Heating + Air Paramedics Leadership Team Brings Small Town Values to Big City Service

Business owner Ryan Carpenter grew up in a mom & pop style plumbing business and, in 2011, founded Plumbing Heating Paramedics, a family-owned and operated plumbing and heating company in Indianapolis. After noticing a gap between the customer and the industry, Carpenter made an effort to focus specifically on the customer experience and relationship rather than revenue alone.

“I started the company because I saw a need in the market to serve customers better than my competitors. I wanted to bring the old school, personal feel back,” he said. “I didn’t start a company to make money; I did it because I saw a niche in the market.”

After over a decade in business, Plumbing Heating Paramedics was acquired by Threshold Brands, a multi-brand home services franchisor, and the Heating + Air Paramedics franchise was launched. Though the brand now has the backing of Threshold and is focused on expanding nationally, its core values remain the same.

As brand president, Carpenter made the choice to merge with Threshold in an effort to “bring [business owners] the system of a small town feel with the backing of a big support system to live their dreams.” Many technicians express an interest in opening their own company but don’t know how; Heating + Air Paramedics provides them the vehicle to live their dreams.

At the time of the acquisition, 20-year corporate franchise veteran Court Aiken, now operations manager, was brought in to support the launch of the franchise. 

After connecting with Carpenter, Aiken said that they instantly clicked, and he was “absolutely enamored by [Carpenter’s] story and his vision.” Carpenter’s promise of partnership sealed the deal, Aiken said, and since “[h]e had no experience with franchising and I had no experience with plumbing, it was a perfect marriage.”

Now Carpenter and Aiken work together to provide franchisees with the guidance they need to run a successful, customer-focused business. For over a decade, Carpenter has worked to build an operating model that anyone can succeed with. Now the pair looks forward to scaling that model across the nation.

Aiken said, “I’m excited to be mentioned in the same breath as the giants out there and to show that there is a different way of doing business in this sector. We are very customer focused, and the ability to replicate our corporate store will differentiate us.

The total initial investment to open a Heating + Air Paramedics is between $105,240 and $205,800 and includes a $40,000 fee that must be paid to the franchisor. For more information about Heating + Air Paramedics, visit https://www.heatingairparamedics.com/.