Eagle Ridge Mechanical was founded in 1994 by Garth Moore and Greg Robertson, partners who still work closely together at the company headquarters in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. Since day one, Eagle Ridge has remained focused on a simple, central goal: providing the best HVAC and plumbing solutions possible, with a commitment to superior customer service.

Moore’s involvement in the business stretches back almost four decades, with previous experience as a plumber, an estimator, and a project manager. He puts all these skills to use as a leader who is still heavily involved in the daily grind of overseeing the company’s growth. Not one to shy away from the detail work that makes the business tick, Moore still works on the ground with his team to make sure Eagle Ridge is operating as efficiently and competitively as possible—with close attention to budgets and deadlines.

Since founding his own independent company, Moore has enjoyed the freedom to focus on the customer service aspect of the business in ways that competitors don’t. He has also created relationships that last and bring constant work to Eagle Ridge.

As of late, the company has been doing more design/build and design/assist projects, and Eagle Ridge can handle a whole array of HVAC and plumbing duties. Working primarily in the commercial, multi-residential, and industrial and institutional sectors, no job is too big or too small for Eagle Ridge. The company can design and install refrigeration systems, geothermal heating units, and do maintenance, repair and retrofitting. In fact, the company offers preventative maintenance contracts to its customers to help prevent problems before they occur. Eagle Ridge also offers the flexibility to fast-track projects and built to spec, allowing for the quickest and most cost-effective approach to get the job done right. Moore says one of the keys to business success at Eagle Ridge has been the rate of repeat clients, referrals amongst its clients, and the ability to focus on the needs of individual customers.

Eagle Ridge is a member of the Mechanical Contractors Association and Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, organizations that help keep the company up to date on the latest developments in the industry. Eagle Ridge also learns new ways to train and retain staff. To improve productivity, Moore retained a consultant to guide the company through a plan for business development and restructuring of various departments. The plans will take about a year to develop and implement, but Moore is hopeful that the new techniques will help save both time and money in the long run. The long run is what’s also helped build the company’s reputation; the best publicity for Eagle Ridge has come from word of mouth recommendations thanks to its long-term relationships.

A great reputation also helps the company attract and retain quality staff. Benefit packages and bonuses are part of the reason that staff that start with Eagle Ridge stay with Eagle Ridge. As far as training goes, the company has an apprentice program for the trades held in house: plumbing, pipefitting and refrigeration. The company outsources sheet metal, insulation, electronic controls, and fire protection. Building relationships with subcontractors and vendors is a crucial part of maintaining the health of the business, so Greg relies heavily on referrals to make sure he works with trusted partners who share his vision.

Recent work has showcased the fact that Eagle Ridge is one of the most trusted HVAC installers around. One recent project completed in 2006 was the upscale Tribeca Lofts in downtown Vancouver. The 53-unit reinforced concrete building features double and single level loft-style apartments and presented special challenges when creating in-slab domestic water distribution and exhaust systems since no two floors were exactly the same.

Crossroads is another new construction project that measures half a city block long. The building comprises various levels of parking plus a residential tower and an office tower.
Perhaps the most interesting project for Moore and his team took place at the Vancouver Aquarium. There, Eagle Ridge installed a thermal mass system designed to use the mass of the building to heat and cool the building via thousands of feet of in-slab piping. The cooling used sea water from the ocean, pumped through a titanium heat exchanger, and the heating system meets the highest efficiency standard available. This cutting-edge building is LEED certified to the gold standard and environmental enhancements abound: for example, a rainwater harvesting system provides the water for bathrooms. Eagle Ridge is involved in many LEED compliant projects and also has a recycling program within the company.

Moore is cautiously optimistic about the future of Eagle Ridge. One thing is clear—he’ll continue doing things that make sense for the good of the company. “We are constantly trying to upgrade what we have,” he says.

Instead, Moore has worked to develop a new service department. He brought in a managing partner to oversee it and to deal with underlying issues rather than waste company time and effort on a quick but temporary fix.

The slow economy presents some opportunities of this kind, for reassessment and refocusing. “We’ve reestablished a lot of relationships during extremely busy stages. For the last three years we were operating at max capacity, which gave us exposure to many companies but we could only take on select projects because we were so booked,” explains Moore.

“Now we have time to find out where the market is going, to relearn like the days of old when there were a lot of competitors. Things are slowing down. We’re becoming more efficient. We have a chance to refocus, to plan and make reasonable schedules and return to strategic planning.”

Over the next few years, the goal for Eagle Ridge is to become more efficient than ever. Moore says: “we feel if we can maintain 60 percent of last year’s revenues we will be okay. Currently that's achievable, and now we're focusing on the next two years. We will do what is needed to stay lean in these uncertain times.” And staying faithful to its vision seems a tried and true recipe for success.