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by Christine Gilliland, The Chamber Saint John Region
Jay Fuller, Owner of EcoHeat, likes to innovate, he likes to be busy, and he’s driven to do what it takes to make it right for his customers.
Jay started working full-time immediately after graduating from the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning program at New Brunswick Community College in St. Andrews. While his day job was commercial/ industrial installation and technical work, he began installing heat pumps as a hobby on weekends and evenings. Before long, the heat pump business got so busy that it was time to make a decision: either quit his hobby, or start his own business. Jay’s entrepreneurial spirit prevailed, and EcoHeat launched in 2008 and incorporated in 2009.
Jay and his business partners saw the heat pump trend early, and at the time they entered the marketplace, EcoHeat was one of few heat pump installers. Today, they’re one of the bigger players.
“It’s all about timing,” Jay said. “You’ve got to get in before the market gets hot.”
Within two weeks of launching EcoHeat, they hired their first employee. Today, the company employs 12 people, full-time, and plans are in the works to hire an office manager and another refrigeration technician, as they take on more refrigeration projects.
“If we start doing a lot of work in a particular field, rather than use sub-contractors, we prefer to hire someone qualified in that area,” Jay said. “This means we know the job will get done on time and to our high quality standards.”
It’s those high standards that guide EcoHeat’s customer-first policies like no charge warranty service calls and elicit many 4 and 5-star reviews from happy customers throughout New Brunswick.
Whether the weather outside is frightfully cold, or unpleasantly hot, EcoHeat’s solutions like ventilation systems, insulation, home repairs, gas generators, gas fireplaces, solar panels, and heat pumps offer energy-efficient solutions for improving the comforts of home. Their showroom at 103 Hampton Road in Rothesay is designed to help customers experience the various systems in a home-like setting. They also offer financing on all their services.
Winners of the 2015 Saint John Region Chamber’s Outstanding Business Award for entrepreneurial achievement, EcoHeat has already sold more heat pumps this year over last year. They continue to be active Chamber members, recognizing how the Chamber network offers great exposure for their business.
And, always the entrepreneur, in his spare time, Jay’s designing a heat pump that uses a heat exchanger to extract heat from solar-heated hot water. Jay’s also got his eye on franchising the EcoHeat business and expanding into what’s shaping up to be a hot heat pump market in Ontario.
“We’re proud to be a member of this community,” Jay said. “Our sense of community is reflected in the way we do business and our drive to get it right for our customers. If you like what you do, do it well, and stand behind what you do, you’ll do well.”
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