A new generation is taking over not one, but two Heating and Cooling businesses in our local area. Nate Stenzel is the proud owner of both Luiken Heating and Cooling and Jandro Heating and Air. I was able to talk to Nate about his decision to take on both businesses, and asked him what brought him to this decision.
"I was originally going to go to school to be a Wind Turbine technician. I grew up on a farm so I knew I wanted to do something with my hands. I soon realized that this required a lot of travel and decided it would not be a good fit for being away from the farm. A good friend of mine who was currently in the HVAC industry recommended checking out the HVAC department at South Central College in Mankato. After the visit, I immediately knew this is what I wanted to do and here I am. We offer heating, cooling, plumbing, and water systems. water softeners, drinking systems, etc.."
Nate took over for Brad Luiken in May of 2023. Brad was the original owner, and was in business for over 35 years. Nate will be taking over for Joe at Jandro Heating and Air in February. Joe was in business for a long time, and was looking to retire. He wanted someone to take over his business. After meeting with Joe, both Joe and Nate decided it would be a good fit to combine both companies, and that's how the two very successful businesses became one. The business is located in Faribault.
They have a 45 minute service radius. Kenyon, Wanamingo, Zumbrota, and Pine Island are included in their service area. They also serve south metro. Lakeville, Prior Lake, Shakopee, Burnsville, Savage, Apple Valley, Farmington, New Elko Market, Rosemount, Owatonna and south as well, all the way to Albert Lea.
When a business grows and changes hands, there are always modifications to make things fit. I asked Nate what he foresees in the future as he gets the two companies working together as one.
"The biggest changes will be the plumbing side. We will introduce plumbing this spring with our Master Plumber. We are currently doing water heaters and water softeners, but we will have a full plumbing service by this spring."
"And since you are new in this business, why should people want to work with you, as opposed to other HVAC services?" I asked.
"They should choose to work with us because we are a locally owned, family run business. I have 12 years of experience in HVAC, and with my crew, we have over 50 years of experience in the field. We believe in hard work and honest craftsmanship, and are passionate about what we do. Some of our employees grew up in Kenyon, so we are local. Unfortunately, there are companies that treat you like a number, and only want to sell you things. We are here to tell you that we are not like that. We believe in treating our customers the way we would like to be treated. Let us show you what an HVAC and plumbing company is supposed to be. Unfortunately, a lot of the bigger corporate companies are price gouging, and like to sell anything they can, ultimately lying to the homeowner. This is very frustrating on my end. I just believe people deserve to know what is really going on in our industry. We are here to bring back old fashioned values, and will do everything we can to keep our customers happy."
Well, there you have it. I look forward to watching this company grow, and bring back value and affordability to one of the most expensive fixes homeowners face every day. Good luck to Nate and his crew. Be sure to check out his ad in this month's Messenger.
