About this episode

Rich Ortega discusses the realities of starting and running a service business in the commercial kitchen industry.

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Podcast, host Gary McCreadie is joined by Rich Ortega , the C.O.O. and co-owner of On The Rock Services and podcast co-host of Commercial Kitchen Chronicles , to discuss the realities of starting and running a service business. Rich shares his experience working in the commercial kitchen industry for 20 years, including his time working for his father and grandfather before eventually moving into larger companies and starting his own business. The conversation begins with the challenges of working with independent restaurants, including low budgets, price objections, and the difficulty of getting customers to understand the true cost of repairs and maintenance. Rich explains why he shifted his focus toward larger chain and multi-unit operations and how those customers provide more opportunities to perform profitable repairs and maintenance. Gary and Rich then discuss Rich's journey into entrepreneurship, including the experiences that pushed him to leave his previous employer, the importance of building a strong personal reputation, and how existing customer relationships helped him establish his own company. They also explore the…

People in this episode

Host: Gary McCreadie

Guest: Rich Ortega

Topics covered

• entrepreneurship
• service business
• commercial kitchen industry
• customer relationships
• business challenges
• work-life balance

Keywords

• service business
• entrepreneurship
• commercial kitchen
• customer relationships
• business challenges
• work-life balance
• repairs and maintenance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: On The Rock Services, Commercial Kitchen Chronicles

More episodes of HVAC Know It All Podcast

• How One Operating System Increased Our Profit by 41% with Bill Spohn · September 9, 2026 · 25 min
• The reality of owning an HVAC business vs working as an employee with Rich Ortega Part 2 · September 3, 2026 · 21 min
• AI for HVAC Contractors to Future-Proof Your Business Using ChatGPT with Daniel Quinonez · September 2, 2026 · 19 min
• How to Diagnose Oil Return Problems Before They Damage a Compressor · August 27, 2026 · 19 min
• Why HVAC Technicians Struggle to Build Successful Businesses with Daniel Quinonez · August 26, 2026 · 22 min
• HVAC Mental Health - Transformational Leadership · August 24, 2026 · 19 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the HVAC Know It All Podcast podcast page.