Just by looking through our website, you’ve probably noticed that we carry a lot of different products from a variety of manufacturers. What you may not realize though is that products are only part of what we use to determine which brands we carry.
We look for those companies that have unique cultures and technologies that are able to make our customers lives easier. Hoping to give you a peek behind the curtain, we’re asking them to answer some questions we might normally ask at the beginning of our partnership with them, and passing their answers along to you.
Friedrich: A Trustworthy and Reliable Brand
Our first manufacturer is Friedrich. Since 1883, Friedrich has been developing and manufacturing products to help make people comfortable. They’ll go in to more detail on their history later in this post, but you’ve probably seen their dehumidifiers, portable air conditioners, ductless mini splits, and more on our website. Even better, they were kind enough to pass our questions around to some of their employees and what follows are responses directly from Friedrich.
Can you provide a short history of Friedrich?
Since 1883, Friedrich has been in the business of making people comfortable. Friedrich started by creating furniture from the horns of longhorn steers. The Friedrich family later noticed a need for refrigeration and then started creating refrigerators for consumer and commercial use.
Today, we are known for premium room air conditioning and heat/cool products. The history of Friedrich is so unique that we actually created a company history video, which is available to view here. In recent months, we also found a vintage Friedrich commercial featuring Peter Graves, a former spokesperson for our products and the star of “Mission: Impossible.” That video is available to view here.
How would youd sum up what Friedrich is known for and what they offer, in just a couple of sentences?
Friedrich is known for producing durable and reliable air conditioning solutions for consumer and commercial uses. These solutions include commercial grade window & thru-the-wall units, packaged terminal air conditioners, single package vertical units, ductless split systems, portable air conditioners, hazardous location room air conditioners, dehumidifiers and air purifiers.
Constructed from quality materials and components, Friedrich units are built to exacting standards and offer stylish cooling with energy efficient operation and the most advanced features available in energy management and cost control.
What are some of Friedrich’s most popular/commonly recommended products?
Friedrich Air Conditioning is constantly receiving positive feedback about our Kuhl and Chill room air models. The Kuhl is loved for its durability and ability to connect to FriedrichLink, while the Chill is a favorite for its energy efficiency and MoneySaver feature.
Also, Friedrich’s P12B portable unit is commonly recommended and well-reviewed on Consumer Reports. This unit is a three-in-one system, offering our customers air conditioning, dehumidification, and a three-speed fan.
What’s a unique type of technology that Friedrich is known for?
Friedrich is one of the first air conditioning manufacturers in the U.S. to use R32, a next generation refrigerant that doesn’t harm the ozone layer with both low Global Warming Potential (LGWP) and low Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP). Added benefits of R32 include increased efficiency and less refrigerant volume needed, meaning air conditioners with R32 use even less power and chemical refrigerant to achieve the same cooling levels.
Today, six models in Friedrich’s Chill series and five models in the Uni-Fit line use R32 technology.
What are some unique or interesting locations and situations Friedrich products have been used in?
Friedrich employees and consumers have found our products in use at some interesting places. We’ve seen pictures of our products in use at New York City Police Department offices, popular restaurants in San Antonio, and in hit movies and TV shows. However one of the coolest places was at The Dakota, an apartment building in New York City that was once home to stars including John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Judy Garland, and Leonard Bernstein.
As these interesting pictures are shared with Friedrich, we post them on our social media pages for our consumers to see. With that said, we encourage our fans with Sylvane to follow us on social media to see where we’ll find a Friedrich next!
Is Friedrich involved in any charitable or civic organizations?
Friedrich Air Conditioning has made several donations of time and products to charities and civic organizations at home and abroad. Our most recent donation was in partnership with our friends at Johnstone Supply. Together, we donated 11 of our Chill series products to TemPro. TemPro is an outreach program that provides housing for homeless men, women, and families in Rochester, New York. Please click here to see a newscast with more information on the donation.
Would any Friedrich employees be willing to provide a quote about why they love working at Friedrich?
“Friedrich Air Conditioning is small enough to feel like a family, but large enough to make an impact.” – Holly Beck, Director of Marketing
“Friedrich is my home away from home. It’s a family atmosphere. The people are wonderful! And unless you know who’s who in the company, you would never be able to tell upper management from the rest.” - Sherry Morgan, Customer Service Manager
“Why do I love working for Friedrich? I have a love for our rich history and do all I can to share it with others, not to mention the wonderful people I get to share my workdays with! Having a love for air conditioning helps a bit, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!!” – Chris Magee, Product Manager of Ductless Products
“Why I love working for Friedrich for the last 32 years? I so enjoy speaking with our customer base from Dealers to Distributors to Government Agencies and our Export Customers. It is a pleasure to speak with each of them and to answer their questions while addressing their HVAC issues. Every conversation is a positive one. Most of my government agencies remember their Boot Camp days in San Antonio, Texas at Lackland Air Force Base; they say San Antonio is the friendliest city they have experienced. Our company has the same environment. I look forward to coming to work every day.” – Norma Williams, Sales Support Specialist
View Their Progress
Check out how much this impressive brand has grown by watching the previously-mentioned commercial from the 70s and then one of their newer product videos:
Where They Were
The New Friedrich
Additional Questions?
If you have questions about Friedrich products or need assistance finding the best one for you, give us a call at 1-800-934-9194. We’re here to help! Do you have additional questions you want answered or ideas for future interviews? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below or reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter.
