Company founder, entrepreneur, and HVAC industry expert, Thomas A Winstel, died April 29, 2014, leaving a legacy of success and leadership in the commercial and industrial HVAC business.
Tom was loved and respected by countless individuals in the industry. He founded Engineering Excellence, Inc., a Commercial Industrial HVAC Service firm based in Cincinnati, OH, in 1986. There, his passion for quality was recognized through a variety of commendations. The firm was named an ACCA Quality Contractor of the Year in 1995, was named the Commercial Contractor of the Year by Contracting Business magazine in 2005, and received the ACCA Commercial Excellence Award in 2006. He encouraged his team to be the best, and strive for Excellence in HVAC.
“He loved and had a passion for training and lifelong learning," said his son, Thomas J. Winstel, "and reached out to service technicians and trade professionals alike. His evening technical training sessions with his technicians were a mainstay throughout his career, teaching both ongoing technical and soft skills to encourage lifelong commitment to the trade and personal growth and achievement. He encouraged technicians to be industry professionals stressing the basics of customer service to “treat customers well, leaving each job site better than when you arrived."
Winstel's belief in, and dedication to customer service worked well, as many customers sought out Engineering Excellence to maintain service and retrofit their HVAC equipment. The company flourished after its founding, Today Engineering Excellence consists of two entities, including Engineering Excellence Regional Services dedicated to HVAC mechanical service, BAS in the Midwest, and Engineering Excellence National Accounts, LLC, its service provider network of over 650 service contractors across the U.S., and Canada.
Tom Winstel enjoyed participating in the industry and in giving back. He taught many training sessions at industry trade group meetings, and encouraged and actively participated in ACCA MIX® groups such as CIE — Contractors Information Exchange. Today, quality is a still a way of life at Engineering Excellence, where customer service is defined and measured with a culture alive and embracing continuous improvement.
The firm's next generation of leaders, including Tom L. Winstel and daughters, Ann Moran and Mary Seaman, are all actively at work with the Engineering Excellence team.
Winstel was an avid sportsman, conservationist, and field trial dog trainer. He was recognized as a National Trustee for Ducks Unlimited.
Contributions may be made in memory of Thomas A. Winstel to the Purcell Marian High School General Fund, 2935 Hackberry Street Cincinnati, OH 45206, or online at purcellmarian.org; or for a future named project conserving Ohio wetlands by Ducks Unlimited. Those gifts may be sent to the Thomas Winstel Memorial Fund at Ducks Unlimited, 1220 Eisenhower Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. Gifts will support wetland and waterfowl conservation in Ohio.