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Sturgeon Bay HVAC professional named one of Malco’s Pro of the Year

Tom Langfeldt owns and operates Peninsula Heating and Air LLC

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October 21, 2024

STURGEON BAY – When Tom Langfeldt started Peninsula Heating and Air LLC in 2022, never did he imagine it would one day lead to him being nationally recognized.

But it did.

The Sturgeon Bay transplant – who moved to Wisconsin’s peninsula in 2018 from Ludington, Michigan – was named 2024 HVAC Trade-Pro of the Year by Malco Tools, one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of high-quality tools for the HVAC trade.

Langfeldt – who was one of five HVAC professionals highlighted nationwide (the only one from the Badger State) – was recognized for his industry achievements, on-the-job safety, strong reputation and commitment to making a difference in his community.  

“I received a phone call when I was in a very tiny crawl space under a house while replacing ductwork informing me I was selected,” he said. “It’s a very honorable thing to be nationally recognized.”

The journey to here

Getting his start in the HVAC industry almost 22 years ago, Langfeldt said everything he’s learned along the way was 100% learned on the job.

“I worked my way through the ranks, so to speak,” he said.

Even during his early years in the trade, Langfeldt said he knew this would be his career for the rest of his working life.

“Every aspect of the HVAC industry appealed to me,” he said.

Before relocating for a job in Door County, Langfeldt said he worked as a general manager for an HVAC company in Ludington – a role that continued to fuel his ambitions of one day branching out on his own.

“Thanks to that job, I knew the general, day-to-day operations of running an HVAC business,” he said. “There’s a lot of stress that goes along with that – but I like that challenge.”

When his family made the move to Door County, Langfeldt said he took a job with a local HVAC company – though those thoughts of starting his own business were “always in the back of my head.”

“My wife and I talked a lot about it over the years, but at a certain point, you look around and think, ‘I’m not getting any younger, and there’s always going to be that what if scenario,’” he said. “So we decided to start laying plans and started gearing up toward me branching out on my own.”

Langfeldt said it took about two years to lay the foundation for Peninsula Heating and Air before “we decided to pull the trigger.”

“I thought, ‘what’s the worst that could happen – I fail and have to go get another job somewhere?” he said. 

As a one-man operation, Landfelt said he does all sales, service, installation and fabrication for Peninsula Heating and Air.

Some of the services Peninsula Heating and Air provides to both residential and commercial clients in Door and Kewaunee counties, include:

  • Residential and commercial maintenance
  • Forced air heating and cooling service and installation
  • Boiler/hydronic heating
  • Ductless systems
  • Gas fireplace repair and maintenance
  • Residential and light commercial ductwork
  • Water heater repair and installation
  • Generator maintenance
  • Commercial maintenance
  • 24/7 emergency service
  • Free estimates

Langfeldt said the aspect of the HVAC trade he likes the most is the consistent hands-on work.

“Every day, you come into work to something that is totally different,” he said. “You’re not doing the same thing day in, day out for eight hours a day.”

Tom Langfeldt was recently named one of Malco Tools’ 2024 HVAC Trade-Pro of the Year. Submitted Photo

Langfeldt said he also enjoys meeting and getting to know his customers.

“After a while, they kind of become a small part of your family,” he said. “You see them on the street, you talk to them. You learn about their kids, they know about my kids.”

Being his own boss

Langfeldt said being a small business owner allows him to do things the way he wants to do them – as far as how to handle customers, how to handle general operations.

“When you’re working for another company, you tend to have to do it their way or else,” he said. “I always felt that I could do it slightly better than what I was expected to do at the other companies I worked for.”

Working for someone else over the years, Langfeldt – the father of seven – said often meant he’d have to miss his kids’ activities.

“I have seven children – so you can imagine the amount of sheer sporting events and all of that stuff that we have,” he said. “When you’re working for somebody else, you have to live and die by their schedule. You really don’t have a choice. So I missed a lot.”

Even though he is “insanely busy and I work a lot of late nights,” Langfeldt said he’s able to plan those hours around the needs of his family.

“I can pick up this kid and take them to their basketball game, see a volleyball game, go to soccer or soccer or soccer – because all of our kids play soccer,” he said. “That’s the best part – I get to see more of my kids and attend more of their activities. Even though I still work just as much or more, at least I can make my own schedule fit theirs.”

Inspiring next generation

As a member of the trades industry and the father of seven, Langfeldt said it’s important to him to at least expose his kids to honest, hard work of those in the trades.

“I think there’s definitely a dire need for people in the trades, whether you go to school for it, whether you’re learning on the job,” he said. “And with my children, even if they don’t go into this trade, they should see what it’s like to have a job like this.”

Langfeldt said he admits there are days that his job is miserable.

“But at the end of the day, I love it and am proud of the work I did,” he said.

Langfeldt said he isn’t sure if any of his children will follow in his footsteps – “my oldest son seems generally interested in it” – but said he believes kids nowadays should see different aspects of life.

“If nothing else, at least they’ll know how to use tools,” he said. “They might learn how to take something apart and troubleshoot it later in life. Even if my son becomes an architect or my other son becomes a math teacher or an engineer – I think it’s great that they have this experience, and it’s only going to help them, even if they don’t enter the trades.”

Though humbled by his own recognition, Langfeldt said he sees the benefit of highlighting professionals in their respective fields.

“I think people getting recognized in their day-to-day jobs is a great thing,” he said. “Being in the trades for a lot of years, we never look down on ourselves, but you always think, ‘oh, people don’t really see us. We’re always just kind of there – behind the scenes.’”

Langfeldt said it’s important that young people understand that there are jobs out there that they can work their way into or go to a tech school and quickly transition into a “stable job with excellent pay.”

“There is definitely a certain amount of pride for those in the trades, so to be recognized and know others can see, ‘hey, they actually do recognize trades,’ is an impactful thing,” he said.

For more on Peninsula Heating and Air, visit peninsulaheatingandair.org.

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