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Gig Harbor-based Olympic Radiant Heating Inc. continuously sees increased interest in its products and services, despite being in a niche market and selling heating systems that are usually more expensive than the more commonly used ones. Just as the name suggests, the company installs radiant heating systems, which are more energy efficient and often preferred by homeowner who are looking for “green” home features.
The company was recently featured in “Reeves Journal,” a trade publication for the plumbing, heating and cooling industry. Owner Craig Coble said he didn’t expect, after meeting magazine representatives at a Radiant Panel Association trade show in Tacoma, to be asked for an interview.
“I was really surprised,” he said. “It’s a very big deal. It gives us a lot more credibility in the industry.”
Coble, who has owned the company for about six years, says the concept of radiant heat has been around for centuries, dating back to the Romans. And while steel pipes were used back in the 1950s for radiant heating, it was only about 15 years ago that new technology made the products less labor intensive to install as well as more versatile. Because it stays low to the ground, radiant heating can be as much as 40 percent more effective — so the more expensive upfront investment eventually pays for itself. But that’s not the reason many people like it, Coble said. It’s also about having a comfortable home, and as baby boomers are building their retirement homes, they have the money, and the desire, to pay for that comfort.
“(The market) is growing huge,” he said. “The prediction I see from the market analysis is phenomenal.”
The company’s projects range from small homes, to multimillion-dollar homes, all the way to commercial buildings like mini-storage complexes and aircraft hangars. The systems can be heated by propane, natural gas, wood, oil, even geothermal or solar-assisted energy.
“We’ve been busy for six years,” Coble said. “My biggest problem is trying to keep enough help to go along with the workload.”
Coble learned about radiant heating while selling plumbing and heating products, and later went to work for a heating and plumbing contractor in order to learn more. Six months later, he became operations manager for the radiant heating division, and then partnered up with the head boiler technician to buy the division. Five years later, in 2006, he incorporated the company as Olympic Radiant Heating Inc. after buying out his partner. Operations manager Matt Taylor, who has been with the company since 2002, recently became minority shareholder.
Coble said the technology aspect of the company is the easy part — the bigger challenge is to create an efficient business system. The company serves customers all around Puget Sound, and plans are to open an office in Seattle. |
