Reliance Heating and Cooling has served the heating and air conditioning needs of Central Arkansas since 1986. Founded by Wayne Paladino in the city of Conway, the company has grown from a small two-person operation to a thriving HVAC business with employees and an operations manager serving both residential and commercial clientele installation and service needs.
Reliance Heating and Cooling’s vision for Central Arkansas’ HVAC marketplace is to be the go-to company clients know they can call, trust, and receive the most competitive rates. Paladino is realizing his company’s vision by working directly with his son Patrick and creating an atmosphere at Reliance where everyone is family.
Great measures are taken to ensure equal treatment and that each employee has the resources and assistance to complete every job efficiently and with the highest degree of quality.
At Reliance, employee contributions are both valued and appreciated when it comes to meeting the needs of current and future customers.
The staff at Reliance Heating and Cooling welcome Building in Arkansas personnel to its Conway offices located on Highway 365 South. Upon arrival, we were met by Patrick and Jeff, the operations manager for an overview of its current projects in Central Arkansas. Later we were joined by by Wayne and had a chance to sit down and ask questions about the company’s origin and expected growth trajectory among other questions.
Originally, I started as a technician for another heating and air company when I was going to high school. I worked in the summers, got interested in it, and by the time I graduated, I had made up my mind that I was going to start a business. I was very determined to do this, to make it. It took work, blood, sweat, and tears, but I was ready and so I did it and that’s how we got started.
In the beginning, I had a partner that started with me; we eventually parted ways and I put all my determination behind it and finally started developing into something about three years later.
It took some time, but I just carried on and stayed small because when you start out from scratch, you’re going to be small, I got it to a level where I felt comfortable with it not growing any bigger and did that up until 2020.
I thought about selling the company, but my son, Patrick, talked me out of it. He was graduating from college when he decided he didn’t want to go into the field he was studying and it was a perfect segway for his increased involvement with the company.
At that point, I really had two companies. One was service-oriented and the other was focused on installations for new construction. If one was doing better than the other, it was worth it. So, the decision was made to let Patrick continue with the service company, which is Reliance Heating and Cooling. My idea is to keep it simple and keep it at an easy pace. Patrick’s idea is different. He wants to take it to the next level, and with the involvement and energy he brings to the company; that’s what we’re doing. We’re really taking it to the next level.
We want to be the company that everyone knows and can trust. We want our customers to know they are getting the best value for what they’re paying when they hire Reliance for a job or project. Our goal is to offer service and installations at the best rate possible. We make every effort possible to control our purchases and where we purchase to maintain the lowest pricing.
We really keep an eye on our structure; we don’t invest in a lot of extras like new vehicles, and we really maintain low overhead so we can pass along better value to our current and future customers.
Patrick Paladino:
We take care of everybody the same. I try to help my guys complete their jobs. We go out of our way to make sure everybody feels like they’re appreciated here.
It might mean that we have six guys helping with a simple task so one guy doesn’t get stuck on a Friday. We all pitch in. We’re not going to leave anybody hanging.
When I was younger and starting out, I had the opportunity to work on an apartment complex. It was 192 units, and it was challenging, but we powered through it. We got it done. But a more interesting commercial project would probably be a strip mall here in Conway that we did.
It had rooftop units, and it was different from what we were typically used to. It was our first time doing rooftops with curbs and it was an interesting commercial job at that stage of the company’s growth.
I would say the owner’s vision of financial responsibility is one of the biggest things that, as an employee, I have. I always joked around and said, “Wayne ruined new vehicles for them.” It teaches us not to live outside of our means. I know driving that old Dodge I have if I drive it for as long as I can, there is a potential rental property in the future.
That’s the investment opportunity meaning I’m not working at 78 years old.
That’s a hard thing to talk about because the future is uncertain. Larger Companies have plans five years in the future already.
We have to plan further ahead than what we have previously anticipated getting contracts on future apartment building plans across central Arkansas to help take it to the next level.
Patrick is all things hunting and shooting, and at one time I’d say that was me too.
But as you get older, more fishing, boating, and that type of fun is more in line for me.
When I was younger, I was bad at procrastinating, and everybody does that to an extent.
However, I would procrastinate on things and lose jobs due to procrastinating. Following procrastination, the next biggest lesson learned was developing patience. Patience is a big deal and is a big part of being professional.
When something goes wrong, try not to let it bother you; don’t get sidetracked, and don’t lose patience. Always look for a better path that prevents you from losing your patience with a customer or potential customer.