Our Mission: To provide exceptional service and installation of residential, commercial and industrial HVAC, plumbing, piping and appliances by friendly, highly qualified, and trustworthy professionals who always act in the best interest of our customers. Senica founded John’s Service and Sales, Inc. using the skills he learned during his tour of duty. John began by running services from his garag
e; his wife Dorothy answered customer calls while raising their four children. John often told the story of the first furnace he installed in downtown Oglesby – he didn’t have the cash to pay the supplier for the furnace, so the customer had to pre-pay him for the furnace. Since he was working alone out of the family car, the supplier had to deliver the furnace to the customer’s home, help move it in and set it up. John worked days, nights, and weekends and became known in the Illinois Valley as the guy who would answer his phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It didn’t matter what time it was; he’d wake up from a dead sleep to answer a call, jot down a customer’s address and wrap up with, “Throw on a pot of coffee and turn the porch light on, I’ll be there in a little bit.” He always went – many Thanksgivings and Christmases he’d go fix someone’s stove, replace a stubbornly clogged toilet, or bring a new refrigerator to a young family so their food wouldn’t spoil. John particularly recalled one job in which he was running gas piping in a new home during the night. With his vehicle parked around back, he used a little light cord to see his work. The neighbors saw the light and movement through the basement window, and, believing he was a burglar, called the police. The cops soon pulled up in full force only to realize it was just John – working away as usual! Soon John outgrew working out of his car. He went to the bank for a loan on a new truck. After pleading with the bank, they flatly denied him a loan. Through friends and relatives, word got around town that John was seriously doubting the future of the company he had been working so hard to build. It was at that time that John’s dearest friend, Dr. A.J. Sellett heard about his misfortune. Knowing John’s character and work ethic, Dr. A.J. went to the Cheesman Chevy dealership in Spring Valley Illinois and bought John a brand-new truck – no strings attached – and even had John’s business logo painted onto the side. Dr. Sellett and John remained close friends through the rest of their lives, often driving around local subdivisions to admire how much the area had grown over the years. John’s new truck allowed him to hire his first service and delivery crew. During the day, John continued to run service calls in the family car while his crew used the truck to deliver appliances, furnaces, and air conditioners. Some years later, John’s two sons joined him in running service calls and alleviated some of his own night callouts, but John remained the one to answer the phone nightly for over twenty years. As the company grew through the 80s, John’s son Randy began estimating larger commercial HVAC projects for Phalen Steel Construction Company. Success came quickly and opened a new market for John’s while also expanding the existing residential HVAC, plumbing and appliance departments. Our commercial and industrial client list grew steadily as those clients soon realized the same values with which we operated our residential department applied to them as well, despite commercial and industrial markets not typically recognized as friendly or customer service oriented. It’s with these same values that the third generation of the Senica family operates John’s Service and Sales today. and Nathan, two of John’s grandsons, continually change, adapt, and expand the organization, all the while honoring the principles their grandfather held. Grandpa John’s motto was, “First you have to provide service, and if your service is exceptional, it will lead to sales. That’s why Service is our middle name.” In conversation when someone referred to the business as John’s Sales and Service, John would say, “No, service comes first, then the sales – can’t have one without the other.” Service from the early days of the company was necessity—every service call was vital to providing for John’s family, and quite literally put food on the table. Presently, John’s Services and Sales employs over 60 fieldsmen, technicians, and administration staff. As the company has grown in capacity and resources, John V. and Nathan understand it is vital not to lose that same sense of urgency when responding to a call that Grandpa John practiced in those early days—it’s why our customers call us in the first place.
