Page 47 - BusinessWest June 12, 2023

Reflecting on a Legacy
Girard Heating & Air Conditioning Celebrates 30 Years
To build a company and steer it to three decades of growth, one needs to be future-focused. But Steve Girard has been thinking a lot about the past, too.
“When you get to my age, you start thinking about your legacy,” said Steve Girard, president of Girard Heating and Air Conditioning, which is celebrating
its 30th anniversary in 2023. “I’m proud of the guys I’ve trained over the years who are doing great things in the industry — they can track their lineage back to me, and that means a lot. The other thing is, we’ve got customers who are grandparents, and we took care
of their kids and then their grandchildren. I look at the generations of people we’ve helped, and in some instances, they almost feel like part of the family.”
Since opening his doors in Westfield in 1993, Girard said, the company has become the premier installer of ductless Mitsubishi Electric cooling and heating systems and has consistently provided ser- vice that exceeds customer expectations. It’s a legacy — there’s that word again — he says he’s continuing from previous generations.
Indeed, Girard began his career during his middle- school years when he worked for his grandfather, who owned a heating and cooling company. “I didn’t realize I was learning anything,” he said. “I thought I was just hanging out with my grandfather.”
After enrolling at Westfield State University, Girard continued working during school breaks for the per- son who bought his grandfather’s shop. Realizing
how much he knew about the industry, he took a summer job at Westside Air Conditioning.
“I had a great summer and loved what I was doing,” he recalled. “I decid- ed to continue working, and did not go back to college.”
After being employed as an instal- lation foreman for another company, Girard decided to start his own busi- ness. He brought his brother, Bob Girard, and his cousin, Jennifer Gagnon, into the business, and about a decade in, the three became partners in the company.
“Having been a part of the business since its inception, I am so proud to see Girard thrive over the past 30 years,” Bob Girard said. “I’m excited to see what future successes lie ahead for our business.”
Steve Girard said one of the biggest changes
he’s witnessed in the industry has been technology. “There’s just so much going on now with technology, connectivity, smart systems, and everything else. It can be daunting at times.”
He added that, over the past three decades, he’s had to adapt the business many times to meet con- sumer demands and trends, such as the recent inter- est in heat pumps (see related story on page 43).
From left, partners Steve Girard, Jennifer Gagnon, and Bob Girard.
Photo by Market Mentors
“It’s not like we came up with a recipe 30 years ago and just rode it out,” he concluded. “We come up with a plan for three or four years, then we have to scrap it and come up with a new one.” BW
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