% off. And it's the only way you could afford to put something in this house when we moved in. So that's what we did, and and you know, nobody works on that. Nobody. They the electric company doesn't. There's a company that used to charge $400 just for a phone call if you had a question, but nobody would work on them. And what type of unit is it? They're they're called ETS, uh, external see external thermal storage units is what they are. They they heat up the brick at during the nighttime, and then during the day there's a fan that blows the heat off that brick. I mean, it gets up to 1800 degrees in there to heat that brick up. Oh wow. Yeah, I I had it off and had a gun on it, uh, checking the temperature, and as soon as it came on, it was up like 1300, and like within a minute it was to 1800 heating up. Oh wow. So pretty uh pretty impressive, but like I said, nobody works on them now. Uh they did a good job, brought your cost down and stuff because you got a lesser electric cost doing that heating it up at night, which was interesting. Yeah, but uh that that didn't make any air conditioning, that's for sure. Yeah.
Financing Options For Big Replacements
SPEAKER_02So the the new systems is a real investment. You have to you know that. And you guys partner with a finance company, uh Wells Fargo, to help people get on the financing.
SPEAKER_01Correct, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Walk us through how that helps a homeowner, homeowner who gets hit with you know a really unexpected failure, has to replace the whole unit. That can get pretty costly.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah. Um, so uh we did an install yesterday. Uh it was upwards of uh normally about sixteen thousand dollars. Now they went really high efficient, um, they went two-stage, um, you know, everywhere possible. They almost almost the absolute best system that they could buy. Uh, but this is gonna be the forever home. So it was important to them about what's gonna save on the utility. Um, but so for a homeowner that's you know buying that type of system, uh, we you know, we offer up to 10 years um uh financing. Um, so when it comes to that, you know, if you stop and now there's always finance fees, and that's not on us, that's on the that's on Wells Fario, your financing company uh that you're gonna finance through. Um, you know, so there's a certain percentage that they charge. So if it's sixteen thousand dollars plus whatever percentage they want, and then on top of that, you know, so in the end, you know, you're you're instead of throwing out sixteen thousand dollars, you're looking at uh, you know, a couple hundred dollars a month. Um you know it's it's honestly less than a car, um, you know, uh car payment. Uh I mean it's way less than that. But you know, what people have on a daily, you know, monthly basis, it's less than that. I mean, but we we can offer any financing all the way from, you know, I mean, really, whatever you want to finance. If you want to finance a humidifier, we can finance a humidifier. Um, you know, um we we financed it where I mean it's cost homeowners $40 a month. You know, it's I mean it's it's as low as basically whatever type of system you're wanting to put in. It's yeah, so I mean, once you sign up or you get on our website, you know, they can automatically, you know, apply for it and um kind of see where they're at. And then once we speak with them, we can go through over everything. And then once we discuss with Wells Fargo, hey, this is how much it's gonna cost, and they kind of get a final thing. So it's kind of like a pre-approval, just like you would with a house or a car.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02That's gotta be pretty helpful, I would think. A good selling point.
SPEAKER_04Oh, yeah. A lot of uh your over um expensive, not over expensive, um, repairs can be financed as well. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh wow, okay. Well, Nick, you mentioned
Two Stage And Modulating Systems
SPEAKER_02something. Now, explain to me what a two-stage system is. What's different about what you normally is there a one stage, is there a three-stage? I mean, what what do those mean?
SPEAKER_03So with a single stage, uh, it's it's your basic run-of-the-mill air conditioner, um, you know, or furnace even. Uh, when it kicks on, it's 100% electricity, 100% gas, uh, you know, or whichever route it's going to go. Uh two-stage, it'll start off at a uh around 70%, 60 to 70% uh electricity for the compressor or gas for the uh for the furnace itself. Um and then once it runs for a short time, uh, or depends on thermostat communication device, uh, it will either automatically kick up if need be, or the system itself now they automatically know when it needs to kick itself into the high stage. Uh so you know you're saving a lot of electricity, you're saving a lot of gas, um, and there's Also uh variable speed, uh, what is the other one? Modulating modulating. Um, where I think it has up to like 18 stages of the of different yeah, I know it. Um, but you know, it it starts off so low, but with when it comes to the furnace or I'm sorry, air conditioners, um with that, it's it's about efficiency, but it's also about quiet. I mean, yeah, these mini splits that you see or these modulating units now. I mean, until they kick in the full speed, you can't even hear them. Like you'll you'll never even know they're running. They they operate more on a wave cycle, yeah, yeah. Yeah, versus just a hard hit. It's yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, I tell you that's uh you know, that's funny because you know, when I remember showing my age here, but I remember when cars started getting computers, right? Right. Uh, you know, and you had one computer in there, and now cars has got what, 13? I mean, just an unlimited, I mean, it's really scary if you got to really work on your car because I used to work on my cars 350 engine was a beautiful thing to work on, but you can't do it nowadays unless you know what you're doing, you got the equipment for it, that's for sure. And that's and I'm sure that's the same thing for you guys. The type of equipment you had 10 years ago is probably not the same type of equipment you're hauling around today, and I would bet it might be even smaller because it's more advanced.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, yeah. There we've seen uh with furnaces, uh it's funny. Furnaces have gotten shorter, uh, they've gotten smaller, but they're able to produce more airflow type thing, you know, or heat uh just due to materials. But air conditioners, they got bigger, they got heavier. Yeah, so the bigger, the more efficient you're wanting, the bigger the units are. But it's it's definitely technology has definitely changed when it comes to that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah,
Refrigerants And Rising Equipment Costs
SPEAKER_02and and talking about technology, you know, the HVC world is it's changing fast. New refrigerants, heat pumps, uh smart thermostats, you know, and all those things. What should a homeowner be paying attention to over the next couple of years?
SPEAKER_04Well, um, as far as what their systems are gonna be like, or yeah, what do you think they're gonna be like? Which they're gonna continue to get more efficient. They're already working on a new type of refrigerant. They're estimating it'll be out in about seven to ten years.
SPEAKER_03Wow. Um, unfortunately, costs are gonna continue to go up. Um, as manufacturers, you know, their technology changes just like vehicles. You know, you used to be able to buy a brand new vehicle for you know a couple thousand dollars. Now to buy the same type of vehicle, but because it has all that sensors and stuff, it's uh, you know, controllers, control boards and whatnot. Um, you know, the prices are going to continue to rise, unfortunately. You know, so a lot of people they stop to think, oh, well, that seems expensive. That's not on us, you know. With us being a small company, we're able to keep our costs low because we don't have the huge overhead of some of these larger companies. Um we don't we don't try to compare ourselves, we don't care what these other companies are doing. We we want to make sure that we're taking care of our families are taken care of, and you know, because in the end, that's that's kind of what life's about. You know, we we just want to everybody have a good life. So, but as the costs continue to go up, um, you know, we're kind of stuck in uh in a corner too. On, you know, it's gonna continue to cost us more, it costs you guys more too. Uh, the more sensors they put in, the more stuff that they're doing along with it.
SPEAKER_04It's just yeah, as technology grows, so does everything else.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I tell you, and and and um, you know, I I think about that, and and technology has changed like crazy.
AI Help And DIY Dangers
SPEAKER_02And you know, how is AI do you think gonna play into the HVAC?
SPEAKER_04I mean, that's yeah, it already has. I mean, Alexa, Alexa. I mean, a lot of these a lot of these people want to try to fix stuff themselves, so AI can answer some of those, some of those questions for them.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. Um, yeah. So when you guys, you know, that kind of brings me to something. Um, you know, these new systems, it's probably not a good idea to work on them unless you know what you're doing. I mean, it really makes sense to have you guys come out.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um, one control board costs you a couple thousand dollars. If you think, oh, it's like the old thing, uh, you know, the old capacitor or something like that. The new boards got capacitors, but they're built onto them.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So you short that out. Don't be mad when you we gotta come there and we tell you it's gonna be a couple thousand dollars. And that's our cost. Like, yeah, we got boards or you know, control boards are as big as our heads or bigger, yeah. You know, so it's it's all about technology. So there's certain things you can definitely can try, you know. But it's I when it open your panel, just stop. I mean, save yourself some time, whether you're gonna get shocked, say it's safety.
SPEAKER_04And then a lot of this AI will tell you how to do it, but you don't have the tools for it. Right. Whether it'd be something simple like a screwdriver or a multimeter. I mean, if you don't have the tools, then you gotta go buy tools and yeah, yeah. So it's just safer. Yeah. Call us. But AI, I AI is gonna change the world, it's already doing it. Um, and it might affect some businesses more than others, but we don't we don't really worry about it just because it's ours is more hands-on technical versus digital. I don't think you all have a robot coming and change your furnace.
SPEAKER_03I hope not. I don't think so.
SPEAKER_02No, I don't think that's gonna happen for a while, at least not at my house. I know that for sure.
Hiring Techs With Strong Morals
SPEAKER_02So you guys have been together now about 13 years, you say total. Your business has been open. Yeah, and how many employees do you have now?
SPEAKER_04Uh after us, we have four others.
SPEAKER_02Nice, nice. And see, that's what makes these podcasts to me really uh enjoyable and and so glad that we can help bring businesses like you out to the community, let them get to know you guys, see the value that you bring. Because I think we lost a lot of that, especially during the pandemic, and I think we need to bring a lot of that back. And I think people are not wanting to, and this is why a lot of the you know, they're not wanting just to deal with uh uh national companies and things, they want somebody local, like it used to be. And I think you can be local and still be high-tech and know what you're doing, right? It's it's still you can still do the job just as good as any of them. You guys are trained just as well as the others. There's not much difference except for you're local and you're here and in you know, Martinsville ought to feel lucky, Morgan County ought to feel lucky having you guys here. Uh so you know, going with that, what's next for HAL HRS heating and cooling? You know, any growth, any new services? What kind of goals are you guys working towards right now?
SPEAKER_04Well, growth is always an expectation. I mean, we always want to grow. Um, we'd like to get a couple more guys under our belts, you know, to work with us. Um but um yeah, I I don't know. I mean we always want to strive to be the better than we are today.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. And how do you guys are you finding the job market being able to find qualified people or people wanting to be tech easy?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. No, no, a lot of people they don't uh they either don't want to work or they uh I mean not to sound weird in any way, but um, you know, a lot of people think that they're worth more than what they are, um, that they deserve to have that extra, you know. I'm only gonna paid $30 an hour for sweeping. I'm sorry, but you know, we we can't afford that, you know, because at that point that's where the prices are gonna continue to rise because each person has to get paid. And uh so I mean there's definitely that type of issue that we have. Um people are more worried about computers or uh you know doing that type of thing, which is fine, but you know, if you're not gonna get your hands down and dirty, you know, that there's a problem there, and that's where it starts to lack. Um, you know, a lot of these large companies, it's easy for them to have a big revolving door, people they hire and then they let you, you know, back and forth. Yeah, high turn turnover rate, you know, and that's that's what that's not what we try to do because we we'll fill you out. I mean, my brother and I, we've been doing this long enough, and uh we'll fill you out pretty fast because you can be good at what you do, but if you don't have the morals, if you don't you're not willing to be respectful to the next to that homeowner, you know, uh, or you know, if you sit down and we have a discussion with you, we have that weird feeling about you, it's not because we're judging you, um, it's because at that point we got to worry about we gotta worry about what's going entering into these people's homes.
SPEAKER_01And that's right.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. So that's the big problem, too, is you know, I'm not not that we see theft or anything as as a problem, but it it's definitely hard nowadays to uh not get somebody that's just wanting to go in and out because I don't want to pay you to have to go to the same person's house three or four times because you just won't slow down, take the time, yeah, you know, to look. I mean, think mistakes happen. We all have recalls, we all have little issues here and there. Uh, you know, certain things go over your head, but usually it's the second call out, and we're like, why didn't we see this? You know, a simple thing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I tell you, and I and I and I 100% understand what you guys are saying, that's for sure. So
How To Reach HRS
SPEAKER_02let me ask you this. What's the uh people want to get a hold of you? What do they do? Oh, I'm I'm frozen. We got a couple different options.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Uh you can always call us. Um call us, email, uh, you can go to our website, um, Facebook, Facebook, Instagram.
SPEAKER_02We're everywhere.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Do you have uh give them your give them your phone number and your your website?
SPEAKER_04Uh websites www.callhrs.com.
SPEAKER_03Phone number uh 317-535-0322 is our phone number. Um April will answer the phone. That's my wife. Um, yeah, she'll she'll be the one answering the phone. And uh yeah, then obviously you can find us on Facebook. Uh Facebook's just uh HRS Heating and Cooling. Um, I don't think there's anybody else like us. I mean, but get on our Facebook, you see a lot of fun stuff, a lot of it's not just about oh, look at the furnace. We put we got funny videos, we do a little different things. Him and I, now that we're uh we're a little bit taking advantage of AI. Yeah, taking advantage of AI. You know, and we're we're we're looking to kind of start doing some more things, uh, just to keep it fun, you know. Um in the end, if if you're not if you don't care about heating and cooling, you know, it's it's not it's not super fun. Um, you know, but the more the more you know about it and stuff like that for us. I mean the technology, like I said, the better it gets, the cooler it is for us. Um, but that's why we try to lighten the moat uh the mood, I guess, for uh you know make Facebook friendly and fun versus yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well,
Share Review And Nominate Businesses
SPEAKER_02you guys definitely are friendly and fun, I'll say that. You know, uh I've enjoyed meeting you, I've enjoyed getting to know you guys over the years. And uh thank you both for coming in today. Uh Nick and Jeremiah Harriet of HRS Heating and Cooling. You know, and I appreciate you've been part of the community for a while. You you were at our uh when we had the magazines, you were at a five-year anniversary. So we just appreciate you guys being around and being part of Martinsville. Thanks a lot. Thank you.
SPEAKER_03I appreciate you, Tim.
SPEAKER_02And to everybody listening, thanks for spending some time with us today on the uh Gordon uh Gordon, on the uh uh Good Neighbors Podcast, Morgan County. If you like this one, do us a favor, share it, get it out to people so we can grow, leave us a review, and we'll see you on the next episode, guys. Thanks, Tim. Take care, Morgan County. See you guys.
SPEAKER_03See ya.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show. Go to gmpmorgancounty.com. That's gmpmorgancounty.com or call 317 743 22058.