For Richie Drew, vice president of operations at One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, the secret to long-term franchise success isn’t just strong systems or reliable processes; it’s people. From building multi-generational businesses to creating cultures where employees feel at home, Drew believes the strength of the network lies in the relationships that power it.

“At the end of the day, we’re in the people business,” Drew told 1851 Franchise Publisher Nick Powills on a recent episode of the “Meet the Franchise” podcast. “Whether we’re selling air conditioners, lawn services, or dog walking, it doesn’t matter. It’s about being passionate about business and people.”

Drew knows that lesson firsthand. A third-generation tradesman, he started out in his family’s South Carolina HVAC business, eventually helping transition it into a One Hour franchise. Today, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, part of Authority Brands, has expanded nationwide by pairing established systems with local owner-operators who deliver a personal touch to their communities.

“The strength of the system makes those decisions easier,” Drew said. “From the outside, you might say, ‘I could invest in this, but I’d have to hire someone I trust to tell me what’s right and wrong on the AC side.’ I can handle the business side all day long, but I need that person.”

For entrepreneurs looking to invest, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning offers not just a franchise system, but a community where culture drives results and people come first.

A transcript of Drew’s interview with Powills has been provided below. It has been edited for brevity, clarity and style.

Nick Powills: How did you accidentally fall into franchising? What’s your franchise backstory?

Richie Drew: I’m third generation in the heating and air business in northeast South Carolina. My parents owned a heating and air company. My grandfather was in the trades before that, working with the civil service after World War II.

I started working for my dad when I was 15 on new installs, hanging ductwork and climbing through rafters. Then I worked in my parents’ company before we became a franchise — back when we were still more of a residential new construction company. We eventually transitioned into a residential service business, which prepared us for franchising and what came next.

I was born into it. It’s a family business. Now my 21-year-old son is in the business too, so we’ve got a fourth generation coming up.

Powills: Let’s go back to when you and your parents decided to franchise. What drove that decision? I’m sure there were internal conversations about growth, but what really pushed you to go down the road of franchising?

Drew: At the time, we were a mom-and-pop operation. We were part of a group called Contractor Success Group, which was more of an affinity group — best practices and things like that. As we grew the business and shifted from new construction into service, my dad realized service agreements were the key. They tied customers to you and made them stick.

For my dad, franchising also became an exit strategy. It gave him a vehicle to eventually sell his business, which he did — to what was then Clockwork Home Services. That company was later bought by Direct Energy, and then by Authority Brands.

I ended up buying the company back from Direct Energy in 2013, so it came full circle for me in the franchise. What attracted my dad was the systemization of the processes. He didn’t have to reinvent the wheel, which is the hardest part of being an independent contractor — constantly wondering what works and what doesn’t.

With a good franchise system, you just follow the process. It’s established, it works and it’s duplicable. That was appealing to us and gave us the ability to grow in ways we couldn’t have done alone.

Powills: When I first started our business, we worked with a company in the pool service sector. Most of those businesses were very mom-and-pop. That’s not necessarily bad — you can operate a good business and sometimes hand it down to your kids. But the kids didn’t always want to take over mom and dad’s pool business. When that happened, the business ended. You turned in your keys and it was done. There was nothing to sell.

So the question became: how do we take a fragmented segment and organize it into something that holds long-term value? I think HVAC is similar. For your dad to say, “We could keep running this business, but the valuation at exit isn’t going to be what we want. Let’s go down the franchise route” — that was huge.

On the franchisee side, when you tie franchising into it, you add a brand and a multiple that makes the business more attractive and changes the long-term projections.

I also hear legacy in your story. Yours is a multi-generational business — your son is now involved. That’s part of the magic of trades-based businesses. Kids see the potential and the freedom of being their own boss, and sometimes they want to stay in it. I wonder if you have comments on it.

Drew: I can give you a firsthand example with my own son. We went to the Authority Brands Convention earlier this year, and he said, “Dad, I had no idea. I had no idea you were part of this organization. It’s just so big, with so many brands.” That was exciting to him. It reminded me of when I went to meetings with my father years ago and had that same experience. I thought, “Wow, there’s a whole world here. I can do this. If they can do it, I can do it.”

That’s the power of the network, which is the most valuable part of any of our brands — the community of owners talking to each other. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy my job so much at Authority Brands. I’m not just the VP of operations — I’m also a franchisee. When I talk to other owners, sometimes I’ll take my corporate hat off and say, “Look, I’m talking to you as another franchisee. Here’s what I would do in this situation. Here’s what I’ve experienced.” It’s not theory. It’s real-world advice.

Young people don’t have to reinvent the wheel. They can look at the hard work mom and dad did to build the business and say, “I don’t want to go through that grind, but I do want to run this business.” The franchise system gives them the structure and the network to feel comfortable taking it on. It also gives parents confidence that the kids will be OK because they have a system to guide them.

Powills: When you were going through the process of buying the business back, was it because they had lost touch with the value of the owner-operator, and you could step in and reinvigorate it? What allowed you to buy it back?

Drew: Back in the Direct Energy days, our CEO asked me, “What makes the difference? How are you able to make this business profitable and run it when others struggled?”

On day one, I met with all 37 employees. I told them, “Good news, bad news. Good news: I bought this business, and we’re going to recapture everything here. We’re going to take that hill. Bad news: Payroll is next week, and I don’t have much left after buying the business. So we have to make it work.” I painted a vision: “We’re going to grow this into a $20 million business.” I put 20s in the corners of every room and pointed to them as a constant reminder of where we were headed. We were going to grow to the market’s full potential and become the dominant player.

That vision is what an owner brings — the spark that says, “This is what we’re building. This is who we’re becoming.” Everyone wants to be part of something bigger than themselves. When you consistently paint that vision, and people can see it and believe in it, culture comes alive.

Our Las Vegas location is one of the best cultures I’ve witnessed. It was our first One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning location. I was the GM there for a couple of years, and today it’s a crown jewel. They’ve got their own call center, their own install department and a culture that radiates. You can see it on their Facebook page — it looks like they’re having fun, and it’s genuine. They’re a team, they love each other and they work well together. You can feel that culture come through. That’s the power of vision.

Powills: I’m hearing a debate about using the word “family.” Some people say, “Don’t call your workplace a family.” What you described in Las Vegas sounds like family. In HVAC, you also see multi-generational ownership. Is that OK? Is that part of the magic — when it feels inclusive, even if we use another word?

Drew: It is family. You can have your family at home, and you can have your work family. Family is the people you choose to spend your time with — your tribe, your people. If you stopped any one of our employees and asked, “Are we a family?” they’d say yes. We’ve had folks who left, went to work somewhere else and then came back saying, “I just want to come home.”

When you create an environment that feels like home, it’s family. If someone is disgruntled and says, “Don’t call me family,” then there’s a cultural issue. Families can be dysfunctional at times. Families disagree, and they can agree to disagree. But at the end of the day, they still have each other’s back. We’re part of something larger than ourselves, and we support each other. Sure, there can be drama in a family. But at the end of the day, we are a family.

Powills: Since you’re both a franchisee and a corporate leader, answer this from a double perspective. If I’m a prospective buyer, my fear might be: now a multi-brand umbrella company owns this. Doesn’t that put the culture at risk? How do I know you’ll protect it?

Drew: My position speaks to that. When I was hired, I was told, “We need somebody with your experience level. What better way than to have a fellow franchisee who knows the system but also understands the challenges out there?” That opens doors.

From the outside, you don’t know what you don’t know. You can observe and ask the right questions. I talk to every potential One Hour franchisee, and I tell them all the reasons they wouldn’t want to do this. If I can talk them out of it, there’s no passion — and they shouldn’t be here.

If there is passion, it doesn’t matter whether you’re investing for returns, for family and the future, or to grow it and eventually sell it. Whatever your strategy, you need a why. I ask, “What is your why?” If it’s strong enough that I can’t talk you out of it, you’re in the right place.

We always say you need the right people in the right seats on the bus. Franchising is no different. If you get people who want to be part of the system and plug into the network, it works. Some of our best franchisees came from outside the trades. They weren’t technicians, but they gelled because they were passionate about business.

At the end of the day, we’re in the people business. Whether we’re selling air conditioners, lawn services or dog walking, it’s about being passionate about business and people.

Powills: Strip away HVAC, and what I hear is that good business is good business. Yes, HVAC is the widget you’ve chosen, but the widget ends up being secondary — as long as it drives enough revenue. Does the widget matter? To me, we’re really talking about culture.

Drew: Absolutely. If we align with the right people, it doesn’t matter what business we’re in. There are technical skills we need to learn and get right. But whether I’m making shoes or fixing air conditioners, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability while remembering I’m serving the client.

My son told me last night at dinner, “I was at one of our oldest customers’ houses today doing service.” I said the guy’s name and he said, “Yeah, how did you know?” I told him, “That’s one of my oldest customers. They were your grandpa’s customers. They were my customers.” He said the man had been a maintenance club member for 25 years. He’d been a customer even longer. You don’t get that by accident. That happens because every person treats the client the same way I would, or my dad would, or my grandfather would. That’s the passion we put into this business.

When people interview with us, they feel that passion and want to be part of it. But they have to bring the goods. They have to live it every day — put on the uniform, get out there and do the work. The customer is the ultimate boss. They decide whether to hire us or one of the 100 other contractors in the market. What makes the difference? It’s the person. That’s why we focus so heavily on people.

Powills: It crosses over to the franchisee if the franchisor takes the same philosophy. I love the concept of “giving the customer the pickle.” On the flip side, here’s a real example. We went out to dinner with the family, and there was a 3% admin fee added to the bill. It wasn’t explained. It’s pennies, but that’s what I’ll remember.

If they had rolled that cost into menu prices and then given my kids a cup of ice cream at the end — still charged for it, but made it feel like a gesture — my perception changes. When I think about “giving the customer the pickle,” that’s what you’re describing with a customer who’s been on maintenance for 25 years. For franchisees, sometimes it’s as simple as asking, “How are you doing?”

Drew: It’s about conversation. I have a few every week with different franchisees. Usually it starts with, “How are you doing this?” or “How are you doing that?” I like to back it down and ask, “How are you doing? How’s life? How are the kids? How’s everything outside of the business?”

A lot of times, business problems come from somewhere else. I bring my problems to work, or Sally brings her problems to work. It always comes back to people. We are in the people business — no question about it.

Powills: If someone is watching from the outside, why should they consider One Hour? What’s the advantage of becoming a franchisee in this system?

Drew: The network of people we have is one of our biggest strengths. It’s also the system. We’ve built a system for running these businesses, based on percentages and data we’ve collected. We know what trends look like and what should happen in a market. Every market is a little different, but the system works.

We have a strong training program. Bringing people up to speed has never been easier. Add in programs like BuyMax with rebates and other benefits, and there are many ways we support franchisees.

If I were starting from scratch, I’d want to align with someone who knew what they were doing. That’s us — we’ve got the system. If I were doing a conversion today, I’d want to stop reinventing the wheel and join something bigger. Conversions are even easier because owners already know the business.

When we converted from Myrtle Beach Heating and Cooling to One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning in 2004, I did it in 14 days. We had four service trucks and two install trucks. The hardest part was getting the trucks wrapped and painted. We sent a letter to customers explaining the name change, why we did it and what it meant: on-time service guarantees, standing behind our work and being part of a national footprint.

It was a boost. Customers thought it was great. They started experiencing the guarantees, and they loved it. People want on-time service. They don’t want to wait around all day. But I’ll say this: our strongest asset is training. It’s the best part of the system. The Success Academy training team is phenomenal.

Powills: What I love about trades-type work in a franchise system — especially with an owner-operator — is that the collective makes everything stronger. Someone might have an insight over here that cross-pollinates over there, and the data backs it up. For someone new to the category, that’s powerful. Your son connected to it. He looked around the room and saw the potential of being a franchisee.

When I think about conversions, it goes back to why your dad did it. You can have a business to sell — maybe your kids want it, maybe they don’t. When you’re part of a franchise, you’ve built an asset that’s immediately sellable. You said you converted in record time. Maybe you wouldn’t go that fast today, but if you’re out on an island by yourself, being brought into the collective could be the next step.

Drew: The strength of the system makes those decisions easier. From the outside, you might say, “I could invest in this, but I’d have to hire someone I trust to tell me what’s right and wrong on the AC side.” I can handle the business side all day long, but I need that person.

Finding the right person is critical. We always say you’ve got to kiss a lot of frogs to find the princess. If you interview three people and say, “This is the best of the three,” that’s not good enough. Give me the best of 30, then we can talk.

That person needs to be the right cultural fit for what you’re building, because your culture grows from them too. If you’re in lockstep, you’ll be unstoppable. We’ve seen it. Some new franchisees from outside the trades hired the right key player, and their cultures took off. Last year’s Rookie of the Year franchisee was in that scenario — they’re in California, and they’re crushing it. It always comes back to people and building that culture.

Powills: My final statement — something I overuse, but it fits here — is: you bet on the jockey, not the horse. Your story shows you’ve put your money where your mouth is. You’re still with the company even though it’s traded hands, and there’s something magical about that. The excitement you have when talking about other people’s cultures, and how those cultures connect back to the business, ties everything together.

Drew: Thank you for having us. We really appreciate it. And as we say — it’s a great day at One Hour.

Watch the full episode above or on YouTube. 

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/one-hour-heating-and-air-conditioning.