Before starting Comfort Temp Heating & Air in 1985, Tom and Lucy Worthmann saw a need for a professional and honest heating, ventilation and air conditioning company to serve North Central Florida. The couple was inspired to start their company based on a core set of family values they extend to employees and clients. Those long-standing family values remain crucial to Comfort Temp. They believe their positive image, professional behavior and strong relationships will always be important to the company’s success and clients’ satisfaction. This philosophy guides all their decisions and interactions.
Comfort Temp brings creativity and attention to detail to every job and goes above and beyond to provide lasting peace of mind. This compayn knows clients depend on quality work for their well-being and budget, so they practice caution in their promises. If Comfort Temp says it, the client can consider it done. Most clients will never realize the extraordinary efforts and careful calculations Comfort Temp takes to make HVAC work exceptionally well, but that is okay with Comfort Temp. They do not go the extra mile for recognition. They do it to ensure the comfort and safety of anyone and everyone who enters that building.
The Gainesville-based corporate umbrella, Comfort Temp Company, owns and operates Comfort Temp Heating & Air and its sister company, CT Mechanical, a full service mechanical and plumbing contractor. Tom and Lucy Worthmann’s’ son, Erik, and his wife, Christine, own the company today and together, they fully facilitate all operations.
Bringing comfort and peace of mind
Comfort Temp goes above and beyond to deliver peace of mind. They send clients a biography and photo of the technician long before they even reach a home or business, so clients have peace of mind while welcoming someone new into their home. Respect and safety are high priorities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Comfort Temp takes extra precautions, such as supplying employees with personal protection equipment including masks, hand sanitizer and wipes. Employees give each client their own stylus to sign tablets with after services are completed.
Comfort Temp takes their time on the job and devotes all their attention to it, whether it is an emergency repair, scheduled appointment, free home assessment or system replacement. They always take the time to answer questions and address concerns. A supervisor comes onsite two weeks after the initial HVAC instillation to perform a quality check, a core service for Comfort Temp. This ensures the system is functioning properly and the client is comfortable. The supervisor also gives the client a gift of appreciation and welcomes them into the Comfort Temp family. It marks the beginning of the one-year planned maintenance that comes with every system replacement or new HVAC installation.
Reliable service for reliable systems
The only time an HVAC system seems to fail is on the hottest day or the coldest night, when it is not properly maintained. Comfort Temp is a 24/7 service provider, so clients can count on them any day, at any time. Clients can also rely on this company to provide a customized service. HVAC installation can be a complex puzzle with pieces of different shapes, sizes and conditions. The nuances of architecture, engineering and technology make installation and maintenance part art, part science. Comfort Temp has experts in many different areas eager to tackle any challenge.
Comfort Temp has consistently proven they are the right team for the job. Whether it is a challenging new space or a routine service call, Comfort Temp has the craftsmanship, ingenuity, dedication and experience to make buildings more comfortable and efficient. They strive to offer reliably superb solutions on jobs of every size. Comfort Temp is the preferred HVAC contractor for Alachua County Schools and has tackled numerous impressive projects, including Bass Pro Shops, Cade Museum, Fire Station 1, UF Health at the Oaks, UF fraternity and sorority houses, Whole Foods, San Felasco Tech City, Gainesville Police Department, Seminole Power Plant and Camp Blanding, along with many hotels, retail stores and government facilities.
Giving back to the community
Erik and Christine Worthmann lead the company with a strong emphasis on culture, based on the solid foundation built by Tom and Lucy Worthmann. That includes the team’s passion for giving back in the communities they serve and investing in their employees. Giving back to communities is simply part of the Comfort Temp culture, and it always has been. The company supports more than 30 nonprofits, including Junior Achievement; Gigi’s Play House, which supports people with Down Syndrome; the SW Advocacy Group, which helps improve the quality of life for those in need in Southwest Gainesville; Tyler’s Hope for a Dystonia Cure; Catholic Charities; and Boy’s and Girl’s Club.
The Comfort Temp team also honors communities with time and effort through fundraisers, toy and food drives, donations and chef opportunities with the local Ronald McDonald House. Director of human resources, public relations and marketing, Soly Schrack, commends Comfort Temp for the positive, family-oriented atmosphere, and how the company truly cares for its employees and the communities they serve.
Taking care of their own
There are many ways Comfort Temp invests in their team. Each year, the company sponsors 20 or more employees through the Santa Fe Community College HVAC apprentice program, in which employees earn a four-year HVAC Journeyman’s License while working full-time for the company. In addition, senior staff and certified instructors provide many in-house training opportunities. Employees benefit from Comfort Temp’s numerous relationships with HVAC vendors, who offer their training programs. Employees stay on the cutting edge of new technology or advancements in systems.
A career with Comfort Temp starts with common workplace benefits, including medical, dental, vision, uniforms, supplemental insurances, a 401K plan with company matching, holiday pay and vacation time. The company does not stop there, also giving employees gifts for summertime, at Christmas and for their birthdays. Comfort Temp gives employees gift cards to help buy their families’ Thanksgiving meals. A position with Comfort Temp includes a substantial tool account, which eliminates the financial burden of a large purchase by spreading the cost out through small, weekly deductions from their paycheck.
A family atmosphere
Valuing employees and investing in them is a big part of being in the Comfort Temp family. Comfort Temp keeps alive what Tom Worthmann said many years ago: “
The men and women working with us are an extension of our family.”
His son, Erik, continues that mantra. He believes that the company’s success is due, in no small way, to its employees. The Worthmanns sincerely wish for every employee to succeed and grow and to develop a long and fulfilling career with this company. In turn, the company will also grow and succeed. One of the company’s core values is to nurture employee relationships. The company hosts quarterly Team Culture Days, an initiative that brings teams of 10 to 20 together to simply kick back, relax and have fun. Employees receive a full day’s pay for Team Culture Days. The team votes on a fun event, and the company schedules and arranges it, plus pays for lunch. If one of the company employees falls on hard times, he or she will surely see Erik, Christine and the whole staff come together to lessen the load for their coworker, just as a family would. The result is satisfied, educated and confident employees who enjoy going to work. Branding and fleet manager, Beth Doan, said the friendly, family-oriented atmosphere made her feel like part of the family from day one.
“I never felt like just a number or a paycheck. I do feel part of a big, family that truly cares about each of us, not only professionally but personally as well. They want us to grow and succeed,” she said.
Despite the continued growth of Comfort Temp Company, their core values still hold strong, as their mission statement says it all:
Comfort Is Our Business. Peace of Mind is Our Promise.