When you first enter the Estes Heating and Air Conditioning building, you find yourself in a plush reception area equipped with a smiling receptionist who greets you as you walk through the front door. Framed photos of past generations hang proudly on the walls. The corridors are covered with motivational posters, awards and plaques; all proof of a job well done.

Don't let the cushy interior fool you; this building houses some of the hardest working and most successful HVAC professionals in Metro Atlanta.

Getting Started

Nap Estes started the company in 1949, the same year his son Tommy, the current president, was born. The original location of the business was in Nap's home in a town formerly known as Mountain View.

During the 1950s, the business concentrated on installing central heating systems in both new and existing houses, and replacing floor furnaces.

Estes was mainly an installation company and at first only serviced systems it installed. During the ‘50s and ‘60s, adding central air conditioning to residential homes became the industry craze. Nap Estes had the foresight to move away from the residential new construction side of the business and concentrate on residential replacements and add-on air conditioning. Also during this time, the company installed central heating and air conditioning in hundreds of apartments and commercial buildings.

By the mid 1960s Estes had become one of the leading heating and air conditioning companies in Atlanta, with more than 40 employees.

Tommy Estes began learning the business by installing add-on air conditioning systems for his dad on the weekends. In 1971, Tommy graduated from West Georgia College with a degree in marketing, and started working for the company full time.

New Beginnings

Soon after Tommy started working full time, the decision was made to shift the company's focus to service and replacement of both residential and commercial systems, with a renewed focus on customer service.

During the ‘70s and ‘80s, the company enjoyed tremendous growth — doubling in volume and increasing its customer base. Once again, the company changed with the times and incorporated maintenance agreements into its business.

Today, thousands of homeowners in Metro Atlanta have a maintenance agreement from Estes Heating and Air Conditioning. When Nap stepped down in 1986, Tommy took over as company president.

Generations of Leaders

A key component that sets Estes apart from other HVAC companies is the quality of its people and the structure of its organization.

“My dad was a hard nosed ‘my way or the highway’ type,” Tommy says. “Fortunately, that's not my style, because it wouldn't work today. Our management style is relaxed, and we take a ‘work hard, play hard’ approach. We spend more time at work than at home, and it should be enjoyable.”

Tommy's son Brian is vice president and is being groomed to follow in Tommy's footsteps as the leader of the company.

“Only two people in the company report directly to me,” Tommy says. “The rest of the company reports to those two.” The two who report to Tommy are Brian and General Manager John Waldorf.

“We have excellent managers who buy into the culture of Estes and each one is serious about dealing with our customers and employees while helping us reach our goals,” Tommy says. “They know what we expect and I have confidence in them to get the job done.”

Estes is a relatively young company — all of the managers are under the age of 42 — with the values of a third-generation, family-owned business. Over the past five years, many of the “old timers” have retired, leaving the company with what Tommy believes is the best mix of experience and youth.

“We have a cohesive team that works extremely well together.” Tommy boasts.

To stay focused, the management team meets each month, and is constantly interacting with Tommy.

“I meet with Brian and John often, to get updates on the different departments, but I try not to override the managers,” he says. “The great thing about our team is that they're willing to help each other.”

Top Notch, Top Quality

In 2009 , service technicians increased total revenue by 79% over 2008, with the same number of service technicians both years; service agreements were up 17%; the company installed 25% more than it did in 2008 with the same number of installers and salesmen sold 23% more than in 2008.

That kind of record year would not have been possible if the technicians at Estes didn't have proper training.