If you yearn for a return to the days when folks took pride in their work and were constantly striving to become and remain the best in the business; if you long for that time when the term “work ethic” had true meaning, and when the customer truly came first, then you’ll be delighted to find those days are still a reality at Air Force One HVAC Controls, serving the entire Metro Richmond area.

To truly come to know and appreciate the Air Force One difference, you need to meet the guys who run the business. Not only are Jeremy Gray and Jack Harrell, the co-owners of the company, a breath of fresh air, but they are, in many ways, a different breed. You could, perhaps, call them a throwback to the days of yore.

First a little about them. Jeremy hails from Ellicott City, Maryland, near Baltimore and Jack is a native of Norfolk. Both men moved to the Richmond area several years ago and met each other while working for a well-known local heating and air conditioning company. Each of the two gentlemen has five children. Jeremy has three boys and two girls and Jack has five girls, which he has raised as a single dad for the past decade.

Before I tell you how the two men teamed up to operate Air Force One, I need to give you a little of their back story.

“It’s a story of two guys who are the best in the world at what they do,” Jeremy says, half-jokingly. Truth is, both take a lot of pride in their work and are constantly striving to be the very best. That’s been true since they first met and although they seldom worked on the same jobs together, there were occasional on-the-job encounters. Through this association, they began to appreciate the work philosophy and ethics of the other. “It’s hard to crawl around in the same attic together in close quarters without bonding,” Jeremy acknowledges.

That’s why that even after they left the company and went their separate ways, they continued to maintain a close friendship. “We’d get together a couple times each week to play pool or to just talk about how we could do things better [in the business,]” Jeremy says. “We were kind of like Pinky and the Brain, he adds referring to the animated series featuring a genius mouse and his sidekick. Jeremy didn’t say which one was Pinky and who was the Brain.

Finally, in April of 2022, the two men joined forces as partners in Air Force One. I asked if there was some inspirational story about the origins of the name of the company and although their motto is “We pride ourselves in delivering presidential service,” the name didn’t come from anything quite so presidential. “Actually, that was the name of the shoes I was wearing,” Jeremy confesses. When trying to think of a name for the company, he had looked down at his feet and got the inspiration he needed.

As a team, Jeremy and Jack share the same philosophy. It’s one of positivity. “We believe in quality over everything,” Jack says.

Jeremy adds, “We want to be the Nike of the HVAC industry. That’s the way we do business. We offer awesome service.”

That dedication goes far beyond just the two men who run the business. “The guys we work with are at the top of their trade,” Jack says.

Jeremy agrees, “They (the Air Force One team) are our foundation. They are like soldiers with us. We are a brotherhood. We want to return to the glory days when you were not just a number. You were a part of a team. A lot of that gets lost in big companies.”

If you want to relive those glory days and experience firsthand the Air Force One difference, give ‘em a call. You’ll find quality is, indeed, foremost. But caring customer service is also at the top of the list as well. Not only do the guys at Air Force One offer special discounts to teachers, first responders, police, and military personnel, they’re planning to give away an entire system to a deserving person in the area. They want their customers and others to go to their Facebook page and “pay it forward” by recommending someone deserving. On August 15, the guys plan to do a live broadcast on Facebook and announce the winner.

Truth is, when you let the folks at Air Force One take care of your commercial or residential HVAC needs, you’ll be the winner. You’ll be getting two guys who, combined, have over 30 years’ experience in the industry. You’ll have a team of dedicated employees who strive to be the best and you’ll find quality second to none. Ask them how you can get a 10-year parts and labor warranty with your new system.

You may find yourself readily agreeing that these guys really are the best.

For more information, phone 804-821-8783 or visit online at AirForce1ne.com