Story

Jimy Thorpe Believes In Giving Back Every Day

January 24, 2017 by Manny Chavez

Army veteran Jimy Thorpe started A Superior Air Conditioning Company 14 years ago and his customers have stayed “cool as a cucumber” ever since.

Although Jimy's company is known for excellent hvac service, Jimy’s community contributions have become his calling card. As an Army Iraq War veteran, he felt a responsibility to help local vets by starting a “Vets Helping Vets” AC Giveaway. In 2015 he started the giveaway program to benefit veterans, he expanded the program by adding first responders and in 2016 his company gave away eight (two per quarter) complete heating and air systems to local vets/first responders. Information concerning the 2017 Giveaway can be found on A Superior AC Facebook page.

His company has grown to 16 employees servicing the areas between Fort Walton Beach and Mexico Beach. A Superior AC provides 24-hour emergency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (hvac) replacement and repair services for both residential and commercial businesses. His technicians work daily on a variety of brands including Trane, Carrier, American Standard, Lennox, Goodman, York, and Mitsubishi Electric.

Jimy’s community involvement has broadened to include a wide-range of contributions going towards local non-profits such as the Gulf Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, The Humane Society, Alaqua Animal Refuge, Food for Kids and The Arc of Walton County.  A percentage of A Superior AC’s profits from all services, equipment sales, or Preventative Maintenance Plan sales are contributed weekly to selected organizations. Customers are asked to pick an organization for these outgoing contributions. This unique way of doing business allows A Superior AC customers to be part of the circle of giving. All non-profit recipients are informed of which customer selected them as a beneficiary.

A Superior customers choosing to participate in their Preventative Maintenance Plans will be automatically enrolled in the very cool “AC Cucumber Club” which will entitle them to be part of the A Superior AC Santa’s Helper Sweepstakes with prizes up to $1,000. Jimy tells the story of a recent $1,000 winner who, upon learning of her win, was totally overwhelmed by the news. She broke down in tears and explained that she had been out of work for an extended period and the unexpected prize meant everything to her.

“That right there is a God moment. That right there is why we do what we do…it’s amazing how you can touch somebody’s life,” explains Jimy.

Not to leave the local kids out of the picture, A Superior AC and Beachy Beach Real Estate conduct an annual “Jingle Contest” for kids in K-5th grade in Bay, Okaloosa, and Walton counties. Kids are encouraged to record their rendition of the A Superior AC Jingle “Keep Me Cool” and submit for a chance to win a $1,000 donation for their school’s music program.

Looking to the future, Jimy has his sights set on extending his service area to include all points between Pensacola and Jacksonville. With his energy and attention to detail, this is probably a very realistic goal. Realizing the need for individual crew members to be able to advance within the company, he has implemented a General Manager system and plans to extend his “westward” push into Fort Walton Beach within the next few months.

“I know that AC repairs can be done by just about any company out there, but what really matters to me is the relationship between our crew and our customers,” says Jimy. “To this end, we have started enrolling our crew members into Dale Carnegie courses and the results are already being felt. I want to make sure that our guys are interacting with our customers the way they should be. This helps them be a better person outside of the company as well.”

Bravo! A little “Cucumber Logic” never hurt anybody and it will be interesting to watch the A Superior AC business spread its wings from one end of Florida to the other!

For AC repair/installation information please call 850-258-3225. Visit online at www.asuperiorac.com or www.staycoolasacucumber.com. Location: 20512 Panama City Beach Parkway, Panama City Beach, Fl. 32413

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Manny Chavez's picture

Manny has been a working photojournalist his entire career and is now writing stories/taking pix for SoWal.com. He and his wife Kris live in Seagrove and have “seen a lot come and go.” Lots of stories have been told, with lots more to come!

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