Dewey Jenkins and Donna Lanier received major HVAC industry awards Friday during HVAC Comfortech 2009 in Nashville, TN.
Jenkins, owner of Morris-Jenkins, Charlotte, NC., was named the ContractingBusiness.com Residential Contractor of the Year.
Lanier, owner of All Seasons One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Huntsville, AL, received the ContractingBusiness.com Woman of the Year Award. Awards were presented during today's opening General Session, attended by hundreds of show attendees.
Dewey Jenkins purchased the Morris Heating & Cooling company in 1990, and renamed it Morris-Jenkins. Since then, the company has grown from 12 employees to 140. Keys to the company's success include emphasis on change and improvement, and a commitment to honesty, integrity, and fairness.
Donna Lanier's story is that of an entrepreneur who wouldn't be denied. As someone with a knack for numbers, she started her career fresh out of high school as a bookkeeper for a Huntsville-area oil distributor. She was so proficient at the job, however, that she would often finish her work in the morning, then hop on trucks and spend the afternoon visiting local service stations.
Lanier's drive and determination lead her to become an owner-operator of a Chevron service station, and later, district supervisory position at Chevron in California. Later, after moving back to Huntsville with her family, the owners of All Seasons Heating & Air Conditioning hired Lanier as an “implementer” to help them position their company, and its three locations, for franchising. Later, they appointed her general manager of the Huntsville location. She eventually bought the company.
Skillful management teams are in place at both companies. Jenkins brought in great managers and let them do what they do best: manage. Lanier also put the right team in place at All Seasons, and got out of their way. "Once that team is in place, let go and let them soar," Lanier said.