Chatham-Kent Small Business Centre helps young couple launch HVAC firm
A Chatham couple took the bold step to start a business and a family at the same time.
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A Chatham couple took the bold step to start a business and a family at the same time.
Chris Van Ravens, 33, and his wife Hilary, 30, who recently had a baby girl, Shae, opened Chill Comfort Heating and Cooling in August.
Chris Van Ravens said HVAC isn’t just a profession, “it’s in my DNA.”
Growing up in Georgetown, his father Art Van Ravens owned an HVAC business “instilling invaluable knowledge and passion for the trade.”
When asked about the influence gained from his father, Van Ravens said, “For him, it was treating people right and having a good work ethic.”
Van Ravens has 13-years of experience in the HVAC industry, including a nine-year stint at a small operation in Bolton, near his hometown.
“I like to serve people, give them their best options, try and save them money,” he said. “I care for my customers.”
Hilary Van Ravens, who grew up in Chatham-Kent, has been handling the company’s social media and administrative work.
“We definitely have been working as a team,” she said. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without each other.”
Hilary Van Ravens said they also received help from Chatham-Kent Economic Development’s Small Business Centre to get their business started.
“We talked about business plans and the steps we need to take to have a registered business,” Hilary Van Ravens said. “It was a great help.”
Anthony Wilson, economic development officer with a specialty in small business, said the message sent to budding entrepreneurs is, “We will do whatever we can to help them realize their dreams of running a small business.”
He said helping people work on a business plan is where the process starts and something “we highly recommend, because it gets you to consider things you perhaps didn’t think about.”
Wilson said the Small Business Centre also has a number of contacts available to connect new businesses with.
He said it is amazing for the community to have young people come here to establish roots.
“I think from an economic impact, having all these businesses open provides opportunities for the entire community — opportunities for other families to come here and entrench their roots here.”
Chris Van Ravens said for now he is a “one man show” when it comes to serving customers.
The couple is happy they have made the move to Chatham-Kent to start their business and family.
“It’s a little nicer way of life down here than the busy Toronto, GTA area,” Chris Van Ravens said.
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