BUSINESS PROFILE
COOL COLLABORATION Star Air and Bowien Heating & Air Join Forces By Charlotte Kovalchuk
When Gary Bowien decided to retire and sell his heating and air conditioning company, he entrusted it to Barry Cryer, owner of Star Air HVAC, despite higher offers from equity trust companies. “He told me the thing that attracted him to Star Air was the agreement to take care of his customers and employees and still have that personal touch for everybody,” Barry says,
emphasizing the difference between equity trust companies and private ones. “Equity trust companies gather them, build them up, and then sell them. It’s an investment. Ours is an investment too, but we want to enhance not just our family legacy, but also our employees’ families’ legacies. It’s an investment in our family but also our employees’ families.”
CUSTOMER-CENTRIC
LEAVING A LEGACY
With Star Air’s stellar reputation in Jarrell and Bowien Heating and Air’s similar standing in Georgetown and Round Rock, Barry describes the merge as two local powerhouse air conditioning companies coming together. He adds that the integration of the companies has been a great fit and that Gary will stay on as a consultant until August to ensure a continuously smooth transition.
With Star Air doubling in size in the last year, Barry predicts the business will be on its way to tripling by the end of 2024. He hopes to continue expanding and acquiring more companies in order to provide a full range of home services, including electrical, solar, and plumbing.
Acquiring Bowien, Barry says, has allowed Star Air to gain more technicians and office personnel to provide even better service to both companies’ customer bases within a 35-mile radius. Starting this month, Bowien Heating and Star Air Home Services is offering comprehensive heating and cooling services, both residential and commercial, while maintaining its trademark customer focus. The office’s floor mat featuring a Texas map topped with a cowboy hat and five stars underneath serves as a visual reminder of that focus, as “our goal is to earn a fivestar rating from every customer,” Barry says. 50
F E B R UA R Y 2024
His ultimate goal, though, is to enhance the legacy of his family as well as his community. “We’ve got to be conscientious of the footprint we’re leaving because it’s going to be here for a long time, and we need to do that with our family and our town.”
Scan the code to learn more about Bowien Heating and Star Air Home Services. StarAirHVAC.com | info@StarAirHVAC.com 512-746-6099 103 N. Second Street, Jarrell
