I’m in Marquis Who’s Who. Here’s What That Means.

Marquis Who’s Who picked me for their 2026 edition. Here is what that actually changes for the people I work for. Not much. And that is the point.

For folks who have never heard of Marquis: they have been documenting accomplished people across every field for more than 125 years. Selection is based on documented work, leadership, and contribution. They reached out, verified the record, and added me to the 2026 honoree list. The full press release went out on April 24 through 24-7PressRelease.com if you want the formal version: read the release.

What got me here

45 years in this trade. I started in electrical at 10 with my father, was running crews by 16, and have been heating and cooling buildings professionally since I left Woodward High School in 1981. AS in thermodynamics from Oklahoma State in 1989. Vo-tech at O.T. Autry before that. Twelve years working alongside a guy named Sammy in rural settings after OSU, which is where I learned that book theory and a 110-degree attic in August are two different worlds.

Before HVAC went full-time, I spent seven years at Sprint as a network engineer on a $30 million FCC project, the world’s largest 12-star triangulation system for cell phones. That work taught me to think in systems, not parts. It is why I design geothermal loops the way I do.

What it changes for you

Nothing about price or service. Dispatch is still $99. Diagnostic is still $111, credited toward the repair if you accept it inside 14 days. Tune-ups are $229. Estimates on new systems are free. I still answer the phone myself most days. 4.8 stars across 276 Google reviews has not bought me a bigger ego, and it is not going to start now.

What it might change is how comfortable you feel calling someone you have never met. When the air-conditioning quits at 9 PM in July with a baby in the house, you want to know the person on the other end has actually seen this before. I have. Probably hundreds of times. That is the real value of the recognition, in my opinion. Third-party confirmation that the record is real.

What is next

I am 63. I have three kids. The shop has grown to where I have been quietly working on an ESOP transition to my employees, with my daughter designated as successor. The plan is for Hartzell’s Heat & Air to outlive me, owned by the people who actually do the work, with the same dispatch fee and the same answer-the-phone standard. That is a five-to-ten year arc, and the Marquis listing is one more piece of getting the record in order before I hand it off.

If you want the formal background, the full evergreen page is here: Marquis Who’s Who 2026 honoree page. Otherwise, if you have a system that is acting up or a project on the horizon, call 405-375-4822 or book at hartzellsheatair.com. I will see you out there.