Executive Suite: Doug Matz, Riverhead

His business may not have the "wow factor" of an Apple or Starbucks, says Doug Matz, owner of Flanders Heating & Air Conditioning. Most of his customers aren't going to "put in a new furnace and bring company down to see," he says.

Still, he runs his business with big-guy approaches, such as offering ongoing training for employees, sending managers to leadership seminars, spotting and visiting top-performing contractors around the country with an eye to analyzing and adapting their approaches.

Matz, 48, grew up working in his family's business, Matz Heating & Air Conditioning, which was sold in 1999 to a division of Lennox International Inc. Matz stayed on as Northeast district manager.

In 2004 he bought the Flanders company in Riverhead, a "friendly competitor." He's updated technology, created a service department, increased staff and overseen a sevenfold revenue increase.

How have you fared in the troubling economy?
"We had to transition our business from new construction to more of a service and replacement business. There were a lot of challenges in doing that," including the need for a new kind of employee, one who's "versatile and can work in new construction and can do boiler and equipment replacement."

What other challenges do you face?
"Finding qualified people, even in the market that exists today." A successful candidate must pass a criminal-background check, drug test, have a clean driver's license and agree to abide by a code of conduct. "Unfortunately, a large percent are not able to meet that criteria."

What new trend is having a major impact?
Training employees in "the product enhancement going on from technology. . . . We are changing our information management system to accommodate wireless," so workers in the field can "communicate with the office wirelessly." That will allow them to "pull up a piece of equipment and get data on it, as well as process and print service invoices while at [a customer's] house."

What's prepared you to lead an organization?
"Working for the large corporation that purchased our [family-owned] company." In that role he managed 14 locations and learned about organizational structure and processes.

What's one perk of being the boss?
With a good team in place, "I took the month of August off last year and took my family out west on vacation."

What advice do you have for fledgling entrepreneurs?
"Have a plan. Break down what you need to do today to accomplish it." Some people in his field think that "because they are good at fixing things, they will be able to run a business," which involves other things, such as "learning how to manage people and coach a team."

CORPORATE SNAPSHOT

Name. Doug Matz, owner and president of Flanders Heating & Air Conditioning in Riverhead.

What it does. “What do we sell? We sell comfort, be it related to heating or cooling, or hot water or air quality.”

Employes. 38 full-time, two part-time, in roles such as customer service, technician, installation mechanics, inventory, finance.

Revenue. $7 million.