It’s the middle of the night. It’s hot and humid, and a dozen bleary-eyed tenants are calling to say their air conditioning units have stopped working. What’s a landlord to do?
Air conditioning units don’t break on a 9-to-5 schedule, and Gainesville-based Stellar Services understands that. The full-service air conditioning, heating and commercial refrigeration repair company prides itself on being a 24/7 one-stop shop for their clients. The company has mastered the balance between efficiency, quality and customer service, quickly mobilizing to fix those untimely emergencies with five-star attention.
“It’s not a situation where you call at 1 a.m. in the morning, and you’re going to get an answering service in New York,” said Josh Sumner, owner of Stellar Services. “The majority of [customers] have direct contact with me at any given time.”
Stellar Services provides both residential and commercial care with highly trained A/C repair technicians, including the installation and repair of A/C, heating, refrigeration and ice machines.
John Fleming of Trimark Properties began working with Stellar Services when the company was only Sumner, his cell phone and a truck.
“Josh is someone you’d trust to introduce to your household and your high-end clients,” said John Fleming, managing partner of Trimark Properties. “[Trimark Properties has] been using Stellar Services for four years for most of our service and installation work. Our clients expect superior customer service, and Stellar Services helps us deliver that level of service each and every time.”
As Trimark evolves, Fleming said, the company has renovated existing offices scattered throughout the community, which can create logistical difficulties. However, because Stellar Services provides comprehensive service, Trimark has been able to utilize the company throughout all of its properties. This is a huge bonus for Fleming and other clients who don’t have time to juggle different contractors for individual tasks. When there’s so much going on during a renovation project, it’s nice to have one sub-contractor who gets the job done, Fleming said. As Sumner said, “we’re able to come in and take care of everything.”
“We have very unique and varied needs, and Stellar Services is able to create custom programs to meet our requirements,” he added.
Stellar Services avoids approaching projects with a cookie-cutter plan. Rather, Sumner believes communication is key and instills this value in his employees. The company makes a point to follow-up with clients as much as needed.
“It really depends on the property. That’s where we really set ourselves apart — we really adjust and fine tune plans for each individual customer,” Sumner said.
Sumner stressed the importance of customer service, particularly one-on-one attention, which he feels has been lacking in the industry. This dedication to communicating with customers is pervasive throughout his business. Sumner is quick to praise his employees, who work hard to facilitate these relationships. “Our employees maintain that personal touch with all of our customers and really strive to make sure that everybody is 100 percent wowed when we leave their property or hang up the phone.”
For its customers, the company provides the security in knowing the next time the A/C breaks at one in the morning, Stellar Services will promptly provide the best kind of service.
ALYSSA RAMOS is a second year Journalism major at the University of Florida with a minor in French. She is an aspiring magazine journalist, a fashion enthusiast, and a Netflix binger with hopes of telling people’s stories through all forms of media. For now, she is still honing her writing skills, but she’s always in search of a good book and a strong cup of coffee.