Air Flow Systems, Inc.

Starting out with only five employees, Air Flow Systems, Inc. has grown into a successful, key player in the Virginia geothermal scene completing over 350 projects.

In central Virginia, if you want to go geothermal, there’s only one person to call: Jimmy North, the owner of AirFlow Systems, Inc.
“When people start talking to other people about wanting to build a house- an energy efficient house- our name always seems to pop up. And it just keeps turning itself over,” North said.
North started AirFlow Systems, Inc., an HVAC contractor, 23 years ago with a business partner who has since retired.
“All through school I worked for a local heating and air conditioner contractor. So I learned the business by working in the business.”
AirFlow Systems started out small, with only five employees.
“I basically started the thing from scratch,” he said. “I  had no business or anything lined up, and as the years went on, we became a  successful player in our particular area, in our community.” The company now boasts 20 employees.
But despite the relatively small size, North keeps the company organized and on track with three duct crews, three install crews and four service technicians. He and one other employee handle the sales and design.
“The jobs that I sell, I design,” he said. “We’re totally hands-on. Everybody does a little bit of everything.”
North takes the hands-on approach seriously. “I’m here all the time. But I want it that way, because I feel like I’m all about the quality of workmanship and the people that I have working for me. That’s what you do when you own a business. If you’re not doing that, you’re not going to be successful.”
His 10- and 12-hour days, where North has turned his company into a leader in the geothermal industry, have paid off, helping the company through this tough economic period.
“I must say that it has, other than the first two years of opening this business, been very very challenging. The times that are going on now. Had it not been for geothermal, I’m not sure we’d be here today.”
AirFlow Systems, Inc. got into the geothermal industry 20 years ago. At the time, few people knew about geothermal its environmental benefits.
“I really wanted to separate myself from all the other HVAC contractors.” North said. I wanted to do things that were outside of the box that not a lot of other people would be doing. So I felt that was an opportunity for us to do something that other heating and air conditioning companies did not do.”
They have since completed over 350 projects in the central Virginia area, sometimes traveling up to an hour and a half to a job site. Geothermal equipment only has about five moving parts, meaning there’s less chance for malfunctioning. North knows that once he installs a geothermal system, the upkeep is nearly nonexistent.
AirFlow Systems, Inc. is also a WaterFurnace dealer, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of all geothermal sales nationwide. And even though the company could probably secure water furnaces from a different dealer at a lower cost, and thus close more geothermal sales, North won’t switch. “The support that those guys give us is really incredible,” he said. "We’ve looked at other manufacturers, but it’s the support and the quality of the unit that they build and the way that they stand behind their product is the reason that I want to be a WaterFurnace dealer.”
The company focuses mainly on residential work and specifically high-performance houses. When working on a new build, North will meet with the builder and the homeowner to figure out the best set up for their individual needs, even doing a walkthrough with the owner. "You have an idea of what you're going to do with your furniture in your house and I don’t. So we do a complete walkthrough and we locate where to put the vents."
North handles every aspect of a job with this same care and dedication. "Our system is custom to your house," he said. AirFlow Systems, Inc. has an in-house sheet metal fabricator, which builds the ducts specific to each home. "We don't just buy it at the store and then piece it together at the job site. I tell my guys all the time, you’re only as good as the last job you did. The people’s houses that you’re getting ready to go into, they don’t know how good you are, so you have to prove yourself over and over again."
They also conduct duct-blast tests on all of their systems, to ensure there is as little leakage as possible. North serves on the board of the EarthCraft program, Virginia's green building program.
"I've been in that program ever since its inception, so we have to guarantee our homeowners less than ten percent duct leakage." North manages to get most down to less than three percent duct leakage. "That way you know that the energy you're spending money for is getting to the rooms in the home that you need it to."
A few years back, they installed a geothermal system for the Nottoway County Courthouse, about an hour and a half outside of Charlottesville. The project had seven vertical wells, a challenge that many homes on small lots face. Vertical wells can be difficult due to the increased chance of hitting water, but luckily, North has developed a close relationship with Foster Well Drilling, who bring their expertise to every project. "We just have a good working relationship with one another," North said. "It's great."
Their focus on geothermal has helped keep the company afloat in this economy. The Bush-era tax credits for green building practices are 30 percent, with no cap. "That certainly lends itself to getting more people into the business of selling geothermal," North said. "This has certainly allowed us to be out in front of people and keeping all of my guys busy and not having to lay anybody off or send anybody home." He's even been able to hire a few people.
"I'm hoping to be able to survive and thrive through this recession that we've got going on," North said. "I'm hoping that as 2011 comes upon us, we remain strong as far as the geothermal business is concerned." ELT