Hudson, Ink

Alan Dean of Dean’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. says his company has weathered the strains on the economy quite well.

“Our business hasn’t been seeing that much of a downturn,” he said. Among the reasons he cites for success in troubled times: an established reputation, longevity in the market, and being willing to do a little bit of everything.

“Being a small rural area, you can’t really specialize in one thing,” Dean said. “We do everything – residential, commercial, design build and more."

Dean serves three small communities in south Arkansas, including Camden, which is about 13,000 in population, along with two other cities – one a little larger, one a little smaller and each about 30 minutes away.

“Geography-wise, we cover a pretty big area,” he said. But that doesn’t seem to be a problem. “I can be in a city 30 miles away before someone in a larger city can get across town.”

One thing this market has enabled him to avoid is the downturn in new home construction. “We just don’t have it,” Dean said. In these small communities, “if we have four or five house going at any one time, that’s considered a building boom.”

Instead, a reputation for quality built over 20 years has given him a strong standing in the communities he serves. “I think that had a lot to do with it in the last few years,” he said. “It seems like things are coming easier than they used to.”

His marketing includes “a whole lot of radio advertising.” He also does what he calls “feel good stuff,” such as sponsorship of local festivals and events. “We’re very involved with the community,” he said.

“If you’re going to market your company, you need to find something that works and stick with it,” Dean advised.

Dean has seen success with his customer newsletter program too. “We’ve been doing our newsletter a couple of years. Those have been doing really well.”

As for advice he might give other contractors facing economic storm clouds, he said, “Hold on. Everything will come back. Keep yourself well positioned. Tighten up when time’s get like this and be ready to hit it when things are better.”