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In this episode of the 8-Figure HVAC Brands Podcast, recorded at AHR Expo in Las Vegas, Netrocket founder Daniel Dramshev talks with Randy Callan of Rescue One Air and Jesse Cock of Panther Air. Rescue One Air does about $15 million a year from a single location in the Phoenix Valley and is coming up on 3,000 Google reviews. They share how they ask for reviews, which channels bring a return, and why Yelp hasn’t paid off for them.
About the guests
| Guests | Randy Callan, Rescue One Air; Jesse Cock, Panther Air |
| Location | Phoenix Valley, Arizona |
| Revenue | About $15M a year from one location |
| Google reviews | Close to 3,000 |
| Recorded at | AHR Expo, Las Vegas |
$15M from one location
Rescue One Air brings in about $15 million in annual revenue from its Phoenix Valley location, with no plans for multiple locations. The company focuses on its own market and mostly serves residential customers, with some light commercial work. Their customer base is big enough that they don’t need to chase a lot of commercial jobs.
Their next goal is $20 million, and they plan to get there through online marketing, word of mouth, and referral programs, not door knocking or cold calling.
Revenue or net profit?
Asked what a business should focus on, the answer is both. After everything is paid, they aim for about 10% net profit. More is possible, but they see 10% as the right balance.
“You keep your customers happy, you keep your employees happy, and everyone’s happy at the end of the day.“
Close to 3,000 Google reviews
Rescue One Air’s main marketing channels are Google paid ads and Local Services Ads, plus a strong Google Business Profile. With nearly 3,000 reviews, reviews are the first thing they recommend to other owners.
“If you’re not getting reviews, you’re missing the mark.“
Their process is simple. Ideally, every customer leaves a review. At the end of the job, the tech asks if the customer got five-star service and, if so, asks for a five-star review on Google. The key is to do it on the spot: send the link or have the customer scan a QR code right away. If you wait for people to look you up later, many never will.
Some customers, especially older ones, want to help but don’t know how to leave a review, so the tech shows them. If someone just bought a $15,000 system, they usually don’t mind staying five more minutes to do it.
Photo reviews rank higher
Reviews with photos and videos are even better. Some photo reviews from the past summer are still shown as the most relevant on their profile. The guests simply ask for photos, and when they have good rapport with the customer, they show them how to upload a picture, the same way they would for a restaurant they like.
Want more reviews and better rankings in Google Maps? See how Netrocket handles Google Maps SEO and LSA management for HVAC contractors.
Why Yelp hasn’t worked for them
Yelp has been more challenging. Some reviews don’t stick because of Yelp’s algorithm, unlike on Google. Daniel explains that Yelp often hides reviews from users who aren’t active on the platform. The company keeps a Yelp profile but doesn’t put ad budget there, because the return on investment hasn’t been there for them.
Direct mail and referral programs
Besides digital marketing, they send postcards to their customer base. Direct mail pays for itself and brings a good return. With a large customer base, referral programs also work well.
Showing up in AI search
One of the guests recently sold a job to a customer who asked Gemini for the top HVAC company in the area, and the company came up. The customer bought on the spot, with no haggling. But when they checked ChatGPT and Gemini on their own devices, the company didn’t appear, so AI results can vary by user and location. Learn more about AI SEO for HVAC companies.
In-house marketing, outsourced SEO
At $15 million, Rescue One Air keeps its marketing team in-house but outsources SEO to a specialist. Daniel notes that even for bigger companies, it usually doesn’t make sense to keep SEO in-house. If you’re looking for a partner, see how Netrocket approaches HVAC SEO.
Building for the long term
The company isn’t built for a quick sale. The plan is long term, although, as they joke, if someone came with a billion dollars, everything is for sale.
For more conversations from the same trip, see our full AHR Expo episode with six HVAC contractors.
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