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Kristi R. Sutphin

FRANKLIN

Quality Aire, a heating and air conditioning contractor, celebrated the grand opening of its new location with a ribbon cutting and open house on Wednesday. The business recently relocated to the former Isle of Wight/Franklin Skating Rink located at 32510 Walters Highway in southern Isle of Wight County. Quality Aire was previously located in the City of Franklin.

During the open house, IOW Supervisors Chairman Rudolph Jefferson said he was thrilled when the county and Franklin were able to repurpose the building. He praised both IOW Economic Development Director Chris Morello and Franklin-Southampton Economic Development Inc. President Amanda Jarratt for working as a team.

Franklin Mayor Frank Rabil said, “What a great example of regional collaboration. Kudos to Kevin for having the foresight and insight to turning this into a functioning building.”

Kevin Roughton, owner and president, invested approximately $300,000 to transform the 36-year-old former skating rink into offices and shop space, while also maintaining some of the nostalgia of the old rink. The business employs seven people with plans to hire additional workers.

Quality Aire’s heating and air conditioning services include installation, repair, and maintenance for residential, new construction, and commercial customers in Franklin, Suffolk, Southampton, Isle of Wight, Sussex and Surry. As a Class A contractor, the company is staffed with technicians licensed to perform mechanical services.

“When looking for a location to relocate our company to, the former skating rink property just made sense for several reasons,” Roughton said. “The location at the intersection of Routes 58 and 258 allows us to better serve our customers by putting us right in the middle of our customer base. It gives our company more exposure to the public, but most of all, it allows us to take a piece of property that holds memories for so many and give it a new purpose for years to come.”

Roughton was born in Suffolk, and began working in the heating and air conditioning field in 1984 at the age of seventeen for Eure Heating & Cooling, a family-owned business. He holds a Master’s and a Class A license in HVAC and gas equipment, and is experienced in design, installation and service of heating and cooling systems. Roughton joined S. W. Rawls, Inc. in 1995 as assistant manager of the service department until he was promoted to Manager of HVAC Services in 2009.

In 2011 when S.W. Rawls Inc. became Modern Oil Corp, he remained as HVAC Manager. In 2014, Roughton took over operations of the HVAC division of Modern Oil Corp and started Quality Aire Co. as a company dedicated to providing the best indoor air quality for its customers.

For more information, visit the company website at https://www.qualityaire4u.com/ or find it on Facebook.

 

KRISTI R. SUTPHIN is the Economic Development Coordinator for Isle of Wight County. Contact her at 365-6249.