It’s our 70th anniversary, all thanks to you. We want to share the story of our history, and plans for our future.
Once upon a time …
Now let’s travel back to 1951, when Ernst was first founded. Ernst was not an HVAC company yet. It was a hardware store run by Al Ernst, who is the grandfather of the general manager, Dusty Ernst!
Over the years, Al Ernst noticed that his customers at the hardware store began asking for propane deliveries, then asking him to install gas furnaces for them … so Al was basically already running a heating and cooling business, just not in name yet. Then, one day, a man named Charlie Zahn from Williamson (the biggest HVAC manufacturer at the time) went to visit Al. Charlie wanted to try and get Al to sell Williamson furnaces and air conditioners. Charlie took Al out to lunch, to pitch him the idea of becoming an HVAC dealer!
As Charlie was driving to the restaurant, he was talking Al’s ear off … Al was pretty tired from a hard day of work, and he fell asleep! Al woke up just as Charlie was asking, “So what do you think?” Not wanting to appear rude, Al answered, “Let’s do it.”
And THAT is the story of how Ernst went from a hardware store, to the best HVAC company around!
Ernst today … and Ernst tomorrow
Now, Ernst is being run by Dusty! We interviewed Dusty to get some of his thoughts on how Ernst has changed over the years, and how it’s going to change, grow and innovate in the future! The amount of techs, installers, customer service reps, and other employees grows every year, not only so that Ernst does more business, but so we do even better by customers like you.
When asked, “Did you think the company would have come this far by 2021?” Dusty answered, “I didn’t think it would look the way it does. Back in the day, everything was on paper. All tools were analog. Different logo, different branding. The company is now in the 21st century!”
Speaking of all things new, Dusty also said that Ernst is currently looking to recruit and train new technicians, because those technicians will be your company’s future. That’s the most important investment of all, other than maybe your customers!
Other than that, Dusty can be found reading Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration Magazine, to research the latest HVAC trends, events and products. Sometimes, while he is reading, he listens to Snoop Dogg’s latest album, I Wanna Thank Me. But Dusty also said that, instead of thanking himself, he wants to thank the amazing employees and customers of Ernst!!
We are honored to reach this benchmark of 70 years of service to the Hamel community. We’ve been committed to you for decades, and we look forward to keeping that up for decades more! When it comes to your heating and cooling needs, rely on a company with experience. Contact us online or call us at 618.217.1836!