When you think about your family and how much you love them, do you think you love them enough to work around them every single day and still like them? If your answer is no, then the business model found at Griffin Electric Heating & Air would not be your slice of pie.
A husband and wife duo along with their son and daughter-in-law are the hands behind this 32-years-strong business, and are making the model work well.
“We opened in 1983 at a location on South Glenwood. At the time, Jay, my husband, had been working for the Corps of Engineers several years as an electrician and decided he wanted to open his own business and we have been going ever since. When he said he wanted to start a business, I really thought he was crazy,” said Nancy Griffin.
Griffin worked at the phone company downtown until they closed and, following her retirement, decided to work with her husband full-time. “We have been married for 51 years, and while he’s in and out most of the day and I’m in the office, without fail, we eat lunch together about every day,” said Griffin
When the Griffin’s son, Dennis, graduated from high school, he stayed out of continued education for a year before deciding to attend a vocational school in Ozark. “He flourished there and he is such a hands on learner. When he finished, he came to work with us. His wife, Shannon, joined us full-time in 1999,” explained Griffin.
“It is really neat to be able to work with your family, not many people have that. When our granddaughter, Shelby, was born in 2002, we kept her here until she was old enough to go to daycare. The downside to working with your whole family is that we can never travel together and that has been challenging, ” said Griffin.
Griffin Electric Heating & Air specializes in electrical work, heat and air, generators sales and service calls. While their hours are not 24/7, special situations can sometimes be accommodated if someone is ill and needs power, heat or air for medical equipment or their health.
“We make it a priority to do quality work and treat our customers the same way we would want to be treated. We have customers who have worked with us from the very beginning,” said Griffin.
Even with the scorching temperatures our area has seen the past month, your friends at Griffin manage to get everything done in the same day to avoid being backed up the next day, preventing long wait periods for service calls.
While the backbone of the business may be family, strong work ethic comes in second. “My husband will be 72 on his next birthday and still works five days a week,” said Griffin. Additionally, their granddaughter has spent her summer helping around the office making copies, mowing the lawn, and doing her most important job, entertaining trusty family pet, Sadie.
To learn more about this family owned business and the brands they carry, call them at 479-968-8555.
Griffin Electric Heating & Air
