There are many ways in which Cochrane businesses give to our community while often receiving little in return.

Between supporting community events, sports teams, schools, individual fundraisers, and contributing to our town's not for profit organizations; I am always in awe of how much they give every year. While some business owners choose to give back monetarily, some choose to see the impact first hand.

Jason Helfrich, Owner of Royal Mechanical Services, shares as a long-time family-owned and operated business, giving back is important to them. "The whole idea for me was I grew up in this town...my family grew up in this town, and so I just wanted to give back to the community that has given us a whole bunch. My wife and I were talking one night, and it just kind of snowballed from there."

Checking things over during the install.

Hosting their first 'Annual Furnace Giveaway,' Royal Mechanical Services reached out to the public looking for someone who could use a new furnace without the financial burden. "We were just looking for a quick schpeel on your house, who you are, what is going on in your life and some pictures of your furnace, and then we decided from there. Initially, we were only going to give away and replace the furnace, but after coming and looking at everything and seeing the age of the hot water tank, we decided to change that as well."

Feeling like they would only be 'changing three out of four tires' if they chose not to replace the H2O tank, Helrich says the total value to the homeowner was roughly around 5,500 dollars.

Done and done.

Homeowner, Hoines Potton was thrilled and grateful to learn that their 32-year-old furnace was being replaced with no financial obligation or strings attached. "It was still ticking, but it was just one of those 'touch and go' things that you just never know. We have been trying to make the house more energy-efficient, but this was one of those big-ticket items that we hadn't got to nor were we sure when we would be able to afford it as a whole. When I saw the advert on social media, I thought we had nothing to lose by sending in some pictures and letting these guys know where we were at."

Receiving roughly a dozen entries, Helfrich is hoping next year to receive at least double or triple that. "I was kind of shocked that we didn't get more because it is such a big purchase, but I think maybe some people were skeptical or thought it was a scam. So we want to grow it, and we just want to give back. I think it is a neat way to donate; you can donate money or donate to different things, but you often never see how it actually affects people or see it from start to finish."

Royal Mechanical Services looks forward to warmly giving back again in June 2020 by providing one household, in the Cochrane area, one brand new Amana AMSS92 high-efficiency furnace fully installed, with a programmable thermostat, humidifier, filter rack, ten years parts warranty*, permitted and inspected. The full install has no invoice or strings attached.