The editors of Contracting Business.com magazine have named Service Unlimited, New Castle, DE, as the Contracting Business.com 2012 Commercial HVAC Contractor of the Year. Now in its 30th year, the Contracting Business.com Commercial HVAC Contractor of the Year Award is presented to a leading, commercial HVAC contracting firm that upholds high standards of excellence related to customer service, HVAC system installation and maintenance, business management, growth strategies, community service, and contributions to the HVAC industry.
Service Unlimited celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2012.
Richard “Dick” Wolf and Eugene Gaumer incorporated Service Unlimited in 1962. Between 1962 and 1987, many new and existing commercial properties were being fitted with air conditioning systems. The question for many builders and building managers: who would service it? Answer: SUI.
SUI would do it all: Design/Build, system testing and inspection, maintenance, and service of advanced electrical, HVAC and building management control systems.
By 1964, SUI employed 15 people and was running 10 trucks. It moved to a three-story, 9,000 sq. ft. building with ample room for a sheet metal shop, storage, and service department. The business continued to grow. Since 1997, SUI has operated out of a 20,000 sq. ft. facility in New Castle, large enough for a shop, warehouse, and 50 full-time employees.
In 1986, with the passing of Dick Wolf, his son Carl — working fulltime at the company since 1970 — assumed full ownership of SUI. With the weight of the business now resting on his shoulders, Carl Wolf began to reevaluate the firm’s offerings, with an eye toward increased growth. This sparked an important change in philosophy, and he gradually moved the business to adopting single-source capabilities, to reduce customer system breakdowns and repair costs.
SUI would do it all: Design/Build, system testing and inspection, maintenance, and service of advanced electrical, HVAC and building management control systems. Service technicians are on call around the clock, to ensure that SUI’s contract customers receive prompt response. Larger facilities have web-based control systems, allowing for remote diagnosis and service call resolution.
In addition to addressing ongoing service needs, the team at SUI has developed a reputation for thinking ahead, as personified by its proactive pursuit of planned maintenance. They believe anticipating needs, rather than merely reacting to emergencies, is the best way to get to know customers’ facilities, and the best way to provide high quality service at a lower price.
Service Unlimited’s marketing strategy is nothing fancy: just positive referrals from satisfied customers who testify to SUI’s solid reputation for superb customer service, a high level of technical expertise, and dedicated employees.
“Service Unlimited was a winner long before we initiated this coveted award,” says Contracting Business.com Executive Editor Terry McIver, author of the magazine’s feature story about the company.
“Upon visiting the company, and comparing it to others we were considering, we decided that SUI was the best choice for this year’s award. SUI’s professionalism is beyond compare. Carl Wolf and the SUI team are true servants to their customers and to the HVAC industry.”