Meet LaVar Height: Owner & President – New Heights Heating & Air

We had the good fortune of connecting with LaVar Height and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi LaVar, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?

I was born and raised on the Westside of Atlanta but moved to Decatur in my teens. I was awed by my great-grandfather’s self-taught ability to repair machinery, cars, and household items. Watching him repair any and everything opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of what I could do in life by simply using my mind and my hands. My great-grandfather also taught me that success will not be given to me. I learned that if I wanted to make something of myself, I had to earn it through hard work and determination.

Therefore, I began working in the 10th grade as a dishwasher at major hotel in downtown Atlanta to earn money to purchase my first car. Through it all, I was a A/B student, played football and wrestled, and worked nearly 30 hours a week. In the 11th grade, I began thinking heavily about my next steps in life and seriously considered going to a traditional four-year college or university, but I never saw an area of study that interested me. By 12th grade, I was still an A/B student and scored high on the SATs. I was an ideal candidate for receiving scholarships to attend a traditional four-year college or university. However, I knew in my heart that this path was not for me, at that time.

Therefore, against what others thought my next steps should be, after high school graduation I decided to continue my education at DeKalb Technical Institute to study Air Conditioning Technology (now called Georgia Piedmont Technical College). Here, I learned so much about heating and air and the many paths I could take in my career. During this time, I remained employed at the hotel, however now as a maintenance engineer. This allowed me to gain experience repairing commercial units.

A few years later, I left the hotel and joined a local HVAC company as the lead service technician, where I serviced residential and commercial units. Two years later, I began a new career as a lead restoration technician at a global restoration company. I traveled the United States installing and servicing commercial dehumidifiers and air conditioners in nuclear power plants, chicken plants and have even worked on submarines.

Throughout my years, I gained a lot of experiences that have taken me many places. It still amazes me to know my professional career began by watching my great-grandfather. I realized that with the knowledge I was blessed to receive, I knew it was time to invest this experience in myself and my family. Therefore, through prayer and faith, New Heights Heating & Air was born in August 2011.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

New Heights Heating & Air is a family-owned and operated residential and commercial HVAC business. We provide professional and excellent service to customers who need to heat or cool their homes and/or commercial properties. We also provide duct cleaning services that will remove any mold, bacteria, germs, viruses, and allergens from homes and commercial properties.

I created New Heights out of a desire to create a business that customers can trust. It is important for us to know our customers by name, really listen to their concerns so that we can effectively troubleshoot and resolve their HVAC needs. It is no secret that metro Atlanta is saturated with HVAC businesses, large and small. Therefore, to become one of the leading and recognized HVAC companies in metro-Atlanta, our brand should be synonymous with excellent customer service, fairness, and dependability.

I purposely stated that New Heights Heating & Air is a family-owned and operated business in my opening answer to this question. I want the community to know that I take pride in advertising my business as this. Having a family business is important to me because as a father, I am showing my children that they too can do anything in life with hard work and determination. As children, many of us are taught to work hard in school so that we can obtain a great-paying job at a large business or company. While there is nothing wrong with having this as a goal, my wife, Kimberly, and I are also showing our children through our work ethic that working hard in school and later becoming successful business owners can be just as rewarding. Additionally, as entrepreneurs, we are demonstrating to our children that entrepreneurship is rewarding and an achievable goal.

Finally, I would like the community to know that New Heights Heating & Air is in existence today only because of the risks that were taken to create it. I believe taking risks are necessary for success. I took a risk by leaving my career at a restoration company with a guaranteed paycheck and excellent medical insurance to begin New Heights Heating & Air. Taking this risk was necessary for me to be here today. Six years after I created the business, my wife also took a risk. Kimberly held a nearly 10-year career in Internal Communications at a well-known Fortune 500 company, here in Atlanta. She accomplished a lot during her time there, so it was a complete surprise when she decided to leave corporate America to join me and co-own New Heights.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Anyone who knows me know that I love golf. Therefore, if I had a friend visiting me, we would go to Top Golf which provides a great atmosphere for a golfer and nongolfer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my family. My wife Kimberly, for believing in me and encouraging me to always strive for greatness. My daughter Hailey, who is now a teenager, will always be my baby girl. Her creativity and budding photography hobby makes me proud. I also enjoy her witty sense of humor after my long day at work. I also dedicate this to my son Harrison, my right-hand man. Harrison calls me each day to see if I am having a good day at work. He is also the first person to greet me at the door every evening, excited to provide me with any breaking news in the world of sports. Last, but certainly not least, I dedicate this shoutout to my mother. She has always been there for me and I appreciate the sacrifices she has made to help me become the man I am today. Thank you, Mama.

Website: www.newheightshvac.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lavar-height-23342964
Facebook: @NewHeightsHVAC
Youtube: New Heights Heating & Air

Image Credits
My baby girl, Hailey.
Monrei Photography