GRAND FORKS – When the Boettners of Grand Forks decided to exit the One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning franchise, they decided to rename it something new.
A residential plumbing and heating contractor came in.
The rebranding included a new name and logo: Bears Home Solutions, a nod to a longtime employee named Darin Gador, who is now the company’s CEO.
“Bear is actually Darin’s nickname because he worked for us,” said Eric Boettner, Bears finance and marketing manager. “When he worked for my dad and my uncle many years ago, he was the operations manager and he always had the nickname ‘Bear.’ Everyone called him Bear because he was always direct and blunt and just determined and consistent.
“They thought it would be a good template for the new logo or brand.”
Gador has become gentler since then, Boettner said.
“I think he’s less of a grizzly bear these days.”
In 2008, the Boettners expanded their Custom Aire business and opened One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning. Scott Boettner is the president of Custom Aire and Randy Boettner is the vice president. Eric Boettner, Scott’s son, and Gador run Bears Home Solutions.
In July, Bears reached a new milestone in its operations. The company moved from 12th Avenue South to 5510 First Ave. N., just north of the Grand Forks Amtrak station.
The new building gives the Bears a space where they can collaborate better and work more efficiently.
“We wanted to somehow have a building that belonged to us,” said Eric Boettner.
Bears had rented the premises on 12th Avenue South.
“We wanted to structure it the way our business works, a little more collaborative,” said Eric Boettner. “The previous location had a lot of separate offices in different corners.
“You go from emailing and texting to talking in person, so to speak, and you can resolve issues faster. We’re already seeing a difference. Ten of our office staff are now sitting in a 30-by-40-foot area. We have a nice break room for our staff and a training room large enough to accommodate our entire company for meetings with all employees.”
It is also a more efficient building. Utility costs have gone down.
“The deadline for renewing the lease on the old building had expired and we decided that it made just as much financial sense to start something new and take a step that would take the company to the next level,”
Dale and Louvain Boettner opened Custom Aire in 1978.
Custom Aire, also on First Avenue North, handles commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and Bears Home Solutions focuses on residential needs.
“We’re actually two separate companies, but we’ve always worked together and we both have employees that came from Custom Aire,” Eric Boettner said. “We get materials and other things from Custom Aire. They make custom piping that we need for specific jobs.”
The next step for Bears? Finding employees.
“I think this is the next step for a lot of people in the trades right now,” Eric Boettner said. “There’s a well-known labor shortage, and it’s difficult to find good people who are interested in joining a team in many different capacities.”
“It’s about finding the right people and putting them in the right seats on the bus.”
Bears also has a location in Fargo.
“There are opportunities throughout the Red River Valley to grow the business and gain greater market share,” said Eric Boettner.
Kevin Fee is a freelance reporter for the Herald.
