Just a few weeks ago, I posted that it had been 25 years since I became the ‘new’ owner of Air Flow Inc.
If you’ve followed any of our social posts and videos, you know that founder Al Gelin passed away in a plane crash in 1995, and founder Neil Drees from cancer in 1997.
I ‘ran’ Air Flow starting at the end of 1996 when Neil took ill. I was 26.
Many of the Air Flow incumbents took to greener pastures, and who could blame them.
There wasn’t anyone I could or wanted to learn from.
Right around that same time I’m working with Price Industries for the first time.
I loved how they did business.
They offered a lot of support.
They were willing to share in some risk.
If they screwed up, they fixed it, provided we did the same.
They said they were going to service the hell out of us and our accounts, and they did.
What a wonderful role model for Air Flow to follow. They say, ‘when the student is ready, the teacher will appear’. That’s just how it went down.
I’m certain I would have had to unlearn some things the older Air Flow generation had to offer. Instead, I watched the Price folks work and soaked it all up.
All these years later, Price is still our role model.
Air Flow and Price don’t do it exactly the same. We joke around more. I share more personal thoughts in our marketing. I’ll take a shot at things I don’t appreciate. But foundationally, we believe the same things about the Golden Rule, earning trust, excellent service, education, working ethically, and working hard to win you over.
This year, Price Industries turns 75 years old. I’m very pleased that Air Flow has been a small part of that for over 25 years. When I met Gerry Price and Chuck Fraley in 1996, their company may have been doing $30M in the US market and on the verge of running out of money. Their collective group now has eclipsed $1 Billion dollars and is a global HVAC industry leader.
Also this year, Gerry Price was announced as the winner of the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award (IDEA). Other noteworthy winners over the last 40 years include Ross Perot, Richard Branson, Martha Stewart, Howard Schultz, Arianna Huffington, and Chip Wilson. There are over 30 others with impressive backgrounds.
Don’t you love it when the good guys win?
Congrats Price Industries.
You are invited to "Antec Controls and the Science of Air Flow Control and Measurement"
This is an in-person class with an option for remote attendance.
When: May 14, 2024 10:00 AM CT
Topic: Antec Controls and the Science of Air Flow Control and Measurement
You can register for in-person or remote attendance with the link
Facilitator: Antec Controls by Price
PDH credits available: 2
