By Dee Longfellow
Eric Weech of Alan Energy Services on Spring Road recently got some news that made him smile.
Well, that’s hardly fair to say – after all, Weech is ALWAYS smiling.
This warm and friendly vice-president of operations for Alan Energy Services just recently learned the company has been named the 2023 A. J. “Toche” Terrones Business of the Year by the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry and will be honored at the 105th Annual ECCI Awards Gala on Friday, March 22.
That honor comes on the heels of another celebration – 75 years as a Lennox dealer, an achievement fewer than 10 percent of dealers have attained. For that milestone, Weech hosted a Business After Hours event for the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
“[Being named Business of the Year] really shows how far we’ve come,” he said. “I believe our success is due to our involvement in the communities, sponsoring events, helping out whenever we can.”
A leader in the Spring Road business scene, Weech is currently serving as president of the Spring Road Business Association (SRBA).
“It’s been an interesting three years,” he said. “The community has really embraced us.”
Where it all began
Weech shared the history of the company and how he came to be involved.
John Alan Macnider founded Alan Heating Air Conditioning, Inc. in Elmhurst in 1948. With ambitions to create a company known for customer satisfaction, he instilled his belief that a customer is not just a “sale” but a lifelong friend.
Roger Alan Macnider joined his father in 1949 and has carried the tradition on. His grandson Michael Alan Macnider joined in 1977 and has since kept the same courteous professional service.
Alan Heating Air Conditioning was acquired by Energy Services in 2020.
When Weech learned they were seeking a distributor to take over the business, he showed an interest.
“We had both been Lennox dealers and had known each other through car clubs,” Weech said. “He wanted to meet with me because there were certain things he wanted to know. He wanted a promise to keep the name [Alan] and, of course, to keep the integrity of the business and so forth.”
In January 2020, the handoff took place and Weech’s company became Alan Energy Services. He has worked ever since to keep up his end of the bargain — keeping up the company’s integrity. He now has more than 40 trucks serving customers at any time.
“Alan is a good name [in the industry],” he said. “It helps with employee retention.”
One way to keep employees is to stay ahead of the curve in terms of training, Weech said.
Weech’s business maxims
Besides being active in the local community, Weech shared the following principles for a successful business:
• Have elevated expectations for yourself.
• Don’t just meet expectations, exceed them.
• Give the customer the best value at a fair price.
• Do what you say when you say you’ll do it.
• Treat your customers well from the beginning. Then, if there’s a hiccup, you handle the hiccup.
• Treat people – customers and employees — like you’d like to be treated.
• Don’t stay in your comfort zone.
“We don’t run at our own pace,” Weech added. “We set the pace.”
Giving back
In addition to community involvement, Weech gives back in charitable ways as well. He supports Loaves & Fishes, Wheaton Outreach and CollaborAction, an initiative all about social change.
Then one day, came an extreme request from a person at Grace Bible Church, who said the Robert McKendrick family had a broken furnace and, due to the Covid pandemic, they were just barely getting by.
“We installed a whole system for them,” Weech said. “We paid for all the permits and everything. We had five installers come out and do the installation in one day. The family kept asking, ‘what’s the catch?’ but we assured them there was no catch.”
It was a great accomplishment and a contribution that makes Weech proud, then he received some extra-special appreciation.
“You have to give back,” he said. “Whatever that is for you, just get out and do something.”
If you want to see for yourself, stop in to Alan Energy Services at 510 Spring Rd. It is guaranteed that Eric will be smiling!
[Ed. note: At the Independent, we rarely talk about ourselves in a news story, but during his interview for this article, Eric Weech expressed high praises for Elmhurst Independent sales manager Brenda Garcia, who handles his advertising account. Eric and Brenda are both active in the Spring Road Business Association. Eric said, “She’s the kind of person, like me, who is still on the job after 5 p.m. I like that.”]
