Family Air & Heat, LLC
With last week’s artic chill shared on Facebook beside posts of captivating cats and gamboling goats, it wasn’t uncommon to also see posts bemoaning the loss of heat and requests for recommendations for a reliable HVAC company.
Some turned to Family Air & Heat, LLC, whose staff worked almost non-stop getting homes all warm and toasty again.
“We had a hard time getting parts because just as soon as they were ordered it seemed as though they were picked up even before the store got them,” says Bryan Rainey, a Family Air & Heat employee. “It was just as crazy as summer, probably even more so.”
Gay Schoolmeyer started Family Air & Heat with her husband in 1982. When he passed in 2006, she had a major decision to make.
“I had to decide if I should let the business go belly up or buckle down and make it work,” she says.
She chose the latter and now with two full-time employees, her business is thriving. She does only residential jobs. Her business is licensed and insured with an A+ Better Business Bureau rating.
Paul Solly has worked for Schoolmeyer for 12 years and loves his work and his boss.
“Every day is different and it’s never the same routine,” he says. “I like working for a woman boss because it’s a lot less stress.”
Solly has had many on-the-job brushes with greatness; he’s met Anne Rice, several Saints players, a World War II war veteran who served with Audie Murphy, and a gentleman who worked as a guard of the atomic bomb.
While repairing a wide variety of systems, Rainey and Solly often encounter household pets so they come bearing treats for cats and dogs. It’s a customer service they truly enjoy offering. Solly says the strangest pets he’s worked around were several snakes kept in glass tanks.
“They went completely crazy when we cut into a wall,” he says. “I was glad when that job was done.”
Schoolmeyer doesn’t do much promotion and no advertising; customers are found by word of mouth.
“We’re conscientious so I think our service speaks for itself,” says Solly.
Schoolmeyer says she can’t think of doing anything else and is glad she kept her family business going.
“We get a call in the morning from someone who is absolutely miserable and by the end of the day they’re happy and comfortable,” she says. “I love what we do.”
Family Air & Heat, LLC
1405 N. Turnbull Dr.
Metairie, LA 70001
(504) 833-7183
