From Homes to Commercial Heating and Air
Shumate Mechanical began in a modest 3,000 square foot office located in an industrial park in the Stone Mountain area in 1978. There the company grew as it installed HVAC systems in new homes and in small tenant build-outs in office/warehouse buildings in the area. Both the installation and service crews were small but determined. Harold Shumate, the owner, often performed service work while selling jobs and managing his business. Devoted family and employees, some of whom are still with the company today, were the driving force behind this small firm's initial success.
"Our firm has always been grounded in the principles of exceptional customer service, on time product delivery and my personal commitment to making every job reach the standards I would expect if the work were done in my own home."
-Harold Shumate
As time passed and the reputation of Shumate Mechanical's speedy and dependable service spread to an ever-increasing base of customers, the company realized a need to expand into larger facilities. In 1984, the company moved into a newly constructed 20,000 square foot office/warehouse building in the Royal Atlanta Business Park in Tucker. The building was adequate for the company's operations for only a short time. By 1989, the company needed more space to contain the growing number of employees, materials, and vehicles.
Fueled by intense expansion into the Commercial Heating and Air Conditioning market in Atlanta, Shumate Mechanical moved its commercial division along with the administration of the company into another 20,000 square foot building next door to the existing offices. This move satisfied the need for space for some time.
Over the next decade, Shumate Mechanical expanded its customer base by installing HVAC systems in new buildings and homes as well as through replacing existing equipment for building tenants and homeowners. Maintenance agreements and new demand service customers also increased the number of customers that the company serviced on a regular basis. Increasing volume and presence in the Commercial Heating and Air Conditioning market necessitated additional employees with mechanical engineering experience and degrees, as well as a staff of supervisors, technical drafting specialists, building automation technicians, and support personnel. In the early 1990s, the company expanded its Commercial diversity including an infrastructure to support larger commercial and industrial HVAC and process-piping projects. In order to successfully manage that growth, an even larger force of engineers, service/control technicians, sheet metal mechanics, pipe fitters and insulators was needed.
In 1997, the company made plans to have a new corporate headquarters constructed to house the nearly 200 employees, over 100 vehicles, and the sizable amount of warehouse space needed to support the volume the company's sales force was able to generate. A site in the Sugarloaf Business Park in Duluth, west of Interstate 85 at Sugarloaf Parkway, was chosen. The developer, Weeks Corporation, began construction on the site in early 1998 and Shumate took occupancy in late November of that year.
The new building has usable space of nearly 85,000 square feet and is the site of our current headquarters now housing almost 450 employees utilizing over 200 company vehicles. Since relocating to the new corporate building, Shumate Mechanical has experienced steady growth while striving to maintain a workplace dedicated to teamwork, customer service, and quality. We have positioned ourselves to maintain our strong performance and growth long into the future. Shumate has long realized that our Customers' opinions of us are the absolute foundation of our reputation and we try to reflect that in every aspect of how we do business. We understand and appreciate that our growth and expansion into new markets is only possible through our customers; and we have been very fortunate to be a part of many winning teams!
In most part due to our repeat customer base, Shumate Mechanical has grown to support HVAC construction and service in other areas of the Southeast in addition to the metro Atlanta area. Currently Shumate is licensed in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee, and Texas.
In recent years Shumate has expanded its support infrastructure to include a state-of-the-art ductwork fabrication facility located in Lavonia, Georgia. Alliance Supply & Piping (ASAP), a sister company to Shumate Mechanical, guarantees quick response and impeccable quality for all of Shumate's ductwork needs. This 60,000 square foot facility is equipped and prepared to supply sheet metal ductwork to jobsites quicker than ever before. ASAP's quick response, ability to produce a large volume of materials, full time delivery and rigging staff, trained fabrication professionals, and state-of-the art equipment contribute greatly to Shumate Mechanical's ability to produce a quality project on time and in budget.
No one could have expected the tremendous success that Shumate Mechanical has enjoyed over the last few decades in viewing our humble beginnings. Who could guess that a small residential HVAC start-up company in Tucker, Georgia would expand across the s Southeast in such a short time frame? How could anyone project that a company doing only basic residential comfort systems in 1978 would quickly become so well respected in all aspects of heating and air conditioning from conditioning doghouses to high rises and all projects in between? The only viable answer must be Harold Shumate along with the vision and integrity he instilled into his employees.
Several times over the last few years, people have asked what makes Shumate Mechanical so successful. Harold's stock answer is always "the right people and hard work". Harold has created a culture among his core group of employees of exhibiting exemplary character and desire to get the job done. These core employees are the people who run this company and instill those same basic values in the new associates joining our team.
History is written one day at a time. And every day our employees help write another page in Shumate's history and its future. Their skill, dedication and respect for our customers are vital to our long-term success.
