December 2019 marks 37 years Ridge AC has been in business. How does a company survive that long? First, and foremost, my wife of 45 years, Debbie. Without her and her support, I would never have made it. We had three young children, it was December, Christmas time, and no job. Scary times. I had worked for a Panama City AC company for ten years but was ready to go out on my own. Leaving at the holidays did not make it easy on me but I knew it would make leaving easier on my former employer since air condition and heating work slows down this time of year. Debbie took care of the household, kids, and the bills. All I had to do was find jobs and work!
During the past 37 years, our nation has gone through many presidents, good economies, bad economies, recessions, and hurricanes. How did Ridge AC survive? Employees. I know I have the best employees anyone could ask for. I constantly get good comments about them. Customers call, text, email, and come by our office to thank us and mention employees by name to ensure we recognize them for their exemplary service.
The past 14 months have been trying. After the hurricane, none of my employees had power, phones, gas, or food. However, they were here for me. We quickly got the office opened. Everyone worked together. They were here even though they had personal things to take care of. Customers could not call us, but they came to the door and asked for service. My employees were here to assist. This is what makes a good company. Great employees!
I think my staff knows how much I care about them. I treat everybody fairly and care about his or her wellbeing. The company already pays 95% of every employee’s medical, vision, and dental insurance. In 2020, we are implementing a 401K with a 4% match. In addition to that, we are going to fund our profit sharing.
I am excited to give back even more to the people who make Ridge AC one of the most trusted, dependable, quality AC companies around. I know taking care of our employees, helps ensure our customers are cared for too.
Joe Ridge, Owner