At Smithco Heating and Cooling, we’re not just in the HVAC business—we’re in the business of doing things right, treating people fairly, and taking pride in every job we do.
My name is Matt Smith, and I’ve been a hands-on problem solver my whole life. From a young age, I was driven by a desire to understand how things work and to build things with my own two hands. That curiosity started early—when I was in 3rd grade, a friend showed me a fan powered by a 9V battery and a motor from a remote control car. I was hooked. I started tearing apart anything I could get my hands on to learn more about electronics and even built my own Frankenstein-style RC cars with a soldering iron and a lot of tape.
By 5th grade, I was already upgrading my home computer. I learned the hard way about static electricity (and motherboards) when I fried the whole thing working barefoot on carpet. It was a stressful and expensive lesson for a 5th grader—but I kept going.
In 6th grade, I became friends with our school counselor, who was also a woodworker that sold items at local craft shows. I made a deal with him: if I cut and sanded 300 small wooden hearts for quilt racks, he’d give me his old Craftsman bandsaw. I did the job, earned that saw, and couldn’t have been prouder. That deal jump-started my woodworking path—from building shelves and quilt racks in middle school to full kitchen cabinets and entertainment centers in high school.
I also worked on farms growing up, operating tractors and other machinery, learning to fix equipment when it broke down. I mowed lawns, swept garages and shops, DJed school dances, and built speaker boxes for car audio systems. In high school, I joined the volunteer fire department and served for many years. I specialized in operating fire trucks and pumps and learned vehicle extraction using the jaws of life. That experience gave me the confidence to later purchase a ladder truck for Smithco in 2020, which we now use to set rooftop units and handle heavy lifting on the job.
My formal HVAC career began in 1998 when I started attending Rolla Technical Institute while still in high school. I graduated in 2000 and spent the next several years doing HVAC work, building three houses, and completing a full remodel with a garage addition and custom cabinets.
In 2003, I moved to Springfield, Missouri, where I continued doing new construction cabinet making as well as heating and cooling services. In 2005, I made HVAC my primary focus, placed my first phone book ad, and began building Smithco Heating and Cooling around residential and light commercial system replacements, new installs, repairs, and maintenance.
In 2006, I began installing American Standard equipment, which helped shape the quality foundation of our work. In 2019, I had the opportunity to switch to Trane—a move I was proud to make, and one our customers have loved. When COVID hit in 2020, and supply chains were strained, we adapted again. We began stocking our own equipment, essentially becoming our own mini warehouse. Even after things normalized, we kept that model, buying in bulk so we can offer better value and shorter lead times for our customers.
I married my wife in 2009, and we moved to Nixa. I hired my first employee in 2011. Our family grew shortly after with the birth of our daughters Maci (2011) and Alyiah (2012), and our son Gavin in 2015.
Over time, we made an important shift in how we do business. In 2020, we chose to stop offering general HVAC service and repairs on all brands and focus solely on what we install. That decision allowed us to offer faster service, better warranty support, and a higher level of care. Today, we specialize in system replacements, and we only offer service and maintenance on Smithco-installed systems.
We’re extremely selective in who we hire. Our team is made up of trustworthy, dependable people who are respectful, clean-cut, and committed to hospitality and craftsmanship. We wear shoe booties, use drop cloths, and clean up so well you’d think we were never there—or that the place looks better than before we came.
I’m very picky about quality, cleanliness, and doing what I say I’m going to do. That goes back to my very first job sweeping my grandfather’s farm shop. He told me, “If you take pride in your work and finish it right, I’ll be your best customer. If not, I’ll still pay you—but I may not have much more work for you.” I shook his hand and gave him my word, and I’ve carried that mindset with me ever since.
At Smithco, we can’t promise you’ll never have an issue—but we can promise that we’ll be here to take care of it. We’ll show up, do what’s right, and treat your home like it was our own.
Thanks for taking the time to learn about us. We’d be honored to earn your trust and your business.