Stepping in as Owens Companies’ President, Julie Kirby eagerly faces the male-dominated industry with a plan to leverage fundamentals and strengthen key relationships.
A leading commercial HVAC services company based in Minneapolis, MN, Owens Companies is a fully integrated, single-source mechanical contractor. Founded in 1957, Owens helped establish the commercial HVAC model by defining a basic need for preventive maintenance in the harsh Minnesota climate. Kirby intends to refocus business initiatives to utilize decades of knowledge and experience and retrain efforts in the commercial space.
“Relationships have always been a part of our success,” comments Donald O’Brien, Vice President. “This role is perfect for Julie and her sympathetic yet firm leadership style. Her tremendous commitment to driving Owens's success with steps to build a strong and inspired team is already apparent in our culture. Julie is the ideal choice to lead the company forward. We’re all confident she’s going to encourage connection and offer clear guidance and direction.”
With a solid reputation in the Twin Cities as the premier provider of heating and cooling services, Owens has been able to attract and retain customers for decades. This was done by a relentless focus on our technician's needs, and to maintain a tight-knit, family-owned culture. By employing the highest-skilled HVAC technicians in the region, Owens is able to provide a relationship-centric model. Kirby believes that by better understanding the client's needs at the point of service, Owens will establish a standard of providing exceptional customer service. Seen as a pioneer in the industry, Owens helped set a benchmark for others to follow. Returning to this simple yet effective model will garner a multitude of positive results.
“Taking on this role is more than just the title. While serving as CFO, it became clear to me that the future success of Owens will come from a human connection. A shift in our focus was needed. We would step away from just increasing volume and move toward strengthening relationships and fostering our core business fundamentals. This team is motivated by engagement with clients; it’s people who make success possible, and I intend to encourage and nurture those efforts. I know the continued growth of Owens depends on providing quality solutions for our clients. By hiring and training our field employees and giving them the tools they need to offer uncompromised solutions and exceptional customer service will power our future growth.”
The first of many actions taken by Kirby was to move the corporate headquarters of Owens to a facility better suited to the business. Moving to a building that offers more space to support the work of service technicians and promote the growing need for client relations was a considerable undertaking. With this effort, Kirby has already demonstrated how increased commitment from the team can have lasting and measurable success.
To find out more about Owens Companies and its strategic business efforts, please contact Julie Kirby at info@owenscompanies.com or call 952-854-3800.
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