Source: Tristan Navera – Staff reporter, Columbus Business FirstMark Favret, president of Favret Heating & Cooling, is retiring and his cousin, Phil Favret, is taking the lead of the company, which was founded by their grandfather in 1924.
The 94-year-old business, located at 1296 Dublin Rd., specializes in commercial and residential systems and is the 12th largest of its kind in the city, with a revenue of $7.56 million last year and 57 employees. About 80 percent of its business is in residential projects, and there is room to grow, Phil Favret told me.
“Columbus has been somewhat immune to what goes on nationally, with all the great industries we have here, there’s a lot of demand here in new construction and remodeling,” he said. “Commercial is just exploding and residential has been steady, the lead times to get jobs started and finished keeps growing.”
Phil Favret joined the company in 1986 as a sales manager and was later named a vice president. He has overseen marketing and contracting work for the company. Mark Favret has been president of the company since 1999.
“We’ve always been focused on growing the company over the years and, in my time as president, we’ve seen an explosion in the number of competitors,” Mark Favret said. “The expansion of the industry leads to the greatest challenge for Favret in the future.”
In the meantime, Matt Favret has been named general manager and will oversee day-to-day operations.
Like many businesses in the construction trades, the company’s growth depends on finding good workers, and Phil Favret said the company has several employees whose families have worked there since the beginning.
“The biggest challenge in all the trade industries is just finding skilled technicians,” Phil Favret said. “We have to grow our own, we need to hire in some good quality people and provide training for them. We’re working on improving and expanding training for existing employees and new hires to show them it truly is a career and not just a job.”
Right now, the company is looking for workers with people skills and an aptitude for tools and technology.
“It can be a great lifetime career, and we’re trying to get that out to the younger generation. All our equipment is getting more technical and those kids who grow on the tech will be able to use it and thrive in these kind of jobs,” Phil Favret said.
