Business: Dutchman Heating & Cooling
Address: 400 E. Ogden Ave., Naperville.
Phone/website: 630-961-2220, www.DutchmanHeating.com
Owner: Mike Bakker, 50, of Naperville.
Years in business: Pent Air started in 1975. Bakker bought the business in 2005 and renamed it.
Why Dutchman? “I’m the Dutchman … I grew up in Lansing and South Holland, Dutch Reformed. When I started the business, I hand-drew a windmill on a napkin and asked (a designer) to give me a logo,” Bakker said.
What does your business do? “We provide service and maintenance, repairs and replacement of residential and commercial HVAC equipment, (which includes) furnaces and air conditioners, air cleaning products, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, water heaters, boilers. … In our industry, it’s common to have some slow seasons. We look to bridge the gap of the slow seasons with duct cleaning and attic insulation. We also do solar-powered attic fans and whole house fans.”
How did you get started? “I started with my dad’s company in Lansing, in the south suburbs, in the late ’70s as a grade school kid sweeping floors, bending sheet metal to make a dust pan and doing little projects. … I worked there through high school … then I went away to college. After college, I realized I didn’t want to be a psychologist. I came back and started working for him.”
Why did you buy this company? “I got a job as a service manager, had about 15 guys (working for me). … That company was pretty good at marketing. The problem was they were not honorable. They were shysters. I couldn’t stick with them because my conscience drove me crazy. … I went to another large company, but the reality was they were just about the money as well.”
What’s with the dogs? “They love to be here in the office,” Bakker said of Blaze and Freon, two friendly pooches that greet visitors.
What brands are you affiliated with? “American Standard is what we primarily sell, but we also private-label our own Dutchman furnace and air. It’s another option for our customers, a great product for those who are price-conscious.”
What’s the best part of having a business in Naperville? “I just love the community. Naperville sometimes gets a bad rap with pretentious homeowners. And I’ve run into them … but it’s not been my average experience.”
What challenges do you face? “The great news about Naperville is a lot of the customers are very well-educated. But sometimes the saying ‘too smart for their own good’ comes into play. … One of the challenges a service company has is, once you’re done, (some customers) love to go to the internet and find out what Amazon sells a part for and they expect you to be able to compete with that.”
Do you have a busy time? “We are entering the busiest part of our year. I’m surprised the phone is not ringing off the hook right now,” he said on an 80-degree day.
And the heating season? “That’s a longer season and people don’t treat it as urgently as they do when they’re hot.”
What’s the best part of your job? “It’s always the people for me.”
What’s the worst part of your job? “The people,” Bakker said with a laugh. “If they’re disappointed, that’s the most frustrating thing because I’m a people person. … Sometimes, it’s real: We’ve made a mistake.”
How many employees do you have? “Thirteen. We’re passionate about hiring people who care, not just qualified and smart, but they truly care. I can teach them whatever knowledge they are lacking, but I can never teach somebody to care.”
What misconceptions do people have about your business? “None of (the equipment) costs anything. People are often skeptical. But I respect that. I worry about the same thing. … There’s a lot of overhead to running a business properly.”
Do you have a favorite story? “I went to a homeowner and explained all the details (about what we offer). The guy called me back a month later and said, ‘Mike, I think I’m going to go with you now.’ … He had had a system installed (by another company) and was arguing with that company so much, they agreed to remove (the entire heating and cooling system) and gave him his money back. … We put it all in. He was so happy, he invited my wife and I over for dinner.”
What advice would you give someone starting a business? ‘Don’t,” he said. Bakker once spent an hour telling a technician why he should not start his own business. The man did. “He says that once a month, he thinks about selling me his business. But he likes his freedom,” Bakker said.