Fulford Heating & Cooling Celebrates 50 Years

We often hear about the tourism business industry in Brunswick County, and we have people from all over moving here and vacationing here., but Brunswick County also has many families with deep roots and long history in the area. One of those families has been working together for more than 50 years, and we found out more from Justin Fulford about this long-standing family business.

Can you tell us about the start of Fulford Heating and Cooling in 1974?

The business was started by Grandfather Hinton Fulford Sr. He operated the business with Al Fulford (my dad) and Marty Fulford until 1986. Al Fulford and Teresa Fulford took over the business (my parents) and are still the owners and operators of the company. I have worked in the business with my parents for over 25 years. I became heavy involved in the business in 2008 and currently operate our Wilmington Office. We are a full service, maintenance, and new install HVAC company. We service all major brands from residential to commercial.It’s a family-owned business — how much of the family is involved?

Yes, it’s a big family business. My parents, brother, sister in-law, and myself are involved in the business daily. Over the years we have employed most of our direct Fulford family in the business. It’s a unique way of doing business. During your 50 years in business, you’ve surely seen a lot of change in Brunswick County. What stands out the most?

Lots of development and new families moving to the area. We love our customer base from all over the USA. My grandfather once told me that Wilmington and Myrtle Beach would be connected down Highway 17, and we are right in the middle in Supply.  How has your business changed along with Brunswick County?

Our business has always taken on the cutting edge of the HVAC technology. We focus on Geothermal systems, High SEER inverter technology, and ductless mini splits. Our HVAC system now have built in computers for remote access and diagnostics. Has your company always offered services all the way up to Hempstead, or did you expand over the years?

Yes, We have an office in Wilmington in the Ogden area. The Wilmington office covers from Leland to Holly ridge. The Wilmington/ Duke energy market is offering great rebate incentives when upgrading the HVAC system. We see you have a blog on your website about preventative maintenance — what services do you offer customers other than responding when something has stopped working, and why are those services important?

Preventive maintenance on the HVAC systems is like changing the oil in your car every 4,000 miles. These AC units are working in the extreme conditions winter and summer and need to be maintained. Cleaning coils, flushing drain lines, and tightening electrical connection are very important to the longevity on the AC system. We enjoy seeing our maintenance customers twice a year and getting their HVAC units tuned in.

Now that you have been in business your first 50 years, what’s in store for the next 50?

In the years to come we plan to keep do a great job keeping our customer comfortable in their home and upholding our family legacy. We plan to continue servicing our coastal market from Sunset Beach to Topsail Island.