| WHEN ED HAMMOND STARTED A HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING |
| AND PLUMBING BUSINESS 20 YEARS AGO, HE NEVER IMAGINED IT |
| WOULD GROW INTO A $3 MILLION BUSINESS WITH 50 EMPLOYEES. |
| "I DIDN'T DREAM WE WOULD GET ANYWHERE NEAR THIS SIZE, THOUGH |
| I'M COMPETITIVE ENOUGH TO WHERE I DIDN'T CARE HOW BIG WE GOT," |
| SAID HAMMOND, WHO STARTED THE BUSINESS AFTER GRADUATING |
| FROM GRIFFIN TECHNICAL INSTITUTE'S HEATING AND AIR |
| CONDITIONING PROGRAM IN 1977. |
"After 23 years as a mental health counselor and administrator in the Air Force, I had my fill of alcoholism and drug problems and wanted a change," he said.
Hammond Services doubled its business every year during its first five years and continues to grow 5 to 10 percent a year. The company now handles 500 to 600 service calls and six or seven installations of new heating and air conditioning units a week.
He credits his success to two things: his Griffin Tech education and his wife. Clever advertising helped, too. One of his best-known plumbing ads includes a photo that shows his head coming out of a commode.
"We couldn't figure out how to advertise plumbing. People really loved that ad. If you have a sense of humor it's very helpful in business," he said. Hammond's son, David, now handles the day-to-day operations of the Griffin-based business. "I cut back to 40 hours a week," Hammond quipped.
With his new-found "free-time," Hammond promotes technical education in Griffin- Spalding County. He chairs the high school's vocational education advisory board, serves on the Chamber of Commerce's education committee and is a member of the Workforce Development Partnership, a committee that includes members from the business and industry community, public schools and Griffin Tech.
A former state president for the Conditioned Air Association of Georgia, Hammond also helped develop an apprenticeship program for the association — complete with a how-to-start-a-program guide and standardized training guidelines for apprentices.
Hammond said he believes the word about technical education must get out to people looking for profitable and rewarding career choices.
"I've told students this before, but the field we're in is one of the few where you can be self-employed in a few years if you have the drive. And the earning power is unlimited in the technical fields," Hammond said.
But you don't have to own a business to benefit from a technical education.
"One of the things that prompted me to get involved [in promoting technical education], was that we couldn't get enough personnel," said Hammond, who displays a permanent "Now Hiring" sign in front of his business. "It's a critical need. We're just not attracting enough people to the technical fields. For example, if more plumbers were available, we could double that part of this business immediately. But plumbers are almost as hard to find as heat and air technicians."
He said the key to attracting people to technical fields is to start young. That attitude is shared by others in the Workforce Development Partnership. "The purpose of the Workforce Development Partnership is to change the image of technical education," Hammond said. This year the Partnership coordinated field trips to area businesses for elementary school students and next year the focus will be on teaching eighth graders about the careers available through technical education.
"The American Dream is not dead," Hammond said. "It's out there and you can still get it. We started with nothing. It's been a challenge and it's been fun. And it's something I've always wanted to do."
Ed Hammond, a Griffin Tech graduate, started a heating,
air conditioning and plumbing business 20 years ago. It has
grown into a $3 million business with 50 employees.
(Photo/Bread & Butter Studio)
Related Links:
Griffin Technical Institute
©1998 Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education. All rights reserved.