The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Business milestone
Lew’s Reliable Heat and Air Conditioning marks 50th anniversary PRODUCTS NOW $17
April 1 is always an ideal day to pull a prank on someone who’s likely to be caught off guard.
But Lew Schwentner wasn’t fooling around when he established Lew’s Reliable Heat and Air Conditioning on April 1, 1970.
The start date for the business actually was chosen for accounting reasons, said Lisa Schwentner Joles, Lew’s daughter.
“(Lew and his wife, Nancy) were waiting for the beginning of a quarter, not necessarily that it was April Fool’s Day,” said Joles, who today serves as president of the company, which is based in Fairport Harbor. Although Lew died in 2006, the business bearing his name is still familyowned and -operated. As it marks its 50th anniversary in 2020, Joles took time to reflect on how the business began and its enduring success.
Making the decision
Before launching his own company, Lew had worked for an uncle who operated a Mentor-based oil and gas burner service business.
However, he eventually “had a parting of the ways” with the uncle, and needed to find work that offered a consistent income to provide for his family, Joles recalled.
“(Lew) tried a couple other avenues of different jobs, and decided that he really wanted to go into business for himself,” Joles said. “He had been a carpenter before he worked for his uncle, and worked out of a union hall. But it wasn’t steady enough.”
The company started small, with Lew and Nancy as the only employees, running the business out of their home on Lusard Street in Painesville.
Growing and moving
During its first decade of operation, Lew’s Reliable Heat and Air Conditioning grew gradually, Joles said.
In 1976, Lew hired a senior electronics student from Auburn Career Center named Ed Crosby. For Crosby, it marked the start of a long career there.
“He still works for the company today as a service tech,” Joles said.
In the mid-1970s, Lew’s also moved its headquarters out of the Schwentners’ home and into several different locations.
The business initially relocated in 1975 to a building on State Street in Painesville. A year later, Lew’s packed up and headed to Fairport Harbor Village, where it’s been based ever since at 616 High St.
Joles has worked there for about 36 years, and her sister also had a long career with the company. Julia Furlong-Jones began working there in 1979 and spent 39 years as a sales representative before retiring in 2018.
“She went to people’s homes, met with them, measured for new equipment and then priced the job accordingly,” Joles said. “Definitely in this area, one of the early women to be something other than a secretary in heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry.”
The company started small, with Lew and Nancy as the only employees, running the business out of their home on Lusard Street in Painesville.
Products and services
Lew’s sells, installs, maintains and repairs heaters, air conditioners, humidifiers, water heaters and air cleaners.
The company’s busiest times of the year are when the weather changes dramatically, either getting significantly hotter or colder, Joles said.
As far as growing trends in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry, she said air cleaning systems are a popular product at this time.
“Indoor air quality, especially with COVID-19 going on, is an important element with keeping your home clean,” she said. “You don’t just want to put on a bigger or heavier filter, or double up your air filter, because you could do damage to your equipment.”
One thing that all home and building owners need to do to keep their furnaces running properly is have them cleaned once a year, Joles said.
“A furnace gets dirty just like everything else in your house,” she said. “New equipment definitely is more finicky about being cleaned than old equipment — equipment made in ‘50s ‘60s ‘70s, even into the early ‘80s.”
Family ties
In the midst of its 50th year of operation, Lew’s consists of 10 employees: Joles; her daughter, Autumn Joles, who serves as the company’s secretary; six service technicians; onepart time sales and office person; and a dispatcher/ secretary.
In addition, Joles’ mom, Nancy Schwentner, holds the title of company vice president.
Joles said the connection of her family to the business is something she takes to heart.
“As a family business, Lew’s is an important thing to me, an important place to me,” she said. “But it means more than I’ve worked here almost 36 years. It’s who I am and where I come from. Because my dad was Lew, it’s very personal.”
Looking toward the future, Joles said the company always will strive to fulfill the business philosophy characterized by its motto: “Your comfort is our concern.”
She also foresees that Lew’s will continue to focus on its current line of products and services, and not branch into any new or additional types of home maintenance or repairs.
“We do heating and air conditioning very well, along with indoor air quality, and I don’t see us going into any other trades,” Joles said. “Just being here to continue to serve and do what we do well.”