STAYING COOL: Kendall Yarbro of Choate's Air Conditioning & Heating installs an air conditioning unit.

Chris Choate has fond memories of riding to service calls with his father, Joe, when he was a young boy.

Joe Choate, who founded Choate's Air Conditioning & Heating in 1958, allowed his son to spend many afternoons riding with him. Perhaps one of the most vivid memories, one which has instilled in Chris the principles that motivate him today, took place when he was 7 or 8 and Joe gave his own shoes to a hobo. The man approached Chris' dad and asked for some duct tape to hold his shoes together.

"My dad asked if he had been far and he said, 'I got a long way to go,'" Chris recalled. "The man asked for duct tape to put on his shoes and my dad asked what size shoe he wore."

Joe took the shoes off his feet and handed them to the man. Though he had an older pair with him, he chose to give the shoes off his feet.

"I asked him why he'd done that and he said, 'Those shoes didn't feel good to my feet anyway,'" Chris said.

He credits memories such as that for his sense of compassion as he deals with customers on a daily basis. Of course, Chris also learned the trade from his father by going with him on those service calls.

Today, Chris is president of the company his father started.

Transitions

Joe Choate learned about heating and air while serving in the U.S. Merchant Marines. When he first opened the business in 1958, it was on Bellevue Road. Today, the company is in a 5,200-square-foot space at 820 Herbert Road, Suite 104, in Cordova.

The company is entering its 50th year in business. The business also is in a period of transition, said service manager Michael Scott.

Scott was hired six months ago to assist with that transition. Part of his responsibility is to help Choate's position itself as a business that primarily serves the East Shelby County market, comprised of Cordova, Bartlett, Arlington, Germantown and Collierville.

Part of that effort has involved placing billboards strategically throughout those areas. Scott said there's currently a billboard in Cordova that is about to be moved to Bartlett along U.S. 70 and Whitten Road.

"And then we're also partnering with some local vendors to do some advertising over the next six to eight months to really target the eastern area," Scott said. "We also are in the process of producing a television commercial that's going to run this fall."

All these advertising strategies spring from the company's desire to let the Memphis community know what Choate's is while also growing the business, Scott said.

The company, which employs 22 people, has been restructured.

Chris Choate said the restructuring has involved breaking the company into three structures: new construction, service and plumbing. Before hiring Scott, Choate said he found himself trying to answer to 22 different people.

"That's one of the reasons I brought Mike in," Choate said. "And let me tell you, it has run a whole lot smoother."

Taking care of customers

Choate said unlike other business owners, he strives to be very hands-on and he wouldn't ask his employees to do anything he wouldn't do himself. He also wants to build and keep a strong, continuous client base.

"You can't lose communication with customers," he said. "I take this personally. I don't have a hobby. This is my hobby - my business."

Keeping the lines of communication open with his clients is very important to him. As an example, he points to a letter he received last month from a customer.

The letter, written by David Crapo, a customer of Choate's since 1974, thanked the employees for taking care of an air conditioning problem. Crapo wrote in the letter that he will always feel indebted for the service he received.

"We think you and your guys are among the best in your field," Crapo wrote. "Your workers are always so helpful, polite and considerate - just like their boss. Thank you very much."

Choate said the letter touches him because it lets him know he's making a real difference in people's lives. And making a difference seems to be a common denominator for Choate and his employees.

Keeping it in the family

Choate's son, Solomon, recently received his master contractor's license in HVAC, meaning a third generation of Choates is in the business.

"That let's me know that I've done something right in teaching him," Chris Choate said. "We try to build the confidence of our employees."

Solomon is the field installation supervisor. His brother, Brian, also is in the business, working as an apprentice in the sheet-metal shop, where he is being trained by 83-year-old Roy Lemmon to build custom ductwork .

Chris' wife, Cindy, is the office manager.

A third son, Stephen, is a computer network operator at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis.

While the family members all have different roles within the business, Chris said all the employees have a team mentality. If something needs to be done that might not necessarily fall under their job title, they don't complain, they just pitch in and do it.