NEDERLAND, TX — Bob Smith recently celebrated his company’s 30th anniversary in this Texas town. He began the business in 1972 under the name Bob Smith’s Heating & Air. However, two years ago he changed the name of the business, whose customers include homes and businesses in the Nederland/Port Arthur/Beaumont area.

Bob and his son Andrew rolled the business into a franchise and renamed it Aire Serv Heating & Air Conditioning. Aire Serv® is a global franchise organization with more than 75 locations worldwide. It is a subsidiary of the Dwyer Group, Inc., based in Waco, TX.

An Aire Serv press release noted that “95 percent of all Aire Serv franchise owners in the U.S. are conversions from existing businesses.” Faced with his eventual retirement, Smith felt it was necessary to keep the business in the family with strong support from a national franchise company, which offers local marketing, advertising, and training assistance.