JC's Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Purchases Assets of Steve's Heating

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Years ago, Steve's Heating and Air Conditioning of Tamaroa came about out of necessity.

Owner Steve Gartside remembers the day that Koerner & Sons of Du Quoin owner Paul Martin sold the shop to Tom Wall and Wall sincerely felt that, at the time, the business couldn't support a large staff.

Gartside made the decision to serve heating and air conditioning customers on his own and that was the start of his homegrown business. Steve knew the Lennox equipment line like the back of his hand and signed on as a Lennox dealer.

"I started in 1989. I was in business for 22 years, said Gartside, who recently announced his retirement. "I am 58 years old," he said. "Du Quoin was my foothold and I tried to take care of my customers and do it honestly," he said. "I never tried to sell something to my customers they didn't need."

Steve and wife Marla and their two daughters Stephanie and Courtney live their lives that way.

It is that kind of integrity that attracted JC's Air Conditioning & Refrigeration of Pinckneyville to the Gartside family.

In recent weeks it led to Jim and Carol Brand's purchase of the assets of Steve's Heating & Air Conditioning, including Steve's inventory of parts, sheet metal equipment and Steve's customer list.

The Brands have always put a premium on relationship-building and customer care. It has made JC's Air Conditioning and Refrigeration a success story that continues to grow.

Jim Brand had been a master electrician for the coal industry years ago, powering up the mining behemoths --the draglines, stripping wheels and reclamation equipment--that dug millions of tons of Black Gold out of the Captain and Streamline operations. He was extraordinary at his job, according to those with whom he worked. "They always called Jim out first," remembers one of the electricians who worked with him.

"We began here in 1987," says Brand, whose sons Alan and Chris are now part of the business. Jim and wife Carol also have a daughter Tracy Barnes.

They have business relationships throughout the Southern Illinois construction industry and are partners in the proposal to bring a new shopping development to Pinckneyville's south side.

Along the way, Jim and his sons picked up heating, ventilation and air conditioning degrees from Rend Lake College.

The shop offers high efficiency climate control equipment, geothermal systems, refrigeration repair service and outside wood burning boilers.

The shop's "listed" hours are 7 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., "but we really don't have hours," he said. Service is about being available all the time.

"After years of doing this I think people call me because of my name," he said. Customers know they can count on Jim and his family.

In the early days, Jim became a dealer for Armstrong heating and air conditioning equipment--well made, dependable and affordable. It was the right choice.

Lennox, another household name, was sold and serviced by Gartside and is manufactured by the same company. In time, Jim says his shop will probably offer everything that Steve Gartside offered. It's just a good fit.

Gartside believes he found the right buyer and Brand says he knows Steve's customers remain in good hands moving forward.