Jim Young, HVAC & Oil veteran of 50 years, has joined ECI Comfort to strengthen the commercial division at the Langhorne location. ECI has always done commercial work, but we plan to take a deeper dive and expand our expertise with Jim’s extensive knowledge.
One of Jim’s deciding factors for joining ECI was the unique culture that’s been developed over the years by founder Ron Musser, which has grown tenfold by his son and President, Chase Musser. Ron’s visionary path sent this third-generation, family-owned HVAC & Oil companies trailblazing. “I really love seeing the interaction with our employees here and the customers. It’s just so gratifying to help solve the various complex problems our customers face,” Jim explained.
The Start of Jim's Career in His Family Business
Jim Young first started out in his family business hustling at just 10 years old. He assisted with oil deliveries, carried equipment, helped with cleaning, and did anything he was allowed to do at such a young age. Every summer growing up, almost all of Jim’s memories are of long days working with the family until he was old enough to start working with field technicians before he went off to college.
He eventually went to school to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. “If you can imagine a time before there were cell phones”, Jim said, “you pretty much just made one phone call once a week, or maybe twice a month.“ One afternoon he made his monthly phone call to his mother and announced to her that he finally knew what he wanted to do for his career: he wanted to help run the family business. Once Jim graduated college, he returned home to work side by side with his beloved Uncle Frank in the family oil business. His Uncle Frank was a mentor to him in his earlier years, guiding Jim with his career, and helping him navigate through the ups and downs of running an oil business. His Uncle Frank happened to know Ron Musser’s family as well, and that is how he and Ron first crossed paths. 
“I actually took some oil heat or industry classes that Uncle Frank taught and quickly learned that this man was way ahead of his time,” Ron recounts fondly. “He was teaching techs with videos he created back in the seventies. He always took time to talk to me and help even though I was a young upstart and in the big scheme of things very insignificant, but he treated me like he cared.”
Jim reminisced in the same manner: “Uncle Frank was such a visionary person. I was a manufacturer’s rep for a German boiler line and an Italian oil burner line back in the early eighties, which was unheard of at the time. The technology in Europe back then was so far ahead and beyond what was available domestically in the U.S. I spent 10 days touring the German company’s facility, and I remember being wowed by what I saw.” Jim recalls seeing the exact same technology in the nineties here in the U.S. - the same technology that’s being used today. He fondly remembers this specific time and those experiences that really set the groundwork for a long-term career in this growing industry.
Selling the family business
Jim’s family eventually sold their four-generation family-owned oil business to a much larger company that Jim then went on to work for in the installation department. At just 24, Jim was already running an entire installation department, which was his very first job outside of sales in addition to all of the other odd jobs he had been handling at his family’s business. He was grinning from ear to ear telling us about everything that he learned while working in the family business that provided an incredible amount of insight into an industry he had lived through almost his entire life. After gaining such valuable training as a manager at this larger oil company, Jim decided to pursue his engineer’s license. He earned his PE license in Pennsylvania at age 30.
Jim's Own Business & Family
Jim remembers when he quit his very secure, lucrative management job to go off and start his very own oil business with just three car seats and a truck. At age 30 he had a three-year-old son and twin nine-month-old daughters. He recalls that during the first seven years he didn’t make much money at all, but had the most fun he ever had up until then. For the next seven years he made more money, until the numbers started to dwindle again. He eventually made the difficult decision to sell his oil business but continued to work for that company for ten more years before leaving to take a break when his wife passed. He was suddenly faced with raising three children and the weight of the world came down on him so suddenly. Even after his three children grew up, he didn’t feel ready to retire. After only a brief conversation with Jim you can feel his high energy, genuine warmth, and positive spirit – and understand why he wasn’t ready to stop working just yet.
Returning to Work at ECI Comfort
He reconnected with Ron Musser and his family, and then made one of the easy decisions of his life - to join the ECI Comfort team where he felt “It was just such a good fit. It was like coming home.”
Jim continued enthusiastically, “I think I bring a lot of good experience, a lot of technical knowledge, but more than anything I think I make customers and coworkers comfortable.” Upon meeting Jim Young, it’s not hard to immediately see that he is an easy-going, extroverted man who is such a people person. “I’m excited to be here. When you love your job it’s just easy to do your job.”
Jim's goals for ECI
And just how does he plan to enhance the customer experience at ECI? Sure, Jim is an HVAC specialist, but he’s much more interested in connecting with people and enhancing the customer experience. He feels that by always giving the customer more options and a custom solution based on their needs, their long-term needs are the top priority. “I think good companies provide customers with options to choose from, sharing educational content to help them make an informed decision about viable options based on the customer’s own comfort and budget.”
“What I’m trying to do differently compared to other sales professionals in the HVAC field is give a customized experience to them, that most of the time my customers didn’t even realize they needed,” Jim explained. “My goal is always to have the entire process from the initial call with a customer to the completion of a project be a positive and easy experience. ECI and MyExpressOil try to give that to every single customer. We aren't just about sales; superior customer experience is the most important ingredient at ECI, and they actually train all of their employees to provide that. Superior customer experience. It’s that kind of culture that is extended out to all of our technicians, and then they have that same approach with their customers. We really do live and breathe this mantra."
'It’s just incredible being here at ECI and talking to coworkers, hearing about their negative work experiences at companies they worked at before ECI. It’s a whole different world. All of the details are so important to not overlook. Details like clean drop cloths, working vacuums on every truck, every employee in clean uniforms looking presentable, alert and friendly with smiling faces.” “We just love customers that tell us exactly what they need and want,” Jim went on. “We actually listen to our customers and then continue the conversation by providing educational content to help them make an informed decision. I don’t know why you’d make a decision without researching and educating yourself first. I mean ECI provides all of these valuable resources for every customer. You weigh the offers and look at the best options, but you really want those options customized to your own individual needs.”
ECI works with residential and commercial customers all over the Bucks, Montgomery, and Delaware County, Philadelphia, and Central New Jersey. We run small installations to huge commercial jobs, but we always treat each job with the same amount of importance, respect, and attention.
Culture at ECI
Jim went on to describe the culture at ECI Comfort. “You can really feel that people enjoy coming to work. I believe that if employees enjoy coming to work, they tend to give you their very best. A lot of times at bigger companies people don’t like their jobs and 4:30 rolls around and then they don’t answer until the next day. If someone called me at 6 PM, I’d answer my phone. People are genuinely happy here and they are doing better work here at ECI because of the culture. They are treated really well and have camaraderie with their co-workers. You don’t often see that.”
Important Advice from Jim Young
Jim also has some valuable advice for anyone looking for a reputable HVAC company, especially now in the colder months when a no heat call or a timely oil delivery is so critical. “It's ultimately the people you're looking for, not so much the product, regardless of the brand name. I mean it's just a box. What you want to look for is an honest technician to install the box, who will stand by it, and you know they are going to answer the phone and answer your questions. Price isn't a good determination. Everyone works here and has families and kids. In order to maintain a good culture, we have to pay people. Don't look at just the price."
"Looking at a company's low pricing is generally just an indication of a problem, or a lack of customization, which is often the case for large HVAC companies. What I love about being part of the ECI Comfort team is that every person there has integrity, honesty, and they are hard-working. They always ask their customers questions and make sure they are happy with our work. You’re not going to see that with larger companies. It’s a very special community here, and I am so happy to be part of the family.”
Need a system upgrade or HVAC service in your commercial space? Give us a call at 215-245-3200 or contact us below!
