HOW IT ALL BEGAN
JEFFCO HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING
As a child, I went to a Christian School in Houma, La. called Grace Christian and graduated from H.L. Bourgeois in 1980. I went into the Marines on my 18 birthday then immediately to community college. In the Process, I could see God working in my life since I welcomed Him in 1972 in Houma, LA. I went to South Louisiana Vocational Technical Institution for climate control in the early '80's and graduated as an honor student. My first instructor was Mr. Dan Breaux who worked for Rouse's supermarkets in Houma, La. taking care of all their Electrical and Refrigeration needs. Later, Mr. James Naquin, came in from working offshore to teach us. He was known as "Chief," due to being the Chief of the Thibodaux Fire Department. Then there was, Mr. Garrett in Associate Studies which was like a Library of all related studies that we needed. It was where we took the test and read a lot of material. It was definitely a very hard class and technical. The ones that were fortunate enough to graduate had a hard time getting a break because the A/C industry required a lot of experience, so very few continued in the A/C business.
I worked in the Oil Field as a Roustabout until I got a break with North American Ship Building as a Marine Electrician. North American was a very good company to work for. Over a year later, I ran into Frank Miller; an old friend from the neighborhood who had started a business he called Miller's Electrical Maintenance. He had plenty of work and needed help, so I started sub-contracting through him for Petrol Marine, Montco, Christie Industries, International Seafood Traders, Sea-Tang Seafood Industries, and many others doing the refrigeration side of the business. That was good for a while until I became an independent Contractor as Michel's A/C & Electrical #tagline"Don't Lose Your Cool." I ran up and down all the bayous of South Louisiana, flew offshore out of Port Fourchon, worked out of Biloxi, Ms. and many ports doing marine refrigeration to work on the rigs, jack-up barges, tugboats, and what not. That was a good thing until it slowed up in the Oil Field, resulting in me going back to Garyville, LA. I headed back to the river where I was born and raised until 1972 when we went to Houma with my Dad working for Pennzoil as Production Superintendent. I figured with the plants on the river, work would be more stable. In 1995, I went to work for Michel's Electrical & Mechanical Contractors which is my first cousin Mark Michel. We worked in the Petro Chemical plants, oil refineries, sugar refineries, grain elevators maintaining their equipment an also doing commercial and residential. After a year, I went back on my own and changed my Name to Jeffco as Jerry Danos at Christie Industries used to call my name at the shipyard. It was a name that stuck! I worked the Laplace, Hammond, Gonzales and Livingston areas in 1997, then we moved to Livingston in 1999, which I call "God's Country." Primarily consisting of conservative Christian people with a lot of dogs and hunting, just as I did my whole life.
HVAC team.
In 2010 we quit advertising in Laplace and ventured more into East Baton Rouge and up to St. Franisville and the Felicians, North Tangipoha to Kentwood, up to Clinton and across to Franklinton and down to Covington. We are primary covering Ascension, Livingston, Tangipahoa and East Baton Rouge but have worked in Lafayette, Grand Isle, McComb, MS. and many other places where we have met so many people over the years. We are doing central Heating, Air Conditioning, Commercial Refrigeration with LA State License Mechanical #33078. As a small child, I did A/C and Refrigeration, Electrical and Plumbing with my Daddy and Uncles who did Electrical and Refrigeration on the side. It was in my blood as a young child to do this with many family members who became Electrical/Instrumentation in the plants and Independent Contractors. A/C, Heat, Refrigeration, Plumbing, and Electrical is all I've ever done. That is also what helped me move from offshore is I felt more comfortable on land running Beagles and working than I did offshore fishing and working. I was more of a hunter than a fisherman like some people are more of a fisherman than a hunter. Dogs, Horses, Chickens and all types of farm animals is something I always had and enjoyed.
Well, to skip a few years, Lisa and I moved to Chauvin in 1992 just before Hurricane Andrew. We started going to Word of Life Church on Bayouside Dr. Pastors Dwayne and Rachel Bland, also an old neighborhood friend of the family, his Mama and my Mama, we're all in Bible Studies together. Pastor Dwayne Bland, is now at Thibodaux Community Church. He went from Deep South Terrebonne Parish; Chauvin, La. to North Lafourche Parish; Thibodaux, La., So when we moved from Chauvin, LA to Garyville, LA, which is St. John the Baptist Parish, we started going to Jesse Duplanitis's Church in Destrehan, LA. He ignited a new fire in us to be about the Father's business. Then, when we came to Livingston in 1999, we went to Freedom Worship Center and had some great Bible teaching at Brother Earl & Sister Tottie McDonald, Sister Evelyn Ackerman, and Pastor Bud Plake. We also had a great time at Unity Prayer Center Brother & Sister Delmas Taylor. Since 2000, we were at Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge with Pastor Larry Stockstill and now Pastor Johnathon Stockstill and our spiritual mentors/best friends Brother Fred & Sister Brenda Mack. It's been a wonderful journey to watch ourselves grow in the things of God and that launched our ministry to go to nursing homes and other places. We played music and simply enjoyed the fellowship with people. We even took a miniature donkey to Golden Age Nursing Home in Denham Springs and took it to Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge for Easter. That little Sicilian donkey was well loved!
Written By:
Jeffrey Michel Sr.