Keeping the Faith

While in college, Bill Swanson considered going into the ministry. But he wound up joining his father in the family business, Nokomis-based Tri County Air Conditioning & Heating. While building the residential side of the company, Swanson shared his faith with friends and family. But it wasn’t until he and his wife made a missionary trip to Russia that he decided to combine his Christian beliefs with his business.

“While I was away, the word ‘comfort’ took on a whole new meaning to me,” recalls Swanson. “I was physically uncomfortable a lot in Russia. Tri County is really a comfort business, so at that point in time, I said, ‘Let’s take care of the other comforts too.’”   

Today, Tri County’s mission is “to comfort all in such a way that they are compelled to tell others about their experience” and “it honors the Great Comforter, Jesus Christ,” says Swanson. “We don’t go out and say, ‘You need to believe in Jesus,’ but if someone asks us, ‘What must I do to be saved?’, we’ll tell you.”

Business owners like Swanson who incorporate their Christian faith into their companies often feel it’s not a choice but a calling from a higher power. For them, the positive reasons for doing so, whether personal, spiritual or economic, far outweigh any potential drawbacks.

“Early on in my desire to express my faith in my business, I was very concerned how it might impact us negatively,” says Dean A. Burnside, president of North Venice–based Macy’s Termite & Pest Control Co. “But over time, it just became this is who we are. If that’s an attraction to you, great. If it’s a turnoff, I’m sorry, but I don’t lose sleep over who we might be offending or turning off because of who we are.”