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Princeton Air has been keeping its customers warm and cool for 36 years. The dream of founder and CEO Joe Needham, the company, located in Princeton Windsor Industrial Park in Princeton Junction has become a full-fledged success, serving people in Princeton and beyond.
Back in 1971, Joe Needham was in the trucking business and ready for a change. "We did a lot of business with the Trane Company, and I realized that air conditioning would be a growth business," he explains.
He was right. "At that time, 35 to 40 percent of homes had central air conditioning; now it is 89 percent of homes," he reports.
Both heating and air conditioning were the main part of the business then, and they continue to be the major focus. The company has also recognized indoor air quality as an important area of business, however, and it offers equipment and services, such as humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air filtration systems, ultra violet lights, and air duct cleaning.
Real Benefit
"Our research has estimated that in the next 10 years, indoor air quality will become a $15 billion business," explains President Scott Needham, who joined his father in the business in 1987. "There is a lot of interest in this now. Customers are much more educated; they have done research on the internet, and this is an option to improve people's comfort, life-style, and well-being."
"One third of families in the U.S. have someone in the family with asthma or other allergies," points out Joe. "We see our work in indoor air quality as a real benefit to comfort and health in the house. And people are willing to spend money to achieve better indoor air quality. It is important to them."
"One of the big things is that up to two years ago, if a customer had indoor air quality issues, there was a lot of guess work to determine the problem," he adds. "Now, we have a device, 'Air Advice'. which takes the guess work out of it. You plug in the unit, and it uploads data onto a website. It will check temperature, humidity, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, dust particulates, and carbon dioxide."
It indicates whether levels are safe or dangerous, appropriate or inappropriate. After evaluating the information, Princeton Air reports the findings to the customer with suggestions on how to proceed. "We are the only company in the area to have Air Advice," note Joe and Scott.
Quality Work
Customer satisfaction has been and continues to be a priority of Princeton Air, they add. "We have customers from when we first opened. Different generations in the same family. Our work is 60 percent residential and 40 percent commercial, and the commercial side has really been growing. We do a lot of maintenance work and focus on commercial offices, pharmaceutical and bio tech, and industrial work."
"We always offer quality work and quality products, including Trane and Lennox furnaces and air conditioners, as well as equipment from other high quality manufacturers. And we are competitively-priced."
Another area in which Princeton Air is set apart is its responsiveness and its dependability, believes Scott. "People are used to good service today, and we want to give them the best. Our staff goes out quickly in response to customers' calls. We focus on the human factor. A service technician is on call 24 hours a day. If someone has a problem, they want to have a person to call."
Speaking of calling — almost unheard of in today's high tech world, real people answer the phone at Princeton Air! "Customers tell us they really like it that a person answers the phone," says Joe. "Even though it costs us more, we will continue to do this. It's more personal. It brings a lot of good will, and personal contact with customers is very important."
Equal Emphasis
The Needhams place equal emphasis on establishing good will with their employees. "I enjoy seeing the steady increase of the length of service of our employees," says Scott. "Many have been here 15 to 18 years or longer."
"We offer profit sharing and good benefits," adds Joe. "We take care of our employees, who take care of our customers. In 1997, we adopted the Open Book Management Policy. Four times a year, we have a breakfast for everyone in the company and tell them how we're doing — if we have made money or lost money. It's good communication, and they feel more a part of the operation. The challenge is always hiring and keeping good people, and we make every effort to do that."
In addition, the company is involved in the MIX (Management Information Exchange) Group. "10 contractors are part of it and travel to each other's offices to do a critique. This is a way to keep improving," points out Scott.
Such efforts have not gone unnoticed, and Joe and Scott received the "2005 New Jersey Small Business Persons of the Year" award. Scott is also President of the Princeton Corridor Rotary Club, which is involved in fund-raising and charitable projects.
As CEO, Joe oversees the planning, and is proud of the company's ongoing success. "I enjoy coming in every day and seeing the business blossom and prosper."
"We are always looking for the next opportunity to serve our customers," adds Scott.
Princeton Air is open Monday through Friday 8 to 7, Saturday 8 to 12. (609) 799-3434. Website: www.princetonair.com.
