Inspiring Conversations With Jon Ryan of Genz-Ryan

Genz-Ryan Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electrical has put customers first since our start in 1950. Owner Jon Ryan is the heart of Genz-Ryan and keeps his mission of serving customers at the heart of the business.

VoyageMinnesota recently interviewed Jon about his journey with Genz-Ryan over the past two decades and what he has learned along the way. Genz-Ryan’s rich history in the Twin Cities region has fostered Jon’s deep love of the community. For Jon, continuing his family’s business means honoring their history.

Jon’s Story

Jon got started in the family business as a young boy. As an elementary school student, he helped clean the office after school. Over time, Jon took on more responsibility until he co-owned the business with three of his brothers in 1997.

Genz-Ryan has deep roots in Rosemount. Jon’s grandmother was in the first graduating class at Rosemount High School, his parents lived in an apartment above the business when they were first married, and all six of his brothers graduated from Rosemount High School. With its rich history in Rosemount and its new location in Burnsville since 2005, Jon has been able to grow the business to be a bigger part of the community.

Jon has been the sole owner of Genz-Ryan since 2017. As the sole owner, he relies on the company vision to build his team, and he’s learned a lot along the way.

Lessons Learned

While Genz-Ryan has grown over the past 20 years, it hasn’t always been a smooth ride. Jon has experienced personal and professional setbacks that have taught him valuable lessons. During the housing recession in 2008, the business struggled. Around the same time, he lost one of his brothers to ALS.

Diversifying Genz-Ryan’s service offerings seemed like the right path to ensure the business’s longevity. Some of his ideas worked, and others were not as successful. The biggest lessons learned were expensive lessons. Expanding into new service lines that are close to HVAC and plumbing is where Genz-Ryan found the most success.

The COVID-19 pandemic also presented unique challenges. Like many businesses, Genz-Ryan faced supply chain issues and labor shortages. We learned to adapt to new ways of conducting business, leaning on remote work where it was possible and increasing safety measures for technicians to protect families.

Genz-Ryan Does What’s Best for Our Customers

For Jon and the Genz-Ryan team, our customers are our priority from the moment they call our customer service representatives. The saying “I love those guys!” is central to our mission and perfectly captures what we want our brand to represent.

Jon firmly believes hiring the right people means hiring team members who believe in a customer-centered company culture. We can teach technical knowledge, but you can’t teach values.

70% of Genz-Ryan’s business comes from repeat customers. Our team uses a one-trip mentality to get the job done right the first time so we can deliver above and beyond our customers’ expectations.

Giving Back with GenzGives

Genz-Ryan does more than support our customers — we also believe in giving back to the community. Through GenzGives, Genz-Ryan donates time and money to various community organizations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

GenzGives campaigns we’ve completed include:

• Annual Classroom Cash Giveaways
• Donating lunch to over 600 front-line hospital workers
• Holiday Lights Contest
• Partnering with the Ronald McDonald House
• And more

From children to first responders, the team at Genz-Ryan wants to show their care and support for the community.

“There’s Always Another Storm”

Jon sees owning a small business as sailing a small boat in the ocean. The waters may be calm, but eventually, a storm will come.

Learning from the past and looking to the future is necessary to be ready for those storms. It’s in looking to the years ahead that you learn to recognize the obstacles that are coming. The only way to meet those challenges is by adapting your plan along the way.