L-R: Mike Howes, Bill DeForest, Steve Collins, David Douglas and Bob Henry

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“I am very adventurous,” he said.  “That is why I am in the HVAC business - every day is a new adventure!”

For the past nine years, Douglas has taken a trip to Key West, FL.

“I won the Ernest Hemingway look-a-like contest in 2009,” he said.   “There were 158 people from around the world who participated in the contest. It took me nine years to get to the right level of appearance.  I went back this July and helped out in the contest as a judge.  It was a lot of fun!”

Matt Albanese is the regional controller and Bill DeForest is the operations manager.  Mike Howes and Steve Collins are the project managers and Bob Henry is an outside salesman.

“We used to have an annual get together, but we haven’t had one in a while because of the economy,” Douglas said.  “In the past, we had a picnic and we also took a bus out to the casinos in Louisiana.”

Douglas says the company has operated in the Houston market since 1984. 

“We have slowly grown, year after year and hired more sales, office staff and technicians,” he said.  “Hopefully in the next year or two, the private sector will come back around.

“To stay in business for 26 years, I believe it takes a lot of hard work, good employees and effective money management.”

Douglas says he thinks it is currently hard to find quality craftsman because of limited training programs.

“When you have someone that has been trained, they are usually trained in a specific field and there are multiple fields of air conditioning and heating.

“It is a challenge to find the younger people who what to get into the trade because it is a hard job and they have to work long hours outside.

“If a young person wants to get into the heating and air conditioning business, it is important for them to have a mechanical aptitude.  My advice would be to get on with a good company to gain experience while they are in still school.”

Focusing on commercial projects, American Mechanical Services is located in Stafford.  The company handles heavy construction HVAC and plumbing and changes out chillers and cooling towers. –ab

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