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Coastal Bend business leader: Mike Wanzer

Janet Herlihy/special to the Caller-Times Mike Wanzer has grown his namesake company by working hard and always being fair.

— Mike Wanzer A/C Company Inc.

Mike Wanzer, Owner

Address: 1959 Saratoga, Building #19, Corpus Christi

Company description: Mike Wanzer A/C is a family-owned business providing sales, service and installation of heating and air conditioning equipment. We also sell HVAC parts for the do-it-yourselfer.

Hometown: Corpus Christi

Years in business: 31 years

Tenure in position: 23 years

Education: I graduated from King High School in 1978

First job: When I was 16, I was a dishwasher at Western Sizzlin Steakhouse. I learned the importance of getting to work on time and working as part of a team.

Biggest career break: I went to work for Ike Manning at Ike Manning A/C in 1980. I started out as a helper in the shop and then moved into sales. Mr. Manning took me under his wing and taught me the business of being in business. I learned the A/C and appliance business along the way. He started grooming me for management. In 1988, when Mr. Manning retired, I took over the business. We renamed the company Mike Wanzer A/C that same year.

Business turning point: It was a huge help when my wife, Michele, came to work in the office in 1988 and took over all the administration and bookkeeping. We are a good team as I like working with people and making calls and she is great at taking care of all the paperwork of running a business.

Then in 1990, we decided to focus on handling just one brand, Carrier, in air conditioners and Maytag for appliances. We became a factory-authorized Carrier dealer. We really got going when Tony Williford started working with us in 1990.

By 2000, the appliance business had changed and we decided to get out of it and concentrate on heating and air conditioning.

Business philosophy: I conduct business my way: I work on the assumption that everyone is smarter than I am, but I do know what I’m good at and what is possible. I won’t agree to work on something that can’t be fixed properly just for the money. I believe in being fair but firm with my customers. We have a loyal client base and they appreciate that I am always straight with them.

How would you improve the Coastal Bend’s business climate? Rather than complaining about the area, people should get involved and help find solutions. I’m chairman of the Corpus Christi Plumbing and Mechanical Advisory Board and sit on the Del Mar College Education Curriculum Board.

How has your business changed with today’s economic climate? Sales on new HVAC systems are down since the federal tax credit program expired. People are choosing to repair units, so service calls are up. We are trying harder to control our overhead expenses and we are emphasizing service and repairs.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 and is filed under Business News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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