Residential HVAC Contractor of Excellence: All Makes Heating & Air Conditioning
Now in its 60th year, All Makes Heating & Air Conditioning (AMHAC) has earned legendary status in the New York City metro area and Westchester County. Based in Eastchester, NY and with a satellite Manhattan office, AMHAC currently services over 15,000 residential and commercial clients in Westchester County, NY, Fairfield County, CT, Manhattan and the Bronx.
One reason for this company’s great success, is that they’re fighters at AMHAC. In a good sense. They’re the “never stop, never give up, you bet we are the best” kind of fighters. That’s what it takes to survive in New York City.
Leading the company to excellence on various managerial levels are:
• Natalie Lloyd, general manager, a graduate of the Rutgers Business School, and currently earning a Master’s Degree in business administration.
• Marc Berman, senior sales engineer
• Pat Morano, master plumber, head of piping department and piping sales
• Mohan Persaud, head of the sheet metal department, and sheet metal sales
• Roger Mariusso, master electrician, head of the electrical department and electrical sales
• Demetrius Simpson, service manager.
AMHAC'S "Company Mission" reads as follows: "To achieve and maintain unparalleled quality as measured by customer satisfaction. To provide the highest quality service and equipment available. We are committed to excellence in all we do. As our reputation for excellence increases, so will our profitability and growth."
Taking Off With AC
When I asked the team to name key milestones in the company’s development, Pat Morano provided one of the best answers I’ve ever heard for that question: “the milestone was air conditioning.”
Prior to the early 1950s the nation’s comfort focus was mainly on heating systems. But post-war booms rippling across the country, and AC development made adding air conditioning to homes that already had warm air furnaces a natural sale, and an affordable purchase for AMHAC’s clientele.
The next milestone AMHAC established was in labor evaluation and talent acquisition. There was a need for skilled employees who could be trained to install heating and now, air conditioning. “We took it to another level by encompassing electrical, plumbing, and sheet metal,” Morano explained. “It was a general, overall expansion of four trades,” for installation and then, of course, a service division was needed.
Post-war booms and AC product development made adding air conditioning to homes that already had warm air furnaces a natural sale, and an affordable purchase for AMHAC’s clientele.
“Those trades were keys to the growth of the country, not just New York City,” Morano adds. The vast labor pool provided many people to evaluate, in a continuing search for the most talented technicians and craftsmen.
“Many immigrants who had migrated to the United States were naturals in the business, very mechanically inclined. When I started, it was a good mix of all different people, backgrounds and skills,” Morano says.
AMHAC’s continuing milestones have included adoption of major HVAC technological advancements, from controls to energy efficient systems. Their marketing expertise has evolved as needed, from print to digital to social media. It has enjoyed effective partnerships with vendors, most notably Carrier. AMHAC was the first Carrier dealer in Westchester to install R-410A comfort systems, and Carrier’s Infinity systems.
When asked how Carrier came to be its preferred brand, Morano had the answer: “Willis Carrier invented air conditioning, and Carrier sells itself. It’s a great and reliable brand,” he says.
Many Awards
Various awards presented to AMHAC along the way have served to ignite company pride and reduce employee turnover, because everybody wants to work for a winner.
In 2020, AMHAC was named a regional “Great Place to Work.” Earlier this year, AMHAC was named the best family owned business by the Westchester County Business Journal.
General Manager Natalie Lloyd was recently named to a list of “Top 40 HVAC Professionals Under 40.”
Leadership Secures a Future AMHAC’s 50 technicians love where they work and what they do, which would be a blessing for any HVAC business in any city.
During her 10 years with AMHAC, Natalie Lloyd established an effective hierarchy of leadership, where leaders developed greater accountability for results and allowed provisions for some new people to be internally promoted. A bonus system has been implemented to help employees develop an appreciation for commissions through results, not only pay per hour.
General Manager Natalie Lloyd established an effective hierarchy of leadership, where leaders developed greater accountability for results and allowed provisions for some new people to be internally promoted.
“Our customer service focus is based on the belief that people do not care what you know, until they know you care,” Lloyd says.
Lloyd was also instrumental in developing the concept of “AMHAC Pride” as a proactive response to the labor shortfall that has inflicted many trades across the country.
“I understand the need to have leaders who can both manage the business and inspire the employees,” Lloyd says. “AMHAC’s transformation from controlling management to an all-inclusive leader yielded immediate dividends in cooperation, motivation and productivity.”
AMHCA prefers to hire its future techs from technical schools, so that it can cultivate the concept of “AMHAC Pride,” so that they’re not influenced by other learnings that may not fit AMHAC methodologies.
“We like to get young, excited people to work here. And, we don’t train solely on technical skills. We also train on AMHAC history, customer service, leadership, marketing and business efficiencies, so they have a real sense of ownership in the company. They’re not just technicians; they’re part of our success.
Master Electrician Roger Mariusso adds that AMHAC has built its business model around the ability to embrace change.
“We hire people who are comfortable in a world of change. Great businesses are able to grow in good times and bad, largely because they are prepared. We are able to continuously recruit and retain outstanding people and cultivate employee loyalty,” Mariusso says.
Technician Training Develops Careers
AMHAC invests in graduates from technical schools who they can them mold into AMHAC professionals. That indoctrination takes time, as employees learn all facets of the business.
Employees are trained in customer service, business models of leadership, efficiencies, marketing, and statistics) and of course technical HVAC systems. Field training is emphasized, as the rookies learn from the veteran techs. Technician initiatives to learn are now incentivized.
AMHAC wants technicians to view their careers as more than something they just fell into.
Lloyd says AMHAC wants technicians to view their careers as more than something they just fell into.
“They are essential to the country and important for every industry. Also, a huge part of our marketing is for them to see that AMHAC is one of the best service businesses in the country. So, if someone offers an extra dollar, they say no, because the career is more than just the money. “
AMHAC offers Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer Training and NATE certification.
Well-equipped for the future, AMHAC offers Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer Training and North American Technician Excellence (NATE) certification. Approximately 75% of AMHAC's technicians have earned a NATE certification. Additionally, AMHAC was recently designated a NATE-certified testing center. It is also a member of the National Balancing Council.
