Brookwood celebrates 55 years in business

Succeeding at any task for more than half a century is an accomplishment to boast about. Everett Wood and Brookwood Heating and Air Conditioning are celebrating 55 years in business and they aren’t looking to stop any time soon.

“I’m not a very good fisherman, I’m terrible at golf so I might as well go to work everyday,” Wood said.

Wood got his start in the heating and air business while living in Missouri where he grew up. At the time, in 1955, furnaces were the more popular appliance, Wood said, which made for inconsistent working hours throughout the year.

“Finally, I bought a car and decided I had to have a solid, monthly income,” Wood said. “In 1957, I came to work at Lennox dealer in Newton.”

Five years later, the owner of the company he worked for passed away and the heir to the business elected to close the store. With their previous employers closing, Wood, along with business partner Bill Brooker, decided to open their own shop.

“We were able to buy their inventory and their tools,” Wood said. “There as two of us that started the company, Brooker and myself. With the advice of an attorney we dropped the “er” off of Brooker and named it Brookwood.”

The business’s first location was a small building at 112 E. Fourth St. N. Within five years, the company moved to a larger building at 114 E. Third St. N., now the thrift store for the Salvation Army.

In 1984, Wood purchased Brooker’s company shares and about four years later moved the shop to its current location at 409 N. 23rd Ave. W.

“I worried about moving out there, but I love it,” Wood said. “There is a lot of space and we can get around the town quicker from here than when we were downtown.”

During his more than 55 years in the business, Wood has worked at many residences and businesses, gathering a wide variety of stories. A memorable story for Wood came when he was replacing a coal furnace in a family home.

“The thing I remember most, there was a lot of coal furnaces when I started. When we would rip out the coal furnace and put in a new gas model, quite often the lady of the house would make an apple pie for us,” Wood said. “I finally figured out that she was doing it because she was the one carrying the coal in and the clinkers out. She was the happy one of the family.”

Wood also installed units for many notable community members, including Fred Maytag at his well known Maytag Mansion.

“Fred Maytag was a real gentleman. We did the furnace and air in his house. We ended up with six furnaces and five air conditioners in the house,” Wood said. “It was a brick home and whenever the wind would be in the north, his living room dropped in temperature, when it got in the east, his bathroom dropped down because they were heated with the same unit. Fred came in and said it is not your fault at all, but I want another furnace and air conditioner in the house. I worked in the house for a month, I had to tear out furnaces and air conditioners and move them to get enough room in the mechanical room so I could get the seventh system in.”

Also, like with most businesses and especially those who have been around for several decades, technology has been an ever-evolving factor to keep up with. From starting with coal furnaces and air conditioners only for the elite, to systems that can be controlled with a smart phone, Wood has seen it all.

“In 1965, probably half of the spec homes did not have air conditioning. Today every spec home has an air conditioner,” Wood said. “Technology has definitely changed. The computers control the thermostat — they are actually computers. We have solid state controls in the furnaces and air conditioners. With the iComfort System you can set the thermostat up or down with the smart phone when you are not at home.”

Fifty-five years after first opening his doors, Wood is still working hard every day along with his 17 employees, to bring high quality product to customers throughout Jasper County and beyond. It is an accomplishment to be recognized and congratulated on, with wishes for many, many more.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com