The Inland Comfort Air Conditioning Ltd. team
KELOWNA – Inland Comfort Air Conditioning Ltd. is celebrating their 20th anniversary of keeping Okanagan businesses stay cool and warm through their HVAC products and services.
Their company’s success is twofold: first, the outstanding team of individuals that make up this company, without them our customer experience would not be what it is. Secondly, their customers who have planned maintenance on their Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning units, which proactively identifies problems and provides solutions before failures occur, gives them satisfaction in knowing their HVAC needs are well taken care of.
“Regular maintenance of an HVAC system can take a load off of a business owner’s plate,” explains Curtis Koepke, who owns the company with Jeff McGeorge and Rob Noel. HVAC issues are one of the most contentious items on any property managers list – we try to identify the core issues and provide solutions.
“Our team is focused on the right solutions for the customer, this generally boils down to equipment that works, reliably, and consistently. Long-term satisfied customers are the end game. Our customers are less concerned about saving 50 cents an hour on heating, they are concerned if their staff and customers are comfortable. At the end of the day, people want to be comfortable at work, and if the occupants of a building aren’t comfortable, it affects their engagement and productivity.”
Inland Comfort Air Conditioning HVAC units on a roof at Kelowna Airport
Inland Comfort services include planned HVAC maintenance, service, repairs and replacements. They install and maintain building automation systems (BAS) which include alarms and custom programming. They offer backflow prevention, gas detection equipment calibration, and mechanical design-build services.
McGeorge and Noel founded the company in 2004, Koepke joined the company in 2014 as an employee and became a partner in 2019.
Koepke has formerly worked as a boat lift technician, machinist, and completed his refrigeration apprenticeship since he joined the company. McGeorge and Noel had worked together on the lower mainland, where Noel ran BC Comfort for over 20 years prior to the move to the Okanagan to start their Inland Comfort.
A downtown Kelowna installation by Inland Comfort Air Conditioning
Growth has been steady since day one for Inland Comfort, through our practical and pragmatic approach to repairs and service, we have repeatedly gained trust with numerous businesses, and continue to grow through their referrals and word of mouth. Koepke points out that due to the nature of their services, they haven’t seen much of a slowdown, regardless of the economy, adding, “the HVAC industry is somewhat insulated from that, which is nice. People need to be comfortable in their places of business, all the time.”
Today, Inland Comfort has 22 technicians, including 15 Journeypersons, serving clients largely from Penticton to Vernon in the Okanagan. The company has been successful due to its focus on doing what it does best.
“We don’t have a plumbing or electrical department, for example,” says Koepke. “We focus on commercial HVAC maintenance, service and repairs. We have our niche, we stay in our lane, and we recommend the other services to our trusted network of professionals.”
When it comes to residential units, Inland Comfort generally works with strata managers and strata corporations in apartments and condominiums.
“We’re heavily built on trust, fair pricing and long-term relationships,” he says, adding that when it comes right down to it, even the customers birthday is important to them.
“We’re focused on relationships with our customers, and with our staff, through our continuous pursuit of knowledge and the training we provide,” he notes. “It all starts with our relationships with our team, because they’re the face of the company and the ones interacting with our clients every day.”
Inland Comfort technicians don’t sell equipment or repairs; they service and maintain.
“We have a sales team that puts quotes together for customers,” he explains. “This lets our technicians focus on finding the right repair and on getting the equipment fixed, while the sales team works within our customer’s budgets and goals.”
By Mark MacDonald