2023 is a big milestone year for Design Mechanical, Inc.—we’ll be turning 20 years old in September! That number is even more impressive when you look at where we started and what we’ve been through along the way. But despite the length of time we’ve spent doing the work and building our company from the ground up, 20 years is also just the start; we have plans to stick around for the long haul!
We Were Born Defying the Odds
In September 2003, we came together to start a business founded on the three defining principles we believe in most strongly: common sense, fairness, and fun! Even though the economy was rough in 2003, and many people warned us against it, we knew we were on the right track—and time proved us right. In our first full year of business, we took in revenue in excess of $9 million!
Our Success Is Owed to Good Relationships
How do you grow your annual revenue from $9 million dollars to over $20 million in just five years? There’s no joke here, and no trick either. The truth is that your business will give back whatever you put into it.
In our case, we built Design Mechanical, Inc. (DMI) on relationships and experience. The career-long relationships of Bill Iler and Mike Chieppo, the vast work and life experiences of our field crew, and the combination of hard relationship-building and hard work from our office staff were all fundamental in growing our company from its inception to the present day.
Expanding in Anticipation of Future Success
In the past seven years, our headquarters off I-35 and Cambridge Circle has been through two remodels due to the growth of DMI. In 2016, we expanded the existing building to add an additional 6,500 square feet for office and warehouse space, anticipating this would be enough to support the growth we anticipated for many years to come.
Well, it turns out we could have been just a little bit more overconfident because in 2019, there were only three open offices left!
Construction and Refrigeration Take the Lead
From 2016 to 2019, we saw a booming economy that translated into more opportunities for construction work and better circumstances for everyone. Projects from existing clients accounted for over 60% of our overall construction project work, along with projects that led us to opportunities outside of our long-established markets.
Our Refrigeration Department also saw a huge boost over the same time period. With the expansion of new homes and neighborhoods in the greater Kansas City area, we also saw a rush to build new grocery stores. Because of our existing relationships with the local grocery market, we were able to build and service a large portion of these new stores.
When Opportunity Knocks, We Open the Door
The DMI management team considered opportunities outside of the current construction market and inside Missouri’s new legislation regarding the cannabis industry. We took the necessary steps to gain industry certifications and knowledge of this market to achieve new projects. DMI is also a member of the MOCANN Missouri Cannabis Trade Association. We anticipated this market to be a major factor in our growth for 2020 and beyond—and we were right!
Community Involvement and Giving Back
We are active community members, serving on committees and boards, in the following organizations.
- Mechanical Service Contractors Assn. (MSCA)
- Mechanical Contractors Assn. (MCA)
- Sheet Metal Air Conditioning Contractors National Assn. (SMACNA)
- Chiller Systems Group
- Synergy Solution Group
- American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
- National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB)
- Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA)
- Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM)
- Kansas City, Kansas Chamber of Commerce
- Wyandotte Economic Development Council (WEDC)
- KCK Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB)
In addition to all of that, we encourage and support our employees to take part in any and all civic and community activities that interest them.
Looking Forward to the Next 20 Years
With everything we’ve accomplished in the past 20 years, we can hardly even wait to see what’s in store for the next 20! Join us, won’t you?
DMI is a full-service commercial HVAC contractor that provides services in Kansas City and the nearby areas. We are available 24/7 so that your business suffers the least amount of disruption whenever you require service. It doesn’t matter what’s going wrong—we’ll be there to help make it right! Give us a call at (913) 281-7200 if you need assistance.