BY IVAN SANDERS

STAR STAFF

ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com

When the temperature outside slides to either end of the thermometer, one thing homeowners want to make sure of is that their heat pump is doing the job it needs to be doing and that’s why Climate Controllers has been just a phone call away.

Steve Tipton and Eddie Butler have co-owned the company for 19 years and for 13 years have been selected as the Reader’s Choice winner in the heating and air category which sends out a clear message.

“It’s an honor that people entrust us with putting in their heating and air and call us when they need service,” said Tipton about receiving the award. “We try to do what we say that we are going to do. I think that this type of recognition shows that we do that.

“We stand behind what we do. All the guys that work for me are personable and I think that we make a relationship with people and that continues on.

“We are not a one time hit it and leave it operation. We try to do maintenance and try to take care of our customers and this award kind of shows that we do.”

Tipton said that one thing that Climate Controllers doesn’t want to happen is to let winning an award like the Reader’s Choice for so many years go to their heads.

“We don’t want to get complacent with what we do,” Tipton stated. “We strive to keep this honor. There was one year that we didn’t get it and it kind of stung — it kind of hurt the ego a little bit.

“It makes us strive to keep doing what we need to do to make these people happy. In turn, they tell everyone else, which keeps us in business.

“If it wasn’t for them we couldn’t stay in business as long as we have or do as good a job of what we do,” continued Tipton.

“We want the customers believing in us and trusting in us because it’s not usually just a simple $100 part that needs replacing. It’s a major expense that the customer is paying for and they entrust us to help them make their decision.”

Climate Controllers is located at 4038 Highway 19E in Elizabethton.