Smiley's Heating & Cooling

A Family Company

Balmy beach days, outdoor concerts, backyard cookouts – ahhh, summertime in Hampton Roads can be amazing – that is, until your AC unit quits working on the hottest day of the year. While it may seem unbearable as your house temperature hovers at a stuffy 85 degrees, be glad you aren’t the repair technician who has to climb into your sweltering attic to fix it. Larry Smiley, who founded Smiley’s Heating & Cooling 38 years ago, has been there and understands. 

“I did install work and was out in the field for 25-30 years,” explains Larry. “I know what it feels like, so how we treat our employees is important. It’s a difficult job, especially when you’re in an attic with a temperature of 160 degrees. I respect what my employees are going through.” Respect is key, along with attic fans, lots of cold drinking water, specially designed uniforms, and safety training. 

Larry grew up in Portsmouth and attended Tidewater Community College at the urging of his father, a truck driver who passed along his strong work ethic. After doing side jobs for various HVAC companies, Larry earned his master’s mechanical and got his class A license enabling him to take on larger, commercial jobs as well as residential. At age 23, he decided to start his own business. His marketing slogan? Your comfort is just a smile away – complete with a smiley face logo. “I have customers who think we just made the name up because it was catchy,” laughs Larry. 

Today, with 53 employees—including Larry’s two adult daughters who hold key positions on his management team. Larry has an extensive fleet of service trucks and has serviced over 20,000 clients. The company operates out of three locations, Portsmouth, Newport News, and Virginia Beach, and is continuing to grow. Smiley’s provides installation, repair, and maintenance to residential and commercial HVAC customers throughout Hampton Roads. They are a Trane comfort specialist and the number one dealer of Trane brand equipment in Virginia.    

The company markets itself as a “family-owned and operated business that treats its customers like family.” According to Larry, the key word here is family. “I have employees who have worked here for 20 and 30 years, and now I have a lot of their kids working with us. My daughters are very involved, and we have a really good relationship. Taylor is my vice president – she handles the day-to-day operations of the company from marketing to payroll and everything in between. Kasey is the warehouse manager, in charge of stock, inventory, getting trucks loaded and jobs set up for the next day. She makes sure employees in the field have all the supplies they need. They each play different roles, but they are both crucial. Having them here makes my life easier,” he adds.  

To reward employees for their hard work, the company holds events during the year at family-friendly places such as Langley Speedway, water parks, and Tides games. “We have our own company bus for transportation, and Taylor and Kasey are the event planners,” Larry says.  

Smiley’s has been a member of TowneBank since 2010. Larry says he enjoys how friendly everyone is at the Portsmouth Boulevard office. “When I walk in there, everybody knows my name and I know their names. We have a great relationship and it’s a classy place. Towne is a top-notch bank. They are an A+ team and they treat me great.” 

In closing, Larry says, “My dad always told me that a man can do anything he wants to if he puts his mind to it. We’ve seen challenges in the industry, but with God’s help and having my wife and kids with me, knowing it’s a team effort, that combination lifts me up and keeps me going. There’s a quote that says, ‘In business, you should surround yourself with the best people.’ And that’s what we have done.” 

For more information, visit smileysheatingandcooling.com. 

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