Family-run heating and cooling business in Newton awarded top honor

Jack Reeves, owner of Reeves Heating & Cooling, thought it couldn’t get any better for his Newton business after receiving the Carrier Dealer of the Year award in 2021, but then earlier this spring he found not only is he one heck of a dealer, he’s one of the most exceptional HVAC dealers in the region.

And he’s got the award to prove it.

Keeping to its sophisticated reputation and high prestige, the Carrier President’s Award rests on a heavy, cubed base and is shaped like a teardrop with the signature Carrier blue color scheme. Engraved on the base of the award is the local business’s name, the family name. Jack modestly says it’s “pretty cool.”

According to Carrier’s website, the award was established to recognize dealers “who exemplify exceptional leadership in business management, customer satisfaction, HVAC expertise and operational excellence.” Jack said Carrier is the largest and oldest heating and cooling manufacturer in the world.

“I’m very thankful they see the work that goes into it and they see what Carrier means to us to get this award,” Jack said, noting his company is a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer. “There’s a longstanding joke that since Carrier and its emblems are blue, if I cut myself I bleed blue.”

Which tends to happen for someone like Jack, who has been almost exclusively affiliated with Carrier over his 36-year career in the HVAC field.

John Lepic, territory manager of Carrier Enterprise Central Plains, emphasized the importance of the award and how difficult it is to earn it, saying there are a number of factors involved to be eligible, like being a Factory Authorized Dealer and having owners and staff go through countless hours of extra training.

“That’s a big part of it,” Lepic said. “They have to sell primarily our brand, and it’s in excess of 90 percent of our brand, which they’ve always done. The logos, the websites, everything that’s involved with being a Carrier FAD dealer. There are certain things they have to abide by, and they’ve done that.”

To be awarded Carrier’s highest honor, Jack and his wife and co-owner, Kristen Reeves, said it is nice to know Carrier Enterprise Central Plains and Carrier see the hard work that goes into the family-operated business. The Reeves family is proud of their accomplishment; it lets them know hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.

Carrier Enterprise Central Plains is the distributor of Carrier products, which is where Reeves Heating & Cooling gets its parts and supplies from. Lepic said Reeves Heating & Cooling earned the President’s Award because the business epitomizes the ideal Carrier dealer.

“They do everything right,” Lepic said. “…Jack cares about his customers and he’s extremely loyal to his customers, but he’s also extremely loyal to us. And that makes for a pretty good, harmonious relationship. I think the dedication they all show is what sets them apart from a lot of their competitors.”

Jack also thinks it is because of Reeves Heating & Cooling employees. Including himself and his wife, there are nine workers in the Newton business.

“We have seven employees that feel the same way we do,” he said. “They give it their 100 percent every day. You don’t find that in today’s world very often.”