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

I got word this year that I was selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who for 2026. After 45 years in this trade and 15-plus years running my own shop here in Kingfisher, that recognition lands different than I expected. It is not about a plaque on the wall. It is about a record of work, mostly out in the country, that someone took the time to verify. I am Dave Hartzell, and here is what the honor actually means, and what it does not.

What Marquis Who’s Who actually is

If you have not heard of it, Marquis Who’s Who is a biographical reference publisher that has been documenting accomplished people since 1899. According to the independent record of the publication, it has profiled leaders in business, science, medicine, law, and the trades for more than 125 years. The part that matters to me is this: you do not apply and you do not buy your way in. Editors select you, then verify your background. For a heating and cooling man from a town of a few thousand people, getting picked out for a body of HVAC work feels like the trade itself got a nod.

Forty-five years that got me here

I did not come up the easy way. I started in electrical work as a kid, was leading crews by the time I was 16, and have been heating and cooling buildings professionally since 1981. Along the way I ran service trucks across central and western Oklahoma, designed geothermal loop fields as large as 300 tons for commercial grow-houses, and even spent seven years before HVAC as a network engineer on a large FCC project. Every one of those jobs taught me something I still use on a service call today. When I size a system or chase down a fault, I am drawing on four and a half decades of seeing what goes wrong and why. You can read the longer version of that story on my About page.

What this means for my Kingfisher customers

Here is the honest part: practically, nothing changes for you. My dispatch is still $99. My diagnostic is still $111, and I still credit it toward the repair if you accept the work within 14 days. Estimates on new systems are still free. I am not raising a single rate because a publisher put my name in a book. I still answer my own phone, and I am still the guy who shows up in the truck. What the recognition does, in my opinion, is confirm what people around here already know. There is a real difference between a company that just sells equipment and a Master HVAC technician who designs a system for the actual conditions it has to run in. Oklahoma heat, Oklahoma cold, red dirt, and cottonwood are hard on equipment, and experience is what keeps your system alive through all of it.

Why experience is worth paying for

A lot of HVAC marketing sounds the same. Everybody promises honesty and great service. What you cannot fake is time on the tools. When I walk up to a unit that is not cooling, odds are I have already fixed that exact failure a hundred times, so I am not guessing on your dime. That speed saves you money on the diagnostic, and it keeps me from throwing parts at a problem. The same goes for replacements. I size every system to the house with a real load calculation instead of just matching whatever was there before, because an oversized unit short-cycles, wastes power, and wears out early. If you want that experience working on your equipment year-round, the simplest way is to get on one of my maintenance plans, which you can read about here. Steady seasonal care is the cheapest insurance there is on a system that costs thousands to replace.

The bottom line

I am proud of the Marquis Who’s Who honor, and I am grateful for the central Oklahoma families who trusted me with their homes long before any publisher noticed. The 4.8 star rating across 289 Google reviews means more to me day to day than the listing does, because that is my neighbors telling the truth about the work. If your air conditioner or furnace needs attention, or you are weighing a geothermal install, I would be glad to help. You can read the full announcement on my press page whenever you like.

Marquis Who’s Who questions, answered

What is Marquis Who’s Who?

Marquis Who’s Who is a biographical reference publisher that has documented accomplished professionals across fields since 1899. Inclusion is by selection and editorial review, not application or payment, and the directory has profiled leaders in business, science, medicine, and the trades for over 125 years.

Why was Dave Hartzell named to Marquis Who’s Who in 2026?

I was selected for my record in heating, cooling, and geothermal work: 45 years on the tools, 15-plus years running my own shop in Kingfisher, and system design work that ranges from country homes to 300-ton geothermal loop fields. The honor recognizes a verified body of work, not a purchase.

Does this honor change my prices at Hartzell’s Heat & Air?

No. Dispatch is still $99, the diagnostic is still $111 and credited toward the repair if you accept within 14 days, and estimates on new systems are still free. The recognition does not change a single rate. I still answer the phone and I am still the one who shows up.

How does 45 years of experience help me as a customer?

Years on the job mean I have already seen what is about to go wrong. I started in electrical young, led crews by 16, and have been heating and cooling buildings professionally since 1981. That history lets me diagnose faster, size a system right the first time, and tell you honestly when a repair beats a replacement.

Where can I read more about Dave Hartzell’s background?

You can read my full story on my About page, see the official Marquis announcement on my press page, and check the 4.8 star rating across 289 Google reviews. I am Dave Hartzell, Master HVAC technician in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and I am glad to walk through any of it on a call.