Mr. Kool is Welcomed to Wells County
The Wells County Chamber of Commerce staff and Ambassadors welcomed owners Eric Hoffman, Tanner Smith, and employees with Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services located at 610 North Main Street in Bluffton with a ribbon cutting.
Hoffman and Smith officially bought Schwartz Plumbing and Heating in September 2020.
Combined, Hoffman and Smith have been working in the trades for over 25 years, starting nearly out of high school. Hoffman worked in Bluffton for approximately 7 years and decided to start Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services in Van Buren, Ohio 3 years ago. Hoffman said, “I liked Bluffton so much, I really wanted to be a part of this community and expand the business, but the timing needed to be right.”
Hoffman met Joe Schwartz with Schwartz Plumbing & Heating several years ago and was approached last year by Schwartz about buying the business. Schwartz was looking to transition into retirement. “I really liked Joe’s morals and how he ran this business,” stated Hoffman. “I contacted Tanner about co-owning and we took over last September. Joe is such a knowledgeable guy and knows so much about the older equipment; therefore, his experience has been a lot of help to us.”
A lot of transition has taken place at the Bluffton location. The reception area was upgraded to offer a more modern-welcoming feel as customers enter the building and additional employees have been hired. “Each person has a different specialty and we have been very fortunate to find good quality individuals that want to work with us,” said Smith. “In October, we will be hiring an individual in to focus on electrical, which will expand the business offerings. As a business, we are always looking for ways to expand our knowledge.”
“We are not a franchise; we are locally-owned and want people to shop local. All of us here are Mr. Kool are local individuals,” said Hoffman. “Mr. Kool is a name we just came up with and wanted something fun that would pop out. Hopefully the trucks you see all over town stand out to people.”
Hoffman and Smith feel very strongly about the values they bring to the business. “We want to be fair and help out in the community and that is the main reason for getting into business,” explains Hoffman. “This is hard work, many hours and it can be stressful; however, you’ve got to wake up each day and know why you do this and that is to help people. Do unto others are you would want to be treated.”
“Customer service is a number one priority for Mr. Kool,” added Smith. “Everyone wants good service and customers want quality, clean people in their home with no trouble. We are fortunate that we have a great team here, which we are all very close, just like a family.”
Hoffman continued to explain that Mr. Kool is a solution to customers’ problem, and not just a band-aid. “We actually want to give them a fix to an issue and stand behind what we do. A customer should know they are being taken care of, we are going to show up, and fix their problem. We are professionals and we know what we are doing.”
A goal of Hoffman and Smith is to be more involved in the school systems and the community. “We hope to work with local youth regarding the trades and encourage them to go into this field,” said Hoffman.
Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services offer services for residential and light commercial such as indoor air quality, plumbing, HVAC, well work, and electrical (staring October). Hours of operation are 24/7 and are on-call at all times.
Pictured in the photo left to right:
Angie Topp, American Mortgage, Special Events Committee
Alyssa Sponseller, Archbold & Lewis, Chamber Ambassador
Joe Ayres, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Mayor John Whicker
Austin Dedrick, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Christopher Duckwall, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Doug Brown, News-Banner, Chamber Ambassador
Trina Smith, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Tanner Smith, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Kevin Pritchard, Ruoff Mortgage, Chamber Ambassador
Eric Hoffman, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Bethany Hoffman, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Austin Crow, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Don Steffen, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Collin Jones, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Erin Prible, Executive Director, Wells County Chamber of Commerce
Deb Klopfenstein, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services
Jake Jones, Mr. Kool Heating & Cooling Services