The Next Generation Steps In and Out
Time for a cool change at East Coast Services, Inc.
East Coast Services, Inc., is a powerhouse in Pompano Beach, Florida. Since 1981, it has provided heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) installation and repair for residential, commercial and new construction projects from Broward County to Palm Beach County, Florida. Nick Jacmacjian, who immigrated to the U.S. from Beirut, Lebanon, in 1979, and his wife, Lisa, are the founders of the company, which has thrived for close to 40 years.
“We started East Coast Services with a truck and a phone,” Lisa says. “For many years, it was just us in a tiny office, living our dream of being small-business owners. We worked hard and treated our clients fairly, and the business grew. Two children and 15 employees later, we’re still here. But, it’s time to change.”
It’s relatively infrequent to hear a successful business owner admit that it’s time to change what they had worked on for almost 40 years. As the adage goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” East Coast Services is working well. So, why change?
“We are preparing for the future,” says Lisa, enthusiastically. “We know and love our community and clients. We have proven that we can do the work. We have a great, knowledgeable team, and we have great relationships with our clients. I mean, we have many customers who have used our services through three or four different air conditioning (AC) units in different homes. Some of our clients are the children of our original clients. We also know that if we want to survive, we need to make some changes. It’s time to modernize.”
Enter the Innovator
CJ Tricarico, East Coast Services’ lead estimator and heir apparent, answers the phone with a friendly “Hi!” A mechanical engineering student in his senior year at Florida Atlantic University, he is the force driving many of the changes at East Coast Services. He is warm and friendly, bubbly and smart. In other words, he’s a guy you would enjoy having a beer with.
His road to East Coast Services began, as it were, on a date. “I became involved with Gianna, one of the Jacmacjians’ daughters,” he says, sheepishly. “I was working small-time college jobs. I felt like I was wasting time and energy. I wanted to join the workforce and get real-world experience.” After months of dating, CJ had an idea. “I asked my girlfriend if her parents would have an opportunity for me at East Coast Services,” he says. Sure, it was a little weird, he explains, but his passion for engineering was all-encompassing and he wanted—no, needed—to start his career. “She asked her parents, and they agreed to help. It was such a great day,” he says.
Lisa remembers the moment a bit differently. “We thought we would have him help out in a really basic way,” Lisa says. “We let him help in the office and work on some small projects. But he really surprised us with his enthusiasm, passion and ideas. He blew us off our feet.”
Over time, CJ’s enthusiasm only grew. “I just wanted to learn everything I could,” he says. He recalls the moment when something clicked for him. “I was working on an industrial project, and we were on the roof of this building,” he says. “All of a sudden, something clicked. I remember looking at this HVAC system and seeing what my professors were teaching me, but this time it was real life. Everything came together, almost like in a movie. At that moment, I realized I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.”
CJ describes how he jumped headfirst into the business. “I caught the bug,” he says. “I started thinking about how we could become more efficient. I want to make this business not only thrive but grow. I want us to work on million-dollar projects. I want it to last for years to come.”
His passion for the business does not go unnoticed. “CJ adds so much energy to the business,” Lisa says. “I have to admit we were still doing things the same way we had always been doing them. We used pen and paper to estimate; we had physical invoices,” she says, with a laugh. “I mean, a lot of our guys have been with us for 20 years. We knew how to manage the business and do the work in the same way we always had. And when CJ started getting more involved in the business, he opened our eyes to the benefits of modernizing.”
Fresh Ideas and a Great Big Vision
“My vision for the business is to be able to work on million-dollar-plus industrial and commercial projects,” CJ admits. “I knew we could get there if we made some changes.”
The first—and biggest—change CJ made was bringing advanced technology into the business. “We introduced two new programs for scheduling and estimating,” he says.
“Our new estimating program helps us stay true to our mission of being fair to our clients by providing accurate, up-to-date cost information, and our scheduling program helps us keep activities on track across all of our projects.”
Secondly, he is helping the firm become more social. “We are so lucky to have a business that has grown with our clients,” CJ says. “We have some clients who have been using us since before I was born!” Yet he also acknowledges that there is a need to branch out. “It’s easy to overlook social media, especially in our line of work,” he says. “But the future is here. More millennials are buying homes, and they will need us to help with their homes. So, we need to be able to meet them where they are—and they’re on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.”
What does the old guard think about CJ’s changes? “To their credit, our older guys are very patient,” Lisa says. “Once they saw that these programs would cut down on paperwork and make their lives easier, it was easy to convince them to get on board.”
But as always, the primary focus is on the clients. “Everything we do is to help the clients,” says Lisa. “We are committed to providing the best services that will prolong the life of AC units with solutions that are practical and cost effective. And CJ’s recommendations have helped us do that.”
The Future and the Family
So, what does the future look like for CJ and East Coast Services? “Even though we are making major changes, we are sticking to who we are,” CJ says. “We still want to maintain the small-business feel. We will continue to focus on community and the legacy of integrity, trust and family.”
Lisa agrees. “We still are who we always have been. Our HVAC technicians are certified in the latest technology, ensuring that AC services are always handled right, from start to finish. We will continue to promptly answer a client’s call. They will receive the best-guaranteed quality at the most affordable rates. We, our family, will still be at the center of it all. The sense of community and family is the lifeblood of the business.”
But what about CJ, the boyfriend? Will the family be growing in the future? “Let’s just say that good things are coming,” says CJ, with a laugh. “There will be good news coming soon.”