When I think of Arkansas, specifically areas like Russellville, I cannot help but hear the theme song from Cheers in my head. “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.” With the picturesque scenery, Southern hospitality and endless opportunities for adventure, Arkansas is a place many choose to call home for a lifetime. For folks like James E. and Carol Johnson, a good opportunity and the things mentioned above led them back to Arkansas from Pasadena, Texas.
The year was 1972, and James E. Johnson, native of Dover, was working as a maintenance supervisor for a chemical company in Texas that made sulfuric acid. His uncle, who was the distributor for Carrier in Arkansas, informed him that a dealership in Russellville was in the works and asked if he would consider moving back home.
Thrilled with the idea of being back in his home state, James jumped at the offer and moved his family back to The Natural State, where Dependable Air was born. Their first location was on East Main Street where Tops Shoes is. After experiencing growth over a couple of years, they moved into a larger building located on South Arkansas Ave, and the business is still run out of that location.
James and his wife, Carol, ran the business three to four months and then began hiring people as needed.
After the passing of James three years ago, Rusty Johnson, son of James and Carol, took over the business with his mom. “Any time I was not in school or it was summer break, I spent working with mom and dad. It was in 1976 that I began working fulltime for them,” said Johnson.
Rusty is not the only Johnson helping keep Dependable Air running. Robin Johnson Freeman, daughter of James and Carol, oversees office operations, with the help of trusty guard dog, “Chewy.”
Dependable Air specializes in heat, air and plumbing sales and services including installation and change outs.
“We love this area. You have got the lake, stuff to do outdoors, plenty to do when you are not working,” said Johnson.
Johnson added that by being a local business in an area like Russellville or Dover, you know most of your customers personally and repeat customers become friends. “We like new customers, but we often work with people we have known for years, have been neighbors with and so on,” said Johnson.
“The biggest challenge has been that we may not always be the cheapest, but we have someone on call 24-hours a day, who will work on holidays, weekends, deer season, anything. People can depend on us after the sale to still be there for them,” Johnson explained.
When doing business with Dependable Air, Johnson ensures that everything is in per state code, they are state certified and insured, that quality work can be expected every time and that they will always back work up if problems arise in the future.
To learn more about Dependable Air and everything they offer, you can visit their website at www.dependable-air.com or call them at 479-968-5555.
Dependable Air Conditioning Company, Inc.
