At a time when many businesses are dealing with difficult circumstances, Barron Heating is standing strong and growing as it looks toward a bright future.
Since its founding in 1972 by Dan and Vivian Barron, Barron Heating has served the home comfort needs of Northwest Washington residents as a full-service HVAC contractor, in addition to offering electrical, plumbing, and air quality services. Recently, Barron made a number of promotions in its executive support team, whose leadership oversees the smooth operation of the company.
“We are very, very blessed as a company,” says Owner John Barron. “The strength of our executive support team and our leadership group is unparalleled to any other time in the history of our company.”
Barron’s new chief operating officer is Brad Barron, creating the Barron family’s fourth generation of company leadership. Brad’s new position comes after three-and-a-half years as business development manager, and then director of operations, in which he successfully grew the residential and commercial departments within Barron Heating and led the development of Barron’s electrical and plumbing divisions.
Brad graduated from the University of Washington with a civil engineering degree, and then spent seven years developing his professional skillset with several companies, the last of which had him overseeing a four-state territory. His father, John, says it was never his intention to have Brad work for the family business, but it just so happened to work out that way.
“My parents always encouraged me to pursue my passions,” says Brad. “Problem solving, building, and working with people are passions of mine that led me to pursue an engineering career.”
When Brad’s previous career path required a move to the Midwest and ample time on the road, he decided to stay in the Northwest with his family. John offered him a job, and the rest, as they say, is history. Since joining Barron, Brad has spearheaded the Barron Technician School, which provides professional in-house training for their service experts, and also worked to develop Barron Plumbing and Barron Electrical, which respectively employ more than two dozen team members and continue to grow.
“He has great leadership qualities,” says John. “If I was looking for somebody that I wanted to put into a position of succession, I would be looking for the exact qualities that he has. I have the utmost confidence with the reins in his hand, to be able to support our company and our team.”
Brad has lived into his passions while helping build Barron into the premier Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) contractor in the Pacific Northwest. “It’s been exciting helping Barron Heating grow beyond HVAC into electrical and plumbing services,” says Brad. “The Barron Team continually strives to be better and provide better services, while taking care of our customers and the communities we serve.”
Other promotions in the executive support team include Patrick Harrington, who is now Barron’s chief financial officer after several years in the company’s accounting department. Harrington has nearly two decades of management and corporate accounting experience and put himself through college by working in Alaska.
Merrill Bevan is Barron’s new director of sales and marketing, after joining the company last year as sales manager. Bevan, a Whatcom County native who has lived as far away as China, joined Barron with more than 20 years of experience in equipment sales and management.
Former Air Solutions manager Michael Takemura is now Barron’s director of business development. Hailing from a background heavy in science and business, Takemura has been instrumental in the continuing development of the company’s Air Solutions and Solar by Barron divisions.
These new members of Barron’s executive support team join existing members Raksha Rughani, the company’s human resources manager who has been at Barron for more than 20 years; Linda Nordstrom, administrative supervisor; and Debbie Gwaltney, executive assistant and customer experience manager.
With these personnel promotions in place—along with the rest of the hard-working folks at every level of Barron Heating—John Barron feels confident about the future of the company his father founded many decades ago. Because when it really comes down to it, the success of any business boils down to the people who comprise it.
“People ask me, ‘What do you like most about the company?’” John says. “I say, without a doubt, it’s our people. I get to work with the best people in the world, and sometimes I just have to pinch myself when I come to work. I get to see everybody rally together and accomplish things that improve the lives of the customers we serve across five counties.”
Sponsored
