Peninsula Heating and Air comfort consultant Tom Phillips has decided to retire after 36 years with the company.

As a comfort consultant, Phillips does site visits, including meeting with clients and giving them pricing information.

“It’s a lot of one-to-one conversation—people that you don’t even know, you get to know,” Phillips explained. “It’s just fun to exchange stories and ideas.”

“He comes back with a lot of stories, every day,” said PHA install coordinator Jessica Monnoyer. “People will remember him, even if he hasn’t done work for them in years.”

“He’s built many wonderful relationships with our clients,” agreed Shelby Torres, HR and office manager.

Phillips, who had previously worked as a generator mechanic in the Army, joined Peninsula Heating and Air in 1989, when the business was owned by Jim Branch.

“I bought the company in 1990 and Tom had moved up to service technician,” said PHA owner Steven Smith. “He and I rode around in the van together and he taught me the ropes of the service end of the business, which was good. It helped me tremendously.”

As the business grew, more technicians were brought in and Tom quickly moved into being a comfort consultant.

“There’s a lot of joys and benefits of owning a business, but to see coworkers—you feel like you’ve been a part of their family,” Smith said. “All the children born and helping to pull his wife out of the ditch and all kinds of stuff—It’s a real privilege.”

“They promised to keep me in office for when I need a break,” Phillips joked.

In his retirement, Phillips plans to spend time with his wife of 34 years, Lynn, his two daughters, his four grandchildren, and his yellow lab Shadrach. He plans to visit with friends, hunt, and fish. He can also be found singing in the men’s choir at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church on Sundays.

Phillips will officially retire on Dec. 31. “I’m very excited and a little nervous,” he said. “And I think I’m going to practice being retired this afternoon, after this.”

PHA new consultant

With Phillips’ retirement, Calvin Foster has rejoined Peninsula Heating and Air as his replacement.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to hire Calvin Foster back into our team,” said Smith. “He worked for us for years as a service technician and comes back to us as a polished comfort consultant.”

“They asked him to come back when I announced my retirement, and he did,” said Phillips. “He’s a very good comfort consultant.”

“He’s coming with a lot of new ideas,” said Monnoyer.

“He’s a family man,” added Torres. “He likes to golf and also hunt and fish. He does a lot of construction on his own time.”

“We’re excited for our new start,” she continued. “We’re excited for Tom as well, and we appreciate his many years of service and dedication to not only the business, but also to our customers and keeping them comfortable.”