Entrepreneur Of The Year
Back to basics
How time away from the family business turned Jamie Gerdsen into a better businessman
Smart Business Cincinnati | July 2009
Finalist
Services
Jamie Gerdsen is living proof that you can go home again — and be an even better businessman when you come back.
Gerdsen had just graduated college and was preparing to enter the family business, Apollo Heating and Cooling, when his dad told him to pursue something else for five years. If five years passed and Gerdsen still wanted to join the family business, his father told him he would be welcome.
Gerdsen moved to Florida and spent eight years working for a software company, where he received his first taste of business success. He became a financial success, traveling the country, eating at the finest restaurants and playing golf at prestigious country clubs.
But soon enough, Gerdsen wanted to pursue more than just a career. He wanted to find a way to better himself as a person and a businessman. With that on his mind, Gerdsen and his family moved back to Cincinnati, where he joined Apollo as a salesman on 100 percent commission.
But he was driven by his hunger to use his education and successful background to build something even greater. What he built was a new Apollo.
Gerdsen worked his way through the ranks of the family company, and three years ago, he became the company’s president and CEO. Under his leadership, the company has developed a team-based culture centered on daily team meetings that keep everyone in the know. Apollo has also revved up their technology, which has helped increase the company’s efficiency in meeting customer needs.
Gerdsen believes that his business has one chance to make or break a customer relationship, and if his employees don’t take the chance to win over a customer, they might never get another chance.
It’s appropriate, since taking a chance to serve the greater good is something Gerdsen is familiar with.
How to reach: Apollo Heating and Cooling, (513) 271-3600 or www.apollo-hvac.com
