The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mentor company a story of success
Tri-Den Heating and Air Conditioning puts emphasis on excellent customer service, honesty
Tri-Den Heating and Air Conditioning owners Nick Trivisonno and Frank Dengel have applied a few basic but important principles in establishing a successful business.
They say it starts with customer service and giving each customer a personal experience.
“Our customers are dealing directly with the owners and people like that,” Dengel said.
Dengel and Trivisonno go out on calls to install and service air conditioners, humidifiers, heating pumps, furnaces and boilers.
“We do everything start to finish in heating and cooling,” Dengel said.
Honesty is huge in this business, Trivisonno added.
“We do every job like we would do it in our own homes, “he said.
Dengel’s two sons plan to help in the business.
His 19-year-old son, Josh Dengel, completed the heating, ventilation and air conditioning high school program at Auburn Career Center in Concord Township last year, and his younger brother 16-year-old Jared Dengel is in his first year of the program.
Josh said Trivisonno and his father inspired him to enter the field.
“I’ve learned so much by going out on jobs,” Josh said. “It’s definitely handson training. You learn more out in the field than you do in school. It’s a great trade.”
Although Jared recently This is the fourth part in an occasional series on 2017 Lake-Geauga Fast Track 50 award winners. The Fast Track 50 is an annual event that celebrates the success of the fastest-growing businesses in the two-county area, along with honoring winners in several other special categories. Dec. 5: Geauga Growth Partnership, Fast Track 50 Nonprofit Award winner. Dec. 11: Attorney Patrick Perotti, Fast Track 50 Game Changer Award winner. April 10: Keller Williams Realty Greater Northeast, Fast Track 50 No. 3 Established Company. started the program, he also gets the opportunity to learn in the field.
“It’s interesting,” he said. “I can apply the things I learn in the field in class.”
Dengel and Trivisonno also attended Auburn Career Center through its adult workforce program.
They met working with a local heating and cooling contractor.
“We thought we would be a good team to go out on our own,” Trivisonno said. “It’s very hard to find that kind of work ethic and the same vision.”
Tri-Den Heating and Air Conditioning opened at 7869 Enterprise Drive in Mentor in 2012.
The previous owner also was in the heating and cooling business and the property came with needed equipment and supplies.
“It was a perfect fit,” Frank said.
They started with about a two-page list of customers and over the years, it has grown to about seven pages.
“We also started with mostly residential customers and now we do more light commercial,” Trivisonno said. “When we first started, we had about 95 percent residential customers.”
Tri-Den Heating and Air Conditioning was recognized for its growth and ranked No. 5 on the 2017 Lake-Geauga Fast Track 50 Emerging Companies list.
The Fast Track 50 is a program that honors the region’s fastest growing companies in Lake and Geauga counties.
As their business continues to grow, Trivisonno and Dengel plan to develop a website and hire an employee to work in the office.