Founded: In 1972 by Randy Cornell
Headquarters: 404 Spears Ave.
Owners: Clayton and David Cornell
Their tenure: Clayton Cornell, 52, says he and brother David, 49, worked for their father's company "every weekend and summer in junior high and high school. We grew up in the industry." Neither is in the field anymore, but they manage house calls and sales. They took over when their father retired about 15 years ago. Their children now spend their summers learning the business. "The third generation is on its way," Clayton Cornell says.
Distinction: This second-generation, family-owned business has nearly half a century of serving residential and commercial customers in the Chattanooga area. But service is only part of the story. More than just a place to field customer calls, the North Chattanooga location also boasts a showroom displaying the latest products, a training facility where new employees are apprenticed, and a manufacturing facility that makes custom ductwork.
"We have a plasma cutting machine, so we design and build all the ductwork we install. That's not typical," Clayton Cornell says. "A lot of [companies] purchase ductwork elsewhere. We build it all in-house. That allows us to do more of a custom job than an off-the-shelf job."
He believes the training facility gives the company an edge in finding quality help. "When we took over the company 15 years ago, we knew we had to grow the employee base in order to grow the customer base. It's hard to find good employees that are already trained, so we train from within."
Their certified technicians attend weekly training sessions as well as an annual service and repair certification program through North American Technician Excellence, the only test supported by the entire heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industry. Cornell says 12 of their employees have been with the company more than 20 years.
Mission: To give each customer a superior service experience that is fast, efficient and friendly. The website notes the company's aim to "over-deliver in every facet of each transaction." The company works toward those goals by having a person, not a recording, answer the phone; by stressing politeness among the office staff, service and sales personnel; and by having clean and well-stocked vehicles so customers don't have to wait on parts for repairs.
Contributed Image / Reliable Heating & Air Conditionaing Co. logo"We don't cut corners," Cornell says. "We do things right."
Accolades: The company has been named the Small Business of the year by the Tennessee and Chattanooga Chambers of Commerce, and a Torch Award winner for marketplace ethics from the Better Business Bureau. Reliable is also an eight-time winner of the Times Free Press' Best of the Best Awards for HVAC service, as voted by readers.
Services: Provides 24-hour, on-call service on all brands; replacement units; whole-house generators and service; duct-cleaning and indoor air quality products; custom duct fabrication; gas piping; electrical work; and planned service agreements.
Website: reliable-online.com