The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting Riverside Heating and Air Conditioning Wednesday evening. This was no grand opening for the contracting company, however, but a commemoration of 10 years in operation.
“I grew up in this business,” said owner David Bragg, who took up after his father who worked in the HVAC industry in Augusta for some 35 years. “I was carrying Freon drums that weighed more than I did.”
Bragg himself had been in the business for 25 years when he decided to launch his own company in 2012. He even operated out of his home for years before moving Riverside’s offices to its current location off Commercial Boulevard in Martinez about five years ago.
That decade since Riverside began has proven lucrative, Bragg said, increasing 100% in service sales since the company’s start.
“There was a need,” said technician Gregg Swint about how the company took root and heartily sustained itself over the years. Swint attributes its success partially to its ability to fulfill a burgeoning demand for affordable heating and air service.
“There were a lot of companies in the area that were really charging a premium price and there was a need for a more economical option,” he said. “And at the time we were able to offer that.”
Though Riverside has been around for so long, it has only lately joined the Chamber of Commerce, which Bragg said is overdue.
“They made it really easy,” Bragg said about the Chamber. “Really good people to work with. So it’s time to come on board and show our face in the community.”
Though its addition to the Chamber is recent, the company has already made its stake in the area via word of mouth, especially through reviews on the social networking app Nextdoor.
Participating in the Chamber’s activities, mainly its support and local lobbying on behalf of small businesses, was one major impetus for the contractor joining up.
“You see what the Chamber’s doing in the community and you also want to be part of that,” said Swint.
Riverside Heating & Air is located at 3822 Commercial Ct. in Martinez. For more information visit its website at https://www.riversideheatandac.com/, or call 706-365-0595.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
