I hope this letter finds you and your family well. This past year has been a trying time, and I'm looking forward to a better year ahead.
The reason you are receiving this letter is two-fold. First, it is to let you know personally that I am retiring this year and will no longer be in the heating and air business. Don't worry, I'm not leaving completely but after my 49 years in the business I have gotten to the point in my life that I am ready to finally slow down a bit and focus on enjoying my grandkids and the great outdoors.
Again, I won't be totally out of the picture but the only way for me to let go of the day-to-day stresses of operating a business is to retire. I am 100% healthy and am doing this because this is what's best for me.
Second, when you run a business for as long as I have and build the relationships that I have over the years, you develop a responsibility to your clients to ensure the level of support and dedication to their well-being. It is the same with my team here at Metro. I've known for some time that I want to slow down and over the last couple of years, I have entertained the idea of merging with another company. The honest truth is I couldn't find someone that had the same energy, passion, and will to deliver to my clients and our team here at Metro as I have all of these years. That all changed a few months ago when I met Lucas Ragusa of River City's Total Maintenance.
In our very first telephone conversation, what stuck out to me was him referencing his team and clients like "family ". His willingness to allow me to express my wants for my team and clients were mirror images of each other. He believes as I do that our clients are the most important ingredient of a successful business as well as the team providing that service. This marathon conversation lasted 4 hours, during which we shared our beliefs and wants, and it was clear to me that my employees and clients would be in good hands with this company.
Yet, I was still skeptical. So, for the last 3 months, we have worked side by side on jobs so that I could see firsthand how he and his team operate. Friends, I am telling you they are the real deal. From their front office to operations, service, and installation you will have zero falloffs from what you have come to expect from Metro.
In closing, I cannot express what it has meant to me that you have trusted me inside your homes and businesses for all these years. This move will allow me to continue to do things that I am still very passionate about, teaching and home evaluation consulting . Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions.
