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The Service Roundtable’s Hall of Leaders
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Ron Smith |
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Few people have had as much influence on an industry as Ron Smith. From a $500 loan and a dream, Ron built one of the country’s most successful air conditioning companies. In today’s dollars, Modern Air Conditioning’s annual revenues would total $40 million. For an air conditioning company located in Fort Myers, Florida, a small, one season market with a transient population, that’s not bad.
Ron was one of the air conditioning industry’s great innovators. He literally invented the residential service agreement. When Ron started his company, air conditioning was still largely new construction driven, with some add-on installations. Service was seen as a necessary imposition. Ron changed that and taught the industry that service and replacement work was highly lucrative.
Another of Ron’s innovations was retail air conditioning salespeople. Traditionally, sales were made by technicians or owners (and most owners were technicians). Ron hired Tom McCart and Charlie Greer to sell replacement and add-on air conditioners. At the time, no one thought salespeople taken off the street, without HVAC experience could sell air conditioners. Ron was conducting an experiment. Of course, he didn’t tell Tom and Charlie he was experimenting. Not knowing it wouldn’t work, the pair sold system after system, achieving legendary status in industry lore. Once again, Ron fundamentally changed the way many contractors approach the industry.
If seems incredible that sales superstars like Tom McCart and Charlie Greer both worked at the same company. The credit goes to the ability of Ron Smith to identify and attract talent. Not only were Tom and Charlie salespeople, but Ron hired John Young as his sales manager. Later, John became one of the co-founders of the Contractor Success Group. If McCart, Greer, and Young were not enough, Ron also recruited such luminaries as Ruth King and Al Roach into the air conditioning industry.
Ron’s innovation didn’t end with Modern Air Conditioning. He started the Service America franchise system, which was the industry’s first private contractor group. Later, he formed Ron Smith & Associates, creating the Dominant Market Share training program, training thousands of contractors on retail marketing. If that’s not enough, Ron served as the COO of Service Experts through their purchase by Lennox Industries. He was inducted into the Contracting Business Hall of Fame and is a founder and Board member of the Service Roundtable.
Today, many people who never knew Ron’s story are learning about him through his excellent, best selling book, HVAC Spells Wealth. The strong sales of the book surprised Ron. The book was written as his gift to the industry and he never expected to sell many copies. In typical fashion, Ron has broken all of the rules. He shunned the New York publishing houses and traditional promotion methods. The book has sold on word-of-mouth about the quality of information. Plus, thousands of contractors who Ron helped have purchased his book. Some buy copies for competitors, hoping to spread Ron’s message and thereby, elevate the industry.
Few people have directly and indirectly helped so many in the air conditioning industry. Few are so ready to share knowledge. Ron has directly helped thousands of contractors through Service America, Dominant Market Share, writing, and training. Through global mission work, he’s helped many beyond the industry.
In recognition of a lifetime of service to others, Ron Smith is a Servant Leader.
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© 2008 Service Roundtable |
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