The Alimond Show

Ben Merrifield of Meade's Heating and Air - From Summer Job to HVAC Industry Leader: Building Community Loyalty, Embracing Quality Service, and Balancing Passion with Professional Growth

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Ever wondered how a summer job could ignite a lifelong passion and lead to a flourishing business in an unexpected industry? Meet Ben Merrifield, co-founder of Meade's Heating and Air, as he recounts his journey from a humble summer gig in 2003 to establishing a leading residential HVAC company in Northern Virginia. Alongside his co-founder David Snell, Ben recognized a gap in the market, focusing on customer service to carve out a niche amidst challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. From a team of three to a bustling crew of over twenty, the company’s growth story is as compelling as it is inspiring, underscoring the significance of indoor air quality and the profound impact of clean air systems on health and well-being.

Join us in exploring the core values that set Mead Seating and Air apart in a profit-driven corporate landscape. With a philosophy centered on doing things "the right way and not the easy way," Ben shares insights into how a commitment to quality over rapid expansion fosters community loyalty and trust. Drawing comparisons to businesses like Chick-fil-A, known for their unwavering focus on quality service, we delve into the strategic vision that prioritizes responsible growth while retaining a local identity. This exploration of values offers a blueprint for entrepreneurs eager to balance growth with genuine customer care.

Discover the passions that fuel life and work beyond business pursuits. Ben talks about the joy of playing softball, rekindling old friendships, and the therapeutic nature of cooking – passions that provide balance and rejuvenation. Professionally, we dive into the importance of proper HVAC installation and the technological advancements enhancing system efficiency and longevity. By prioritizing passion over profit, Mead Seating and Air has not only garnered industry accolades but also demonstrated how genuine care for customers translates into long-term success and community recognition. Join us for an enriching conversation that marries passion with purpose in the world of HVAC.

Speaker 1:

My name is Ben Merrifield. I'm part of Mead Seating and Air. One of the co-founders, David Snell and I started this company about four and a half years ago and we are a residential heating and AC company in the Northern Virginia area, with a specialty in Loudoun County and Fairfax County.

Speaker 2:

Wonderful. I'd like to know a backstory on how you got started with your company and what it was like starting all of that, how you came about that and was this always in the cards that you wanted to do this?

Speaker 1:

So I started heating and AC in August of 2003,. Not knowing much about heating and AC, I did it as a summer job and I fell in love with it and I just stayed with it. I was about to finish college but I never went back because I fell in love with it so much and I worked side by side with my friend Phil for a bunch of years. I worked at a previous company in this area. I was there from August of 2003 until the end of 2019. And I loved it. But in the beginning of 2019, we got acquired by a big um, a bigger company, and I just didn't. I didn't get as much satisfaction from what I was doing and I didn't like the direction the company was going in Um. So the end of 2019, I kind of made a decision on what I wanted to do. Did I want to keep working at the bigger company or did I want to do something different?

Speaker 1:

Some may call it a midlife crisis. I don't know if I would go that far, but I just took a break and kind of tried to figure out what we wanted to do. And then that's when I talked to David and we came up with the idea of trying to start our company because we felt there was a hole in the residential market in our area. There's bigger companies that can serve you really quickly and then there's very small companies that do a good job but they don't have the manpower to help you when you're in need. So we wanted to try to fill kind of that void between a super big company and a super small company and we wanted to focus on customer service, and so we started our company.

Speaker 1:

But then COVID hit, so that put a whole wrench in our plans. So it made it challenging in the beginning. We were delayed on when we could actually start because of permitting and licensing and all that stuff. But we finally got going, you know in May of 2020. And there was David and I with a promise for Mike to move back from Oklahoma to work with us and he came back end of June and it's been the three of us, you know, ever since. And there was three and then there was four when Tyson came on and then five with Alex, and so 2021 was kind of a fun year because it was the five of us really working close together, and then we've added on, and added on, and now there's over 20 of us all working together.

Speaker 2:

Wow, yeah, and do you have two locations? Is that right?

Speaker 1:

So it's a little bit yes, we do, but one is more focused for warehousing and staging equipment and parts and then one is more for an office. So David runs the office and that's in Ashburn, kind of near downtown Ashburn, where Carolina Brothers Barbecue is, yeah, and then our main office warehouse is in Sterling that we're based out of. Warehouse is in Sterling that we, you know, we're based out of. Okay, and so it works out really well because to try to get one building big enough to do both places in this area and our marketplace is really difficult. So it was easier to kind of separate it. Eventually we'd like to have one location, but it's not in the cards right now okay, thanks very much.

Speaker 2:

I want to ask you about the type of services that you do and I guess like air filters and ducts, and why that is so important. And maybe people like they have so many things to think about like oh, I got to take care of like this in my house, this in my house that maybe sometimes they can overlook the clean air and all the dust that's in there. Can you talk to me about that and why it's important?

Speaker 1:

I actually. I'm glad that you brought that up. So I believe in heating and AC because you need it, you need to be warm, you need to be cold. Most people stop there just on the heating and AC platform and are like, oh, I got a new system or I got a new air conditioner or whatever.

Speaker 1:

Whenever we do a project, we focus on improving the airflow so that the system lasts longer, and one of the ways we do that is we put a big, wide filter on the machine to trap dirt and dust and everything so that the new machine doesn't get dirty. And instead of lasting 10 years, now it's going to go closer to 15. For some people, we go beyond that and we put in hospital grade filtration or near hospital grade filtration and UV lights. Those things have become pretty popular over the last few years, especially since COVID. Yeah, I've actually believed in the hospital grade filtration, for I've been doing this 22 and a half years. I've really believed in it for about 18 years because my daughter used to get incredibly sick and by the time she was sick, she had already had strep throat over 11 times.

Speaker 2:

Oh, my goodness.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and they talked about taking out her tonsils and stuff like that. So it was either a genetic thing or it was an environmental thing. Yeah, couldn't do anything to affect the genetic part of it, so I figured I would try to do the environmental part of it. And Lennox had a system called the Pure Air which gets rid of mold, bacteria, chemicals, odors, pretty much everything underneath the sun. I put that in at my old house and she literally never got sick again. And then when we moved 10, 12 years ago now it was one of the first things that I did and she never got sick again. And I've been heating AC 22 and a half years, going in different people's houses and being around dirt and stuff like that. I think I've had one sick day and that was from stomach poisoning and not from being sick.

Speaker 1:

So I believe that you can go out in the elements and maybe catch cold or whatever. But when you come home, if your house is clean and you have good clean air, then it helps to balance you out and neutralize any kind of harmful things that are out there.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, no, I think that's super important. I actually want to ask something about for maybe listeners and for myself, the difference between I think that's super important. I actually want to ask something about for maybe listeners and for myself, the difference between I guess, residential. Would that include, like maybe an apartment versus a home, and can that be done also in apartments? Because I know sometimes maybe they have not cleaned those apartment ducts. Like how would that work? Can they do you guys do that, or talk to me about that?

Speaker 1:

So we don't do duct cleaning. We have another company that we refer out that does that part of we're just we just don't have the uh man power to add that to our fleet right now um, so they would be better off to to do that and answer that.

Speaker 1:

The problem with apartments is they try to maximize space most of the time and they have this little tiny itty bitty machine in the wall and you can't put in high grade filtration or hospital grade purification just because there's no space. These systems take up a lot of space in your utility room and a utility closet, what have you? So it is not an option in probably over 50% of those places. When it is an option, we bring it up or at least let you know about it. But if it's not, it's just not, and so then you would want to get like a room air cleaner or something like that.

Speaker 1:

Not as effective, but still helpful.

Speaker 2:

Better than nothing. Better than nothing, yeah, right, yeah, thank you. As far as marketing goes for your company, are you guys holding events? Are you networking? Are you putting anything out on social media? What do you find works best for you in order to let people know about the type of services and quality that you guys provide?

Speaker 1:

So most of our business has always been referral-based.

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

There's some communities where we have good traction because the people have been happy with what we've done and they told their neighbor, and then their neighbor told their neighbor and then it snowballs, kind of like an avalanche effect, but a good one, yes. So referrals is always number one. I joined a B&I group about three and a half years ago that meets Loud and Power Breakfast 1757, and that started to produce results and I love the people in the group and we have a lot of fun. We sponsored the Fairfax Adult Softball League this year and we've been playing for many years in it and I'm actually on the board and so that's gotten us some exposure. We sponsor different charity events, different swim teams, high school sports stuff like that. So we try to do a little bit in a lot of different areas, mostly to give back to the community that has given to us. And then we do have a presence on the web and we have a website and so we get some traffic from there.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, love it. I saw a quote that you and David had not the same one, but almost like along the same lines about getting not just getting things done, but getting them done right and going above and beyond. Tell me why that's so important to you guys, for as far as the quality and your business and the type of people that you have with you.

Speaker 1:

So it's kind of been our motto is to be different than everyone else in our area. I felt like when I got into this business in 03, a lot of people did things the right way and not the easy way, and you took care of people like it was your neighbor down the street. As the world has changed and people aren't as friendly as they used to be or the people have become busier or whatever, you don't have that connection anymore and so some of the small companies have sort of faded away. And then some of the big companies have gotten really, really big. And when you get really big then it's all about revenue. It's all profit-driven stuff like that. It's churn and burn, Buy today, install tomorrow, get paid tomorrow and move on. And when you do that it's hard to really focus on quality because you're more focused on growth and expansion and how quickly you can do things or how you can maximize profits and pad the bottom line.

Speaker 1:

We were not interested in that. We came from a company that did things the right way and took care of people and really believed in the sense of community, and then when we got acquired by the big business, we just saw changes. Nothing wrong with that, but it's just not where I want to be, it's not where David wants to be. So we want to be part of the community and I think a good way of doing that is to take care of people. And if you're going to take care of people, a good way of doing that is to take care of people. And if you're going to take care of people, you've got to do things to help them out and change their lives for the better. So the air filter keeping the system clean now the machine lasts longer, it costs less to operate, it actually works better. So that's a small change for the better and that's kind of what we believe in. So our motto is the right way and not the easy way.

Speaker 2:

I love that. No, I think that will resonate with a lot of people, especially business owners, who are trying to like make a name for themselves and stand out and really show that quality and the difference. Right, because there is. There's like local versus the big corporations where they're just like get it done and buy and it's like wait, you didn't even ask me this or I didn't even get to talk to you and tell you what was actually the problem, because that wasn't it. So I think that that's so important and, like you said, people are getting busier, which sometimes can mean that maybe they're not as friendly. So it's good to know that there's still people out there who put that at the top of their list and want to make that a priority and just care about your clients, your patients. So I think that's great.

Speaker 1:

Thank you?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely. I would like to ask you where you see yourself in the next five years with just personally and with your business, like any room for expansion even more, or maybe one location? I know it's hard because we had talked about like it's kind of hard in this area to find one big space but any new services maybe that you want to add?

Speaker 1:

so our we've always been focused just on heating and ac and that is going to be our primary focus moving forward. Uh, when you start offering too many different services, you can get watered down. Now, underneath the heating ac umbrella, there's a little bit of electrical work that you have to do, there's a tiny bit of electrical work that you have to do, there's a tiny bit of plumbing work. So we handle very small parts of those trades, but mostly just heating and AC and that's what we're going to focus on. If you don't grow, you die. That's something kind of like. That's a saying that's been out there.

Speaker 1:

So we do still plan on adding on and growing, but we want to do responsible growth. We've grown a lot over the last four and a half years with how many people we've added. That is not sustainable if you want to do a good job and again go back to taking care of people. So we will add, but we will add the right people, until it will be a little bit of a slower kind of growth over the next five years than it has over the last, like four and a half. So we really like what we do. We really like being part of this community.

Speaker 1:

Going to somewhere else is not what we're excited about. So if we open a Maryland location, that would give us a lot of extra opportunity. But we don't want to do that. We want to stay in the Northern Virginia area. So our main office right now is in Sterling. Maybe we add another place out towards Chantilly, berk Springfield area, you know, down the road, but we haven't even talked about that right now. But that would give us just a little bit more coverage. Or maybe out towards, you know, western Loudoun, but right now it's just here and we just want to add to the fleet.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, no, I love that. I love how meticulous you are with, like, your growth and how you have a clear vision of what you want, what you want to do. It's so important because, like you said, if you add too many things, it does get watered down. It's kind of like Chick-fil-A you know how they keep their menu simple and it's what's working at it. They're so big and they don't keep adding and adding and adding. It's just like, oh, you kind of do get watered down.

Speaker 2:

So, that's a great method and, again, I really appreciate you caring about your customers because, at the end of the day, that's your name out there, your name on the line, the quality you do and that's probably why you get so many referrals and you're growing like that, and maybe it's not at the fast rate how everybody else is doing, but I feel like it's going to pay off because you're going to have such loyal clientele because of the hard work that you put in. So I think that that's something great for entrepreneurs to think about when they're starting their business. To think about do you want to have that quality or are you just looking to just grow, grow, grow, grow, grow and kind of forget like those little things that you need to tend to as well? What advice would you like to give to other people when they're starting a business? What has been some of your challenges and how do you overcome them?

Speaker 1:

I mean there's been a lot. You know COVID was number one but we felt like if we could survive COVID then we could kind of survive anything. We have a partnership between David and I. He's the majority owner, I'm the minority owner. So, having that partnership, you need to talk a lot and you need to try to be on the same page. Mike is an integral part of what we do and he's super important to us. So David, mike and I talk. All know client base and our strategic partners and you know different referral partners and stuff like that. So we feel like we're always available and available to answer the phone. May not get to you right that second, but we will be right back in touch with you a few minutes later via email text. You know, whatever, I give my phone number out all the time. Not everybody has it, but I feel like everybody has it or everybody could have it.

Speaker 1:

And I don't shy away from a phone call when I'm in a meeting like this. Obviously, I'm not on the phone, but we put ourselves out there and communication is everything. So if you're trying to start a business transparent, treat people the way you want to be treated and just talk to them like they're actual people, and those three things make a world of difference, I believe.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I know, thank you. And then I would like to ask you is there anything maybe that I have not touched on or that you just want to share, and take this opportunity to share with our listeners?

Speaker 1:

So we've talked a lot about heating AC. That's what I'm passionate about, that's what I'm good at. I am starting to work on giving back a little bit more to the community. So I have a friend who is trying to start a nonprofit organization called Cigars and Stoics. That I've been involved with. Organization called Cigars and Stoics that I've been involved with and that's giving money and helping to raise mental health awareness in young adults. So I think that that is really important. I'm also involved in Fairfax Adult Softball. I'm on the board there. Softball is a great release for adults to get out there and get some energy out and get some exercise out, and I really like the things that we're doing with that organization. So I'm just I try to be a little bit well-rounded and I'm trying to do more things because I feel like for the last 40, so I'm 42 now, so for the last 40 years like I didn't do as much of that as I could have.

Speaker 1:

I get back to the swim team and the school, but I didn't use my resources to have more of a I don't want to say global impact, but more of a local impact, and so I'm starting to work on things like that and I'm getting a lot of satisfaction from that and, as a company, we believe in charity and giving back as well, so it's important to us.

Speaker 2:

That's amazing. Thank you so much for sharing that. I wanted to ask on the topic, I guess, of mental health. Mental health is so important. It's something that I like to talk about, especially with business owners, because they're so busy and it's not just a 9 to 5 job. It's a kind of 24 hours a day kind of job, and a lot of people have different methods of how they handle and care for their client. I would like to ask you how you like to, I guess, unwind and have time for yourself and have a balance. What do you like to do?

Speaker 1:

So playing softball is a big part of what I do. So April basically April 1st until today Halloween play a couple times a week and that is a release because you get to get some exercise and there's a great group of people that I hang out with. We played on Fridays and we played on Wednesdays all season. I played some Sundays, so that is kind of my biggest release and what I have the most fun doing. I used to fix cars. I don't do that as much. I play a little bit of golf.

Speaker 1:

I reconnected with my friend, jonathan, who lives in Jacksonville, florida, about a year ago and I've gone to visit him three times in the last year and so that's been really good and I really enjoy working. I don't feel like it's actual work because I feel like, because I enjoy it, I feel like we are giving back, so it's not super stressful, it's not like I hate my job. I get up in the morning, I get ready to go to work and I enjoy it. And then I also like to cook. I'm not a great chef or anything, but cooking is a release as well.

Speaker 2:

That's awesome. Oh my gosh, I hate cooking. So this is amazing. You're just like, oh my goodness, no, that's good, I love it. And then I want to make sure I touch on everything. I guess I want to go back to the service just to make everything, I guess, clear. You go back to the service just to make everything, like I guess, clear. You just do heating and cooling for the HVAC. Can you break down like the specifics of that, like what people can call you for?

Speaker 1:

Okay, so it's residential only. So you know house condo multifamily if it's, like you know, a small one, like some condos that we do are four floors and below and it's individual occupancy. So single family townhouse condos in our area and then we do service, maintenance and installation. So if you have a problem you can call us and we'll troubleshoot it and try to help you fix it. If you maintain it, the system usually lasts longer and costs less to operate.

Speaker 1:

And then install is the big one, which is replacement. A lot of companies offer replacement services. The systems a long time ago were, I call them, bulletproof, like you could install it wrong and it still ran and didn't have issues. As technology has changed and the industry has changed, ran and didn't have issues. As technology has changed and the industry has changed, installation is way more important now and best practices than it ever was before and we subscribe to the best practices and do things a lot differently to try to ensure that the unit will last longer. Many people tell me they're like things don't last the way they used to.

Speaker 1:

I hear that so much used to I hear that so much, so much, and like on a refrigerator it's $2,200. Still a lot of money. But if it lasts eight years and you get thrown away you're like, okay, it was, you know $2,200. An HVAC system is, you know, is five digits, you know several thousand dollars. So you don't want to replace it after eight years. You want to try to make it last longer and the way to do that is to install it right on the front end. So we really try to ensure that you're going to have it work and last for a long time, and we can show you what we do, that others do not, to try to ensure that it will last a long time.

Speaker 2:

Okay, love it, thank you, yeah, thanks, you owe me a soda. We will sit back at the same time, sorry, okay. So for my final question, it's one that I like to ask everybody, but do you have a saying, a quote or a mantra that has inspired you or been told to you, that maybe has resonated and you'd like to share with us?

Speaker 1:

So one of the I listen to a lot of podcasts on business and development. I listen to a lot of podcasts on business and development. I watched some TV shows and stuff like that to try to get better, but one of the books that I read and the podcasts that I follow is how I Built this by Guy Ross, and it talks about many different entrepreneurs and the challenges and stuff that they've come through and then they've worked beyond and been successful with. And one of the guys that I think is interesting is Tony Hsieh from Zappos and how they built.

Speaker 2:

The website.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the shoe company, yeah, and they strove to people know them for shoes, but the way they know themselves as a customer service company that just happens to sell shoes, I feel the same way. I feel like we are a customer service company that just happens to sell shoes. I feel the same way. I feel like we are a customer service company that just happens to do heating and AC. And one of the things one of his like closing quotes or famous quotes was stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion. The money will follow. I believe that wholeheartedly. So we are a customer service company that does heating and AC. I love it it and we are very passionate about what we do and we think that it'll be beneficial long term.

Speaker 2:

I agree. And when you talk about your business and your passions, I'm just like, yeah, this guy like he does not give a flying fluke about this stuff, he really does, like care about people, and I know you guys were also um 40 under 40 nominated, so clearly the community sees that and loves you. So whatever you're doing, keep doing it, because it's working so David was nominated.

Speaker 1:

I actually won a few years ago and we won best allowed in, not this year but last year see that's twice for you guys. So clearly there's something in the water over at means and then Lennox, which is our, the equipment that we install the most, where we've been a premier dealer pretty much since inception. We've won the Saturian Award a few times, so they like us as well too, so I feel like we're doing something right.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and I think it's that passion that you have. So thank you so much for being on the podcast.

Speaker 1:

We really appreciate it, thank you.