Before that date, the company was known as Enterprise Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. The firm, specializing in HVAC service work, was formed in 1952 by Clevelander Frank Kushner and moved to the suburb of Solon in 1964 in anticipation of expected growth in that community. That June day in 1977, Kushner sold his company to a young man named Richard A. Starr, who left a position with a different mechanical contracting firm to take over the ownership of Enterprise. Starr changed the name to Enterprise Corp. and in the ensuing 23 years, he and his capable staff have expanded the business to more than 35 times its original size.

Starr began his business life in high school when he created a company called Odd Jobs, Inc. Upon graduating from college in 1970, he joined Honeywell, Inc. Following a three-year stint as a sales engineer in Cleveland, Starr became one of Honeywell's top producers in the United States. Subsequently he was offered the position of regional operations director in Philadelphia, which he declined in order to assume total profit and loss responsibility for Honeywell's Toledo office.

Within two years, the Toledo operation would realize unprecedented growth in customer base and profit. Starr then expanded his HVAC reach by joining a large mechanical contractor in 1975 as president of their systems/service division. It was here that he took his understanding of a properly functioning control system to a new level.

Twenty-three years and many installations later, this diversity of HVAC experience and education has shaped Enterprise into a company whose culture is comfort, safety, and energy management.

Along the way (1984), Enterprise became the exclusive local distributor/contractor/engineer for Staefa Control Systems, a worldwide leader in the manufacturer of temperature controls and building automation systems. In 1996, Enterprise was exposed to new opportunities when Staefa's parent company purchased Landis & Gyr forming Landis & Staefa, Inc. Locally the Landis product line was handled by the company branch office, while Staefa and Powers pneumatic controls were represented by Enterprise. That same year also saw Enterprise replace another local company as the Linc HVAC Service Contractor. Linc is an HVAC service franchise organization that provides contractors a total package of business support programs in personnel development, sales, marketing, accounting, HVAC operations, etc. Enterprise is one of 150 licensed holders worldwide.

Adding credibility to this market approach, Carrier Corporation chose Starr to lead an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) workshop at their 11th annual Design/Build conference held December 1996. In addition, Starr sits on the editorial advisory board for Contracting Business Magazine, has authored numerous articles on system controls and indoor air quality that have appeared in Contracting Business and HPAC Engineering magazines.

So from a small heating and air conditioning firm, Enterprise has grown into a significant Design/Build/Maintain contractor specializing in HVAC, controls, and system testing, air balancing, and start-up. Their service and product offerings fulfill the needs of every environmentally sensitive building owner.