chris strand

Chris Strand

In May 2011 I purchased Stan’s.  My story closely parallels the history of Stan’s.  We both started a business with nothing, but because of our commitment to customer service, we grew very successful businesses.

Shortly after graduating from Michigan State University, I came to Austin in 1978 in a rusted out Corolla with barely $1200 to my name.  Having witnessed the oil embargoes and huge gas lines of the mid 70s, I decided that energy conservation should be my life’s work.  Shortly thereafter, I founded Conservation Unlimited.  It operated with a staff of one, and the office was my garage.  My brother Tom, my mom Caroline, and my other brother John joined me in the early 1980s.  We changed our name to Strand Brothers in 1992, because that is how everyone knew us.

My brothers and I took the unique perspective that home efficiency improvements like insulating attics, installing solar screens, and caulking and weather stripping homes were useless unless a home’s heating and cooling system was also addressed.  After all, what good is it to have great insulation if leaky ductwork is air conditioning the attic?  This concept we named the ‘Whole House’ approach, which we believe in now as much as we did then.

Because it is vastly more cost effective to conserve energy than to build power plants, the City of Austin took notice of our success and started an energy conservation incentive program based on the ‘Whole House’ concept.

Together with Austin Energy, we rewrote the book on energy efficiency for buildings and how to properly maintain and service air conditioning units.  Eventually, as part of the City’s Zero Energy Home Task Force, I incorporated these ideas into Austin’s building code.  Because of our joint efforts, Austin spends less per square foot on energy than anywhere else in Texas.  Strand Brothers’ business boomed.  In 1998, we sold our business to Service Experts, a subsidiary of Lennox International.  I continued on as Strand Brothers’ General Manager and quadrupled sales before I left in 2011 by promoting the ‘Whole House’ approach through excellent customer service.

Because of my lifelong dedication to serving my customers and promoting energy efficiency in the industry, I wanted to get back to working in a local family business.  In early 2011, Stan Jr. decided to sell Stan’s to me, and I’m so happy to be back with a locally owned company where the emphasis is on the customer, not the corporation.

The heating and cooling industry is ever changing.  With my family’s experience, Stan Jr’s expertise, Stan Sr.’s legacy, and 57 years of dependable service, Stan’s is the perfect fit for me.  I look forward to implementing the ‘Whole House’ approach, and to upholding Stan’s reputation as a leader in energy efficiency and effective heating and cooling systems in Central Texas.

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