It鈥檚 not quite 鈥渞ags to riches,鈥� but the story of how local entrepreneur Lance Petty took from a grain of an idea to the top of the Comox Valley鈥檚 home comfort industry is worth telling as the young company celebrates its fourth anniversary.

In the fall of 2013, Petty suddenly found himself unemployed when the local plumbing and heating company that he worked for went bankrupt. While pounding the pavement with his resum茅, he kept hearing the same thing from contractors: 鈥淭hey all kept urging me to go out on my own,鈥� he recalls. 鈥溾�楾he market鈥檚 wide open,鈥� they said. 鈥業f you do this, we will work with you. We want to work with you.鈥欌��

And so, armed with more than a decade of trade knowledge, a network of supportive contractors and a future full of uncertainty, Petty set out into the great unknown of self-employment.

鈥淚 had no idea what was in store, so I took a photo of my truck and said, 鈥極K, let鈥檚 see how this goes.鈥� I wouldn鈥檛 have believed that just four years later I鈥檇 have 10 employees, seven vehicles and so many great customers and contractors at my back. It鈥檚 been an incredible ride!鈥�

Bringing savings and reliability to home comfort

Now a bona fide leader in the local HVAC industry, Temprite Climate Solutions provides a In addition to being the North Island鈥檚 only authorized distributor of Daikin ducted heat pumps, widely considered the most reliable and affordable on the planet, Petty and his team provide sales, service and installation of gas furnaces, tankless water heaters, smart thermostats and air quality control systems.

Best practices in service and education

Continual education has also played its role in this homegrown success story. Petty鈥檚 high personal standards mean that every Temprite technician is either Red Seal certified or a registered apprentice, and that his employees continually receive new training to upgrade their skills and expertise.

鈥淲e want Temprite to be the first name you think of when you need an HVAC professional, and to do that we need to have the best team out there serving the community.鈥�

Customer service is also key.

鈥淲e owe all of our success, both past and future, to this community,鈥� Petty says. 鈥淲e all feel a great obligation to repay that support with the best service in the industry.鈥�

Giving back

Though modest by nature, Petty has never been shy about giving back in other ways as well. A volunteer firefighter with the Courtenay Fire Department, he also supports local organizations like Habitat For Humanity and Kitty Cat PALS, and actively promotes other contractors and business people whose service and work ethic he admires.

Learn more about heating solutions for your home with .