SELLING SERVICE: The Confortis have put service first since 1965. At their Whippany headquarters are, from left, John C. Conforti, president; Patrick Conforti, CFO; John A. Conforti, CEO; and Mary Ellen Conforti, human resources manager.

You probably haven’t seen Air Group’s headquarters, tucked just off Route 10 in Whippany, but it’s a good bet you’ve seen its vehicles. The fleet of 100 white vans boasting the company name in big red block letters can be spotted all over northern New Jersey. This heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing and electrical business, launched in a Livingston garage in 1965 with just $500, now has 153 employees and is three generations strong.

In the ’60s, air conditioning was just becoming fashionable in the suburbs. As a salesman for General Electric, Patrick Conforti observed that do-it-yourselfers needed help with installation. He seized the opportunity by having his son, John A. Conforti, do just that—for $25 a pop. They built their business on the belief that service is paramount. “My grandfather has an innate ability to sell. He could sell anything. He just chose to sell air conditioning and quality and service,” says human resources manager Mary Ellen Conforti, who with her brothers, Patrick and John C., joined the family enterprise.

After increased demand, multiple mergers and moves, in 2005 Air Group made a home in a 75,000-square-foot building on Prince Road. With extra elbow room, and 60,000 square feet of warehouse space, the company was able to expand into plumbing and electrical services. It also houses an impressive equipment inventory. “There’s not a lot of waiting around [for parts] because we physically have it in stock,” Mary Ellen says. “If we have it, it can be on the truck and where you need it.” Many of the HVAC products are customized at the headquarters. “If you have four different sizes, you can make those four different sizes fit in the home. But if you have 15 custom ones, you can make it fit and flow in a way that’s beautiful,” she explains.

The Confortis say they are honored to be invited into customers’ homes, which is why training is an important part of the company’s culture. Twice a year, Air Group’s in-house Comfort Institute hosts training for employees fresh out of vocational school. Technicians spend six months in the classroom and in the 2,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art training house (completely built to code), where they practice problem-solving and repairs. The founder’s favorite quote is, “What happens if you train people and they leave? But what happens if you don’t, and they stay?” Mary Ellen adds, “We practice here instead of at your house.