When the founding owners of Arrowhead Heating & Air Conditioning retired, longtime employee Michelle Sorensen wanted their customers to continue relying on a trustworthy business, so she purchased it in 2013.
When the founding owners of Arrowhead Heating & Air Conditioning retired, longtime employee Michelle Sorensen wanted their customers to continue relying on a trustworthy business, so she purchased it in 2013.
“If they sold out to anyone else, it would be pieced out and customers wouldn’t be taken care of,” said Sorensen, president and owner of Arrowhead Heating & Air Conditioning in Casper, Wyo.
Bud and Barb Springer founded Arrowhead in 1977 to provide residential, commercial and industrial heating and cooling services. Sorensen, who worked for the company for 20 years, wanted to continue those same services, plus make sure the technicians, who belong to Sheet Metal Workers Local Union # 103, had jobs.
Currently, there are seven technicians and a total of nine employees on staff, including some of Sorensen’s family members. Her husband, Garrett, is a master journeyman and union instructor, and their son, Lance, is a fourth-year apprentice on schedule to be a sheet metal journeyman by the end of the year. “I knew the customers, the accounts, the processes, everything,” Sorensen said. “I started off part-time, then became a full-time assistant, then I became the manager and obviously in the office.”
Soon after she bought the company, Sorensen joined the Better Business Bureau Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming in 2013. “I wanted customers to know … that our work can be judged by anybody and everybody, because it’s going to be good quality, good workmanship, and it’s trustworthy,” Sorensen said. “I want to be a company people can trust that will be out there when we say we will.”
Arrowhead installs, services and maintains heating and cooling systems of all makes and models, plus provides commercial and industrial duct cleaning and 24/7 emergency services for its customers. The company, which is licensed, insured and certified, stays current with industry standards and is on top of any changes in equipment and technology.
“Otherwise you’re going to be over your head not knowing what you’re doing, which costs the customer more money as you’re trying to figure it out,” Sorensen said. The technicians use the latest, high-quality equipment from meters to detection devices and are licensed, certified, insured and well-trained, Sorensen said.
“When I send somebody out to a job, I know they have all the training and equipment necessary to take care of the call and the licensing, too,” Sorensen said. Arrowhead recommends customers get their systems checked twice a year, the cooling in the spring and the heating in the fall. During a maintenance service call, the technicians will check and clean the connections on the air-conditioner or furnace, recommending any parts be replaced that don’t read on a high strength, plus for furnaces, they remove and clean the blowers.
“We don’t believe in just changing parts. We are going to find out what’s wrong and go the least expensive route first before they have to go through the expense of replacing it,” Sorensen said. Regular maintenance helps protect the life expectancy of the equipment and retain warranty agreements, plus it lowers energy bills and helps improve efficiency and the comfort of the home.
Customers receive discounts and same-day service if they are members of the Arrowhead Club, which currently has 200 to 300 members. There’s also a complete fabrication shop on site and Trane and Lennox systems for sale if current systems fail. “We never leave a customer without heat,” Sorensen said, adding that the company will provide space heaters or portable air-conditioners until the part or new unit is delivered and installed.
Sorensen, who handles customer calls, contacts her customers to set up the twice-annual checks, so they don’t have to worry about it. If she hasn’t heard from them for a while, she’ll contact them to see if they’re doing OK. “We’ve known them so many years, they’re like family and friends,” Sorensen said. “We don’t sell a job and walk away. It’s a relationship.”
Arrowhead provides service within a 300-mile radius, primarily in Douglas, Glen Rock, Lander, Rawlins, Riverton and Kaycee, Wyo. “If they’re customers of ours, we like to take care of them,” Sorensen said. “We’re trusted, and obviously we’re not out to gouge or rook anybody.”
Sorenson appreciates BBB’s standards for business, proudly displaying the BBB logo on the front door and on the website, proposals and other customer communications. “As long as I keep growing, I’m assured the BBB is going to be there behind me and backing me for customers assurance, so customers know they can always go there,” said Sorensen, who is a member of the BBB regional advisory board. “I want to make sure everybody is held to a high standard, and I want to make sure nobody gets through that’s not.”