Our Beginning
Atchley Air is a third generation family-owned business that has been in operation since 1958.
After serving his country in World War II, Oren Atchley began looking for a career. At the time, central air conditioning was just starting to catch on in homes across the River Valley. Believing the industry to be in its infancy, Oren decided to become a heating and air conditioning technician and quickly went to work for the Harry G. Barr Company.
As the calendar rolled over to 1958, Mr. Barr decided to get out of the heating and cooling business. On Valentine’s Day of that same year, Mr. Barr closed his heating and cooling operations and gave his written recommendation that all his customers give their business to Oren.
Oren grew the business over the years, eventually bringing all three of his children (Susan, Tom, and Alan) into the business to help in various capacities. In 1981, Tom took over as President. The business grew by leaps and bounds under Tom’s leadership, as the Oren Atchley Company became the first heating and cooling company in town to offer scheduled maintenance agreements to its customers. Tom kept the company on the cutting edge of the industry, ensuring that the employees got the latest training and tools necessary to stay ahead of the competition.
In 2001, Michael Atchley moved back home to the River Valley to work in the family business. Michael, a graduate of Southside High School and the University of Tulsa, spent 4 years after college in Tulsa and Northwest Arkansas working in public accounting. In 2004, Tom Atchley retired from the business, and Michael assumed the role of President.
What started as a one-man operation supported by the team in Fort Smith quickly grew to a multi-truck operation in need of a larger building. Less than 18 months into the expansion our Northwest Arkansas team began the process of moving into a 5,000 square foot facility in Prairie Grove. The Northwest Arkansas team takes care of Washington and Benton counties.
After the success experienced in the Northwest Arkansas market, Atchley Air Cooling, Heating, Plumbing & Electrical decided to head east. In April of 2019, Atchley Air opened its’ 3rd location as it moved into a small office and warehouse space in Russellville, AR.
Over the years and from one generation to the next, a common lesson that has been learned is that to provide outstanding service, you must have outstanding people on your team. Today, Atchley Air Cooling, Heating, Plumbing & Electrical is made up of more than 30 valuable team members, each playing an important role in the ultimate success of the company.