Western Sales & Services

Company Overview

Our company is a family-run operation residential and light commercial heating, cooling, and plumbing services. Differing from a lot of our rivals, we prioritize repairs instead of employing high-pressure sales tactics. We educate our customers about their choices and let them choose if they want to repair or replace.

Western Sales & Services began in 1948 by founders Arthur Liles and Robert Bowie in the West Jefferson area, which inspired the name Western. Both founders were service technicians at Alabama Gas Company before they started their own business. Initially, the business focused on gas heating. Air conditioning services didn't become a main function of the business until 1958. In 1955, Arthur Liles became the sole owner of the business. He owned and operated it until his death in 1972. At that time, he left the business to his wife Myrna and his three sons. The three sons, Bill, Johnny, and Sid managed the business. Sid managed the business until his retirement in 2015, and then handed it over to his partner Josh Durden. Josh joined Western in 2012 and is committed to managing it with a focus on honesty and quality that has allowed Western to succeed since 1948.

I go by the name Josh and I have been with Western since 2011. Since I was 13, I have been engaged in the HVAC industry, starting by helping my father. After high school, I took a job working in the summers for a local HVAC contractor in Tuscaloosa while attending Shelton State and later the University of Alabama. I received a degree in Marketing. After completing my degree, I worked for two distributors in the HVAC and plumbing sectors where I learned how both aspects of the industry functioned and discovered what set apart the good contractors from the poor ones.

I believe in treating my coworkers with respect, maintaining honesty with everyone, and having pride in the quality of our work. We are not a high-pressure sales company and we do not wish to make decisions for our customers. Our goal is to inform them about their issues and let them make the decision that's best for them.