Three decades ago a Houston, Texas, air conditioning dealer had an idea: create a manufacturing business focused on dealers, while building quality products priced to accommodate most homeowner budgets.
True to his vision, Harold V. Goodman took a no-frills approach to building his brand, pumping money into manufacturing and dealer support instead of fancy offices and national advertising. Now, 30 years later, the Goodman brand of air conditioning, ventilation and heating solutions is the nation’s second largest manufacturer of HVAC products for residential and commercial use – known as much for introducing industry innovations as it is for building affordable HVAC equipment.
For its 30th year, the Goodman brand started the celebrations early by attaining an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. It’s product line now offers leading-edge products such as modulating, variable-speed, and two-stage gas furnaces, high-efficiency air conditioners that employ a unique SmartCoil® condensing coil, a variety of communicating control systems that can connect to high-efficiency system with as few as four wires, Mini-Split heat pumps that bring remote-controlled, energy-efficient heating and cooling into virtually any space without ductwork, and light commercial products.
Through all of these innovations, the Goodman brand remains faithful to Harold Goodman’s intense focus on dealers, explains David Swift, President and CEO of Goodman Global Group, Inc.
“We’ve been successful for 30 years due to the growing loyalty exhibited by an ever-increasing number of independent dealers that sell our products,” Swift says. “After all, they are the point of contact with the homeowner. So we strive to provide dealers with business-building tools and a wide range of quality HVAC products that can fit most needs, whether budgetary or performance.”
Then, explains Swift, the Goodman brand layers on some of the industry’s most robust limited warranties on its products. Many Goodman brand products offer a reassuring trio that includes a Lifetime Compressor Limited Warranty, 10-year Unit Replacement Limited Warranty, and a 10-year Parts Limited Warranty.
Of course, when Goodman is building its durable, dual-diameter, tubular gas furnace heat exchanger – unique to the industry – or its patented 5mm air conditioning condensing unit coils, a homeowner may never need those warranties.
The highway to becoming one of the nation’s leading HVAC manufacturers started in 1975 when Harold Goodman – an air conditioning contractor that found success cooling off muggy Houstonians – began making affordably priced flexible air ducts and plastic blade registers. When an HVAC manufacturer decided to call it quits in 1982, Harold jumped at the opportunity to buy its equipment, move it all to Houston and start building his own line of central air conditioners and heat pumps.
To prevent a leading cause of premature evaporator coil failures, Goodman introduced a single-metal solution with its All-Aluminum™ evaporator coils.
Harold’s vision was spot on. The demand for high-quality, value-priced HVAC was nearly as insatiable as Houston’s humid climate.
For the next three decades, Goodman Air Conditioning & Heating expanded its test facilities, manufacturing lines, product offerings and limited product warranties. In many ways, the company paved the way for the popularity of high-performance, energy-efficient heat pumps.
More recently, Goodman’s proficiency with the physics of heat transfer led to innovations like its 5mm SmartCoil™ copper condensing coils – which offer efficient heat transfer of R-410A refrigerant with a copper tube and aluminum fin combination. Goodman brand SmartCoil heat pumps and air conditioners are up to 15% smaller in size compared to previous units, and use up to 25% less chlorine free refrigerant.
To prevent a leading cause of premature evaporator coil failures, Goodman introduced a single-metal solution with its All-Aluminum™ evaporator coils. Laboratory and field tests of these coils have proved their durability equals, even exceeds, the performance of copper tube and aluminum fin evaporator coils. But for the Goodman brand, the local HVAC dealer is always part of the success equation. As further proof, this year the Goodman brand is launching a company-wide series of initiatives under the DealerFirst™ program. Built on the foundation of “the dealer is the brand,” says Swift, myriad new and improved programs, products, and support will be introduced throughout the year.
“We’re just beginning,” Swift says. “I believe our next 30 years will be even more interesting, as we stay focused on our founder’s goals: build more durable, longer-lasting products than anyone else; provide industry-leading warranties; make reliable cooling and heating as affordable as possible; and design everything for quick, trouble-free installations. Those values have led us this far and they will lead us into the future.”
For more information on Goodman HVAC products, call 877-GOODMAN, or visit goodmanmfg.com.