From a home-based HVAC business to a family-owned company serving generations of Michigan families, Absotemp’s story is one of persistence, innovation, and family.
In 2026, Absotemp Climate Control is proudly celebrating 40 years in business in Oakland County, MI.
Four decades is a long time in any industry. In HVAC, where equipment, technology, regulations, and customer expectations are constantly changing, reaching that milestone requires more than technical expertise.
It requires the ability to adapt. It requires relationships. And most importantly, it requires people who believe in the business and the family behind it. That is the story of Absotemp.
From Working at Home to Building a Business
Absotemp’s journey didn’t begin with a large showroom or a full office staff.
It began much more simply.
As the business grew, however, working from home eventually became too restrictive. Access to certain equipment and manufacturers could be challenging for a smaller contractor without a traditional showroom and storefront.
The answer was to take a risk.
A roughly 4,000–4,500-square-foot building was leased off Haggerty Rd years ago, turning what had been a home-based operation into a legitimate commercial business. Now Absotemp resides in Commerce Business park off Maple and Benstein rd.
Suddenly, there was rent, utilities, office equipment, employees, and an entirely new set of responsibilities.
It was time for the Owner and operator, Matt, to learn how to run a growing business along side of raising a family—and he had to learn quickly.
The new location on Haggerty in Commerce, MI, wasn’t simply handed over ready to go. Friends and employees helped paint the building, build offices, install the secretary’s window, set up computers, and turn an empty space into a functioning HVAC operation.
Those early days established something that would remain important for decades:
Absotemp was built by committed and determined people working hard together in the community.
The People Who Became Family
One of the most important parts of Absotemp’s history is the people who stayed along for the ride.
One longtime employee spent 27 years with the company. Another Technician Terry, still here after almost 20 years as our lead installer and technician.
That kind of commitment doesn’t happen by accident.
Small, family-owned businesses are often defined by relationships that go beyond job titles. Employees become trusted colleagues. Customers become lifelong friends. And over the years, the line between “employee” and “family” blended into one of the same.
That spirit continues at Absotemp today.
The Next Generation Steps In
The next chapter of the Absotemp story includes the next generation of the family: Luke and Monica.
Having family members work together isn’t always easy. Anyone who has worked with relatives knows that family and business can create their own unique challenges.
But it also creates something special.
Luke and Monica bring their own experiences, skills, and perspectives to a company their father built over decades.
For Monica, that contribution goes well beyond business operations and technology.
Monica has developed a strong background in business, technology, and operations while also taking the time to learn the technical side of the HVAC industry. She completed technical HVAC training and became a NATE-certified technician, giving her firsthand knowledge of the equipment, systems, and technical work that are at the heart of Absotemp’s business.
Today, Monica serves as Operations Manager, combining her business and technology experience with her technical HVAC knowledge to help keep the company running efficiently.
Her role has also been important as Absotemp continues to modernize its operations. Monica helped lead the transition to tablets and updated digital processes, helping bring new technology into a company with decades of experience.
That combination of hands-on HVAC knowledge and operational leadership gives Monica a unique perspective. She understands both the work being performed in the field and the systems and processes needed to support the team behind the scenes.
It’s a combination that reflects the evolution of Absotemp itself.
The company has grown from a home-based HVAC operation into a modern family business—and the next generation is helping make sure it continues moving forward.
Technology Has Always Been Part of the Absotemp Story
It might be easy to look at today’s tablets, smartphones, cloud software, and artificial intelligence and assume that technology has only recently become important to HVAC businesses.
For Absotemp, that isn’t the case.
Back in the late 1990s, the company was already investing in sales software and using computers and mobile printers to improve the customer experience, as well as investing in professional trucks to bring the image of Absotemp into the future.
At the time, bringing a laptop into a sales presentation with high-quality color images was anything but ordinary.
But that’s been part of the company’s personality from the beginning: looking for the best way to do things, innovating and changing with the times as decades passed.
The company even put significant thought into how its service vehicles were presented, at a time when many HVAC companies were still using relatively basic lettering.
The goal wasn’t simply to look different, it was to be different.
It was to communicate professionalism and show customers that Absotemp took its business seriously.
From Laptops to Tablets
Fast-forward several decades and the technology has changed dramatically.
The laptop became the tablet.
Paper processes became digital.
And systems that once seemed futuristic are now part of everyday business.
The transition hasn’t always been easy. Changing the way a business operates after decades of doing things a certain way takes patience and persistence.
But with Monica’s technology and business background, Absotemp was able to make another important transition—bringing tablets and updated digital processes into the company.
It’s another example of something that has helped Absotemp remain successful for four decades:
The willingness to learn something new.
HVAC Has Changed. So Has Absotemp.
The HVAC industry of 1986 looks very different from the HVAC industry of 2026.
Equipment has become more sophisticated. Energy efficiency has become increasingly important. Smart thermostats and connected systems have changed how homeowners interact with their comfort systems.
And now artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape the way businesses operate.
The pace of change can be difficult to keep up with.
But Absotemp has experienced that kind of change before.
From moving out of a home office, to opening a showroom, to investing in computer technology, to adopting tablets and modern business systems, the company has repeatedly had to make decisions about what comes next.
And every generation has brought something new to the table.
40 Years Later, It’s Still About People
Today, Absotemp describes itself as family-owned and operated, continuing a tradition that began in 1986. The company serves homeowners and businesses throughout Oakland County with heating, cooling, air-quality, maintenance, and emergency HVAC services.
But behind the equipment, technology, trucks, and systems are people.
The father who took the original risk.
The employees who helped build the company.
The people who stayed for decades.
And now Luke and Monica, representing the next generation.
That’s what makes the Absotemp story different.
It’s not simply a story about heating and cooling.
It’s a story about building something that can last.
Looking Toward the Next 40 Years
Nobody knows exactly what HVAC technology will look like 10, 20, or 40 years from now.
There will be new equipment.
New technology.
New challenges.
And probably a few things nobody has even imagined yet.
But if the first 40 years have taught Absotemp anything, it’s that you don’t have to know exactly what the future holds to be ready for it.
You just have to be willing to adapt.
And when the next generation is ready to step in, bring new ideas, and help carry the family business forward, the future looks pretty comfortable.
Four decades down. The next chapter is just beginning.
Experience You Can Trust. A Family You Can Count On.
For 40 years, Absotemp has been helping Michigan families stay comfortable through every season.
From heating and cooling installation and replacement to repairs, maintenance, air quality, and emergency service, our team is here when you need us.
Family owned since 1986. Built on family. Built on trust. Built to last.
Learn more about Absotemp Climate Control and our heating and cooling services at absotemp.com.
