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Collier’s Heating & AC EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY AND SERVICE
Joe Collier and Ken Diekhoff hit the ground running when they started their Indiana-based business of Collier’s Heating & Air Conditioning in 1987. Today they can boast 98 percent customer satisfaction, amazing growth and a wide repertoire of skills.
CORPORATE PROFILE | GEOTHERMAL
Northern Indiana’s Expert in Comfortable Environments by Joel Cornell
From HVAC to fireplaces, into geothermal and beyond Collier’s Heating & Air Conditioning began in 1987 when Joe Collier and Ken Diekhoff purchased an existing Lennox heating and air conditioning company located in the northern town of Warsaw, Ind. Originally, the existing Lennox HVAC company simply did what they did best as a small family business. Collier and Diekhoff had other plans in mind. “We already had an extensive amount of training when it came to heating, ventilation and air condition work at the commercial level,” said Diekhoff, the company’s president, “so taking over the Lennox residential operation was certainly a change of pace for us. In addition to the installation work, we also started with a 40-year customer service base. This was a very important asset to us as the new owners.” Once Collier and Diekhoff purchased the company and settled in, they hit the ground running towards becoming an incredibly successful HVAC contractor, expanding the range of projects and work of the company they had 2 Energy Leaders Today
initially bought. As the company continued to grow, so did their wide array of services. “The growth we experienced during those first few years after purchasing the dealership was too fast. We had a tough time keeping up with our training of new employees.” said Collier, who is currently serving as the company’s Vice President. “Our vision was to expand beyond Warsaw. But, we didn’t want to grow just for the sake of growth, nor did we want to grow beyond the solid foundation of 100 percent customer satisfaction and assurance.” Truly, the Collier team has met that goal for growth. Today, Collier’s Heating & Air Condition enjoys a 98 percent customer satisfaction rating from their client reviews, as well as the Better Business Bureau. In addition to their heating and air condition installation and maintenance services, Collier’s Heating & Air Condition also maintains and active training program at their Warsaw location for all of their employees.
“Whether for a complex residential multizone system or large scale commercial projects, we tailor our design/build services so that we are able to ensure that no client is stuck with a ‘plug and play’ system if they have special requirements that need to be met,” said Collier. As their steady growth continued, Collier’s Heating & Air Condition expanded outside of their initial geographic footprint in Warsaw. In 1998, the company added a third partner, long time friend Todd Zeplin. Zeplin was employed with Waterfurnace in their research and development department and he now manages Collier’s second branch in Ossian/ Fort Wayne, Ind. As of today, Collier’s Heating & Air Condition services many communities across Indiana, from Bluffton and Columbia City to Huntington and North Manchester, 1. Ken Diekhoff (front center), Todd Zeplin (left back), and Joe Collier (right) have overseen Collier’s Heating and Air Conditioning operations since 1987. Photo courtesy of Collier Heating.
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“Whether for a complex residential multi-zone system or large-scale commercial projects, we tailor our design/build services so that we are able to ensure that no client is stuck with a ‘plug and play’ system if they have certain special requirements that need to be met.” 4 Energy Leaders Today
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LENNOX Collier’s Heating and Air Conditioning, a Lennox dealer for over 24 years, has consistently earned the distinction of being a “Lennox Premier Dealer”. By performing high quality HVAC installations and service that homeowners trust, and achieving a 97 percent customer satisfaction rating in the process, Lennox awarded Collier’s the Centurion Award for Outstanding Dealer Performance. As owner Joe Collier recently stated, when it comes to Collier’s, “Honesty is not a question”. Not only does Colliers keep its customers happy, they are on the cutting edge of new innovations to the HVAC marketplace. Having recently completed solar energy installation training, they are well suited and qualified to offer Lennox’s innovative and eco-friendly “Sun Source” solar energy HVAC products. These solar powered products can provide a home with enough electricity to operate an air conditioning system completely off the sun’s energy. Collier’s has a high qualified staff to help homeowner’s make the right decision for their heating and cooling needs as well as highly skilled technicians to make sure it’s maintained properly and operating at peak performance. If you’re looking for a premier dealer offering premier products, look no further than Collier’s Heating and Air Conditioning and Lennox. For more information on Lennox, visit www. lennoxind.com.
South to Wabash, and across all of Northeast Indiana. “We don’t really have the desire to expand regionally outside of Indiana,” said Zeplin. “Our deep knowledge of the area and our customers allows us to truly specialize our services and keep our focus on the quality of our work rather than the quantity.” Alongside simply installing a heating and air condition system, the company’s in house consultants make sure that the high quality systems they install are utilized at their maximum efficiency. Their goal here is to remedy the spacial inequalities of a home or business to minimize any unusually cold or drafty areas using corrective measures like adding registers, balancing dampers, making ductwork modifications or adding additional equipment. They also ensure that the quality of the air matches the quality of their systems through duct sealing and cleaning services, fresh air ventilation additions and high quality purification and filtration systems. They have found this to be the biggest problem in HVAC systems today – “undersized return air ducts!” In venturing outside of the traditional range of services offered by an HVAC company, Collier’s Heating & Air Condition has long been offering new and expanding services
out of their Warsaw branch. Collier’s Fireplace Shoppe runs installation services across the northern part of the state, with a large showroom in Warsaw. They offer a plethora of brands to suite any style or taste, including traditional wood burning fireplaces, gas fireplaces and pellet burning fireplaces, as well as wood stoves and wood burning home heating systems. It was only a few years ago that Collier’s Heating & Air Condition became the largest water furnace dealer in the state. Their partnership with WaterFurnace International, also located in Fort Wayne, Ind., has been a key factor in the success of Collier’s expansive business. Fittingly enough, Collier’s has continued to expand their range of services even further. In recent years, Collier’s Heating & Air Condition has expanded into more alternative and renewable sources of energy. They have 2. (previous page) Todd and Kari Zeplin dig in at the groundbreaking ceremony for an all-geothermal subdivision. Photo courtesy of Collier Heating. 3. Collier’s Heating and Air Conditioning installing a commercial unit in Warsaw, Ind. Photo courtesy of Collier Heating. 4. Ken Deikoff and Joe Collier attending a Lennox SunSource training session in the summer of 2010. Photo courtesy of Collier Heating.
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“We’ve always strived to ensure that each and every customer is satisfied at the end of a project.” developed EarthLink Geothermal, a DBA led by Zeplin that has an extensive program for installing geothermal loop systems, for residential and commercial projects of Collier’s, as well as other contractors throughout Indiana, Kentucky, and parts of Michigan and Ohio. Though still in the initial planning phase, Collier’s Heating & Air Condition is also currently expanding their business into the solar energy market. With Lennox’s expansion into the solar energy market, Collier’s is now offering Lennox SunSource products. This is a great partnering for the Collier’s team. The owners are now engaged in training and certification for that division of business. A high amount of community involvement and activity is also important for Collier’s 8 Energy Leaders Today
Heating & Air Conditioning. Recently, the company held a contest to find the oldest working air conditioner in Northeast Indiana. After months of searching through the communities and neighborhoods that they work in so frequently, they found a working LuxAire unit that had been installed in a single family residence back in 1966. The contest winner received the same service that every Collier’s customer benefits from, albeit free of charge: their expert employees analyzed the needs of the home, diagnosed current duct issues preventing full efficiency, and installed a brand new Lennox system with a five year warranty. Though only working with a staff of 40 employees, Collier’s Heating & Air Condition still manages to meet their customers’ high expectations for service and quality. Their
increasingly wide range of services allows them to maintain a name that people can trust, for multiple generations on multiple projects. “We’ve always strive to ensure that each and every customer is satisfied at the end of a project,” said Collier. “We will be happy to provide any HVAC work throughout Northern Indiana for any customer. Fortunately, we’ve maintained a talented and hard working team of designers, engineers and business people, along with excellent group vendors, all of whom have that same dedication to high quality work and total customer satisfaction.” ELT 5. Todd Zeplin with Secretary of Energy, Stephen Shue, and Waterfurnace Executive VP, Jphn Gralick. Photo courtesy of Collier Heating.
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