Technology is not a mystery for Ken Cooper, CEO of Hiram, Ga.-based Kenco-Lusk; it’s always been a part of his life. His family’s electronic business gave him an early look into how different technologies can help people. Cooper enrolled in technical school after finishing his high school education, focusing primarily on electronics and machine tooling.
However, Cooper’s career path took a detour to the fast-food industry, where he was a store manager. It was there that he developed an affinity for the HVACR industry.
“As a store manager, I developed a reputation for being good with the calibration and repairs of my cooking and HVAC equipment,” Cooper recalls. “A few years later, the owner of the restaurant chain downsized, and I was hired by the HVAC/refrigeration company who did service for the restaurants.”
Ken Cooper's reputation for solving problems was so solid that restaurant owners told him he should go into business for himself — and they would be his customers. So, a couple of years later, in 1986, he did. And those customers followed.
His reputation for solving problems was so solid that restaurant owners told him he should go into business for himself — and they would be his customers. So, a couple of years later, in 1986, he did. And those customers followed.
In 2007, right before the Great Recession took hold, Kenco Services formed a joint venture with Lusk Commercial, owned by Dave Lusk. The resulting business was named Kenco-Lusk. In 2018, service manager and U.S. Army veteran Tad Richison, who joined the business in 1994, bought the shares of Lusk Commercial from Lusk, becoming vice president of Kenco-Lusk — and Cooper’s second partner. They’re also brothers-in-law, having married sisters.
Rounding out the executive team is Lisa Riley, office administrator, and Phillip Thomas, field service supervisor.
Today, Kenco-Lusk’s revenues are evenly split between commercial/light industrial refrigeration and HVAC service (HVAC, most refrigeration systems and many brands of foodservice equipment) and installations (HVAC, walk-in refrigerators/freezers and commercial kitchens). The company partners with an electrical contracting business to provide electrical/lighting services and specializes in LED conversion.
Cooper holds three professional licenses in Georgia and Alabama. The company’s service area includes metro Atlanta plus and Eastern Alabama. For installations, Kenco-Lusk covers Georgia and Alabama on the larger jobs. The firm employs 14 people, three of whom work in the office. Its fleet consists of 12 trucks, including the KUVs used for installation jobs.
“We consider our personnel as family; we do our best in a challenging business to treat them with kindness and respect,” Cooper says. “This has allowed us to get and keep some of the best technicians this area has to offer because they enjoy the working environment here. Our people are loyal company folks who work together as a team to get the job done and make our customers happy.”
Focus on advanced HVACR tech
It’s no surprise that Cooper’s business specializes in advanced technologies in the HVACR industry, given his family background. This includes energy management, comfort control and temperature monitoring systems, as well as the new environmentally friendly refrigerants.
“We stay on top of new refrigeration technologies, including the second- and third-generation refrigerants, as well as the electronic controls that are rapidly becoming part of our industries,” he notes. “Most of the systems we sell include microprocessor control systems, which more accurately operate the systems and boosts efficiency.”
“We stay on top of new refrigeration technologies, including the second- and third-generation refrigerants, as well as the electronic controls that are rapidly becoming part of our industries,” he notes. “Most of the systems we sell include microprocessor control systems, which more accurately operate the systems and boosts efficiency.”
“We’re excited about the microprocessor-controlled refrigeration systems that are now available for smaller format operations,” Cooper explains. “These work very well and offer not only improved operations but also Internet connectivity for remote monitoring and temperature alerts.”
Kenco-Lusk employs an IT associate on an as-needed basis to get customers’ systems live for remote access.
Communication and integrity
Kenco-Lusk has kept many of its customers for 30 years or more. Cooper attributes it to the company’s integrity. “We are transparent and honest, and our customers trust us,” he says. “Our customers know that when Tad or I tell them something, it’s the truth.”
The team is also aware of the vital importance of good communication with customers.
“Our customers tell us that we communicate well with them, and we do what we say we’re going to do,” Cooper explains. “I taught my personnel that good communication with customers is essential. We bend over backward to always let the customer know the status of the job, advise if we have to order parts, etc. Customers want to know what is going on with their equipment and when it will be fixed.”
Having highly trained, seasoned technicians on staff who are problem-solvers is another plus.
“We offer a much higher level of knowledge and experience than most companies do,” Cooper says. “We can do much of the application engineering right in-house, which allows us to provide the right kind and right size of equipment for our customers. Most of our techs are veterans who know what they are doing.”
Having highly trained, seasoned technicians on staff who are problem-solvers is another plus.
“If a system is too old, or not going to be reliable or efficient, we advise our customers, and let them decide whether to repair or replace,” Cooper notes. “We inform them of what is available that could better do the job or save them in operational or maintenance costs. Our customers appreciate this guidance from us so they can make smart decisions about their businesses.”
He adds that the company maintains “excellent relations” with its suppliers. “They come through when we need them,” he says. “We have the resources to pull off emergency replacements more quickly than most other companies can.”
Silver linings
Kenco-Lusk was blindsided like the rest of the world when the novel coronavirus hit U.S. shores. “The phones went silent for about two weeks; we feared for the worst,” Cooper recalls. “But thankfully, business came back quickly. We have actually grown considerably during the pandemic, almost doubling the size of our service department. We’ve truly been blessed in the midst of this unprecedented challenge.”
Commercial cooking equipment is one area accounting for the firm’s growth. Three major manufacturers asked Kenco-Lusk to become factory-authorized service agents for them. And, the firm is now a distributor for a major manufacturer of refrigeration equipment and starting to see profitable growth in equipment sales.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed technician training. “COVID has changed everything here,” Cooper says. “Most manufacturers are not doing live training during the pandemic, so there are very few physical classes to attend. Most have been transitioning to virtual training, using YouTube or technology such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.”
Cooper and the Kenco-Lusk team set up a training station at its office: a desktop computer connected to a large screen display, with microphones and webcams for two-way communication between staff and trainers.
“It’s taken some time for the manufacturers to develop such training, but it’s working out very well; our techs have fun taking the classes,” he notes. “The instructors typically email my techs their certificates of completion, and we print them out here. It’s made it much easier than having to send them to physical classes, often out of town, so we’re able to offer more training.”
Cooper and the Kenco-Lusk team set up a training station at its office: a desktop computer connected to a large screen display, with microphones and webcams for two-way communication between staff and trainers.
Kenco-Lusk made sure all the necessary PPE was available for personnel and that customer’s requirements were followed regarding masks, gloves, social distancing.
“Thank God, none of our personnel or their families have gotten the virus, and I pray that we will all remain well,” Cooper says. “For future disruptions, we’ll do what we always do — work as a team to make it happen.”
Kelly Faloon is a contributing writer to Contracting Business magazine. The former editor of Plumbing & Mechanical magazine, she has more than 20 years’ experience in the plumbing and heating industry and B2B publishing. A native of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, Faloon is a journalism graduate of Michigan State University.