Family owned and trusted across Central Illinois since 1972
For more than fifty years, Garber Heating & Air Conditioning has kept homes and businesses across Central Illinois comfortable through humid summers and hard winters. We handle heating, cooling, indoor air quality, and geothermal work, and we have done it the same way since the start: honest recommendations, good equipment, and service we would want in our own homes.
Ralph Garber founded the company in March 1972 with a straightforward idea. Do quality work, stand behind it, and treat customers fairly. Five decades later, that still runs the place.
Today Garber Heating & Air Conditioning is family owned and operated, headquartered in Morton, Illinois. We cover an 80-mile area that includes Peoria, East Peoria, Pekin, Washington, Bloomington, Eureka, Metamora, Tremont, Chillicothe, and the smaller towns around them.
Family owned then, family owned now
When Ralph partnered with Carrier in 1973, he chose the brand because he trusted the equipment. That partnership is still in place today.
A small heating and cooling shop has since grown into one of the larger HVAC contractors in Central Illinois, and it has stayed in the family the whole time. As the work grew, Ralph brought family members in to help run daily operations without losing the personal service customers came for.
In 1994, Ralph's son-in-law, Brent Braker, started as an installer and service technician. He spent years in the field, took on more responsibility, and is now President of Garber Heating & Air Conditioning.
Plenty of HVAC companies have been sold off to private equity firms or national chains. We have not. Staying locally owned means we answer to our customers and our neighbors instead of a quarterly earnings target.
Fifty years, year by year
Our history is really a record of reinvesting in better tools, better training, and better service.
1972: Ralph Garber founds Garber Heating & Air Conditioning in Morton, Illinois.
1973: The company becomes an authorized Carrier dealer, the start of a relationship that is still going strong.
1979: Growing demand leads to a move into a larger facility.
1984: Garber Heating & Air Conditioning opens a dedicated geothermal division, one of the first companies in the region to specialize in it.
1994: Brent Braker joins as an installer and service technician, and later becomes President.
1999: The company moves into its current home at 310 Detroit Avenue in Morton.
Today: More than five decades in, we serve residential and commercial customers across heating, cooling, geothermal, indoor air quality, and maintenance.
Why homeowners trust us
We did not build our reputation through advertising. We built it one install and one repair at a time, and the credentials below came out of that work rather than a marketing budget:
- Family owned and operated since 1972
- Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer, a status fewer than 3% of Carrier dealers nationwide hold
- Nine-time recipient of the Carrier President's Award for customer satisfaction and operational excellence
- BBB A+ accredited since 1994
- NATE-certified technicians
- Carrier Indoor Air Quality Experts
- A dedicated geothermal division running since 1984
- Illinois Licensed HVAC Contractor, #11191 (verify with the state)
Each of these takes ongoing training and a steady record of satisfied customers to earn and to keep. You can read what those customers say on our reviews page.
A real geothermal specialty
We got into geothermal heating and cooling early, back in 1984, well before most people had heard of it. We have stayed one of the larger geothermal contractors in Central Illinois ever since.
That commitment goes beyond our own job sites. Brent Braker is a founding board member of the Geothermal Alliance of Illinois and currently serves as its Secretary and Treasurer, helping shape geothermal education and standards across the state. For you, it means the crew designing your system brings decades of specific geothermal experience to the table.
Local knowledge, because we live here
We have worked these towns for more than fifty years, so we know what Central Illinois weather does to a system, from sticky July afternoons to single-digit January mornings. Our technicians are regularly out in Morton, Peoria, East Peoria, Pekin, Washington, Bloomington, Eureka, Metamora, Tremont, Chillicothe, Germantown Hills, Dunlap, Bartonville, Mapleton, and the communities around them. You can see the full service area here.
When you call Garber Heating & Air Conditioning, you get a local company that knows the houses, the neighborhoods, and the climate in this part of the state.
What has not changed
The technology looks nothing like it did in 1972. The way we treat people does. Whether we are repairing a furnace, installing a high-efficiency air conditioner, designing a commercial system, or putting in geothermal, the goal is the same: do the job well enough that you call us back and tell your neighbors.
Frequently asked questions
How long has Garber Heating & Air Conditioning been in business?
Ralph Garber started the company in March 1972, so we have served Central Illinois for more than fifty years. It has stayed family owned and operated that entire time, with Ralph's son-in-law, Brent Braker, now running the company as President.
Who owns Garber Heating & Air Conditioning?
The company is family owned and led by President Brent Braker, who started in 1994 as an installer and service technician and worked his way up. It has never been sold to a private equity group or national chain, so the people who own it still live and work in Central Illinois.
Is Garber Heating & Air Conditioning a licensed HVAC contractor in Illinois?
Yes. We hold Illinois HVAC contractor license #11191. Illinois licenses HVAC contractors at the state level, and you can confirm the current status of any license through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's public license lookup.
Is Garber Heating & Air Conditioning accredited by the Better Business Bureau?
We have held BBB accreditation with an A+ rating since 1994. You can review the full record, including the current rating and any complaint history, on our BBB business profile.
What is a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer?
It is Carrier's top dealer tier, a status the manufacturer says fewer than 3% of its dealers nationwide hold. It takes ongoing training, certification, and a steady record of customer satisfaction to earn and keep. You can confirm our standing on Carrier's own dealer locator.
Does Garber Heating & Air Conditioning really specialize in geothermal?
We opened a dedicated geothermal division in 1984 and remain one of the larger geothermal contractors in Central Illinois. President Brent Braker is a founding board member and current Secretary and Treasurer of the Geothermal Alliance of Illinois, the statewide trade association, where his role is listed on the organization's own board page.
What areas does Garber Heating & Air Conditioning serve?
We cover an 80-mile radius from our Morton headquarters, including Peoria, East Peoria, Pekin, Washington, Bloomington, Eureka, Metamora, Tremont, and Chillicothe, plus the smaller communities around them. You can see the full list on our service area page.
How are Garber Heating & Air Conditioning's customer reviews?
Our rating is 5.0 stars across Google and Carrier.com, based on dozens of verified jobs, and you can read recent comments on our reviews page. Independent listings back that up too, including our clean BBB record and our HomeAdvisor profile.
Talk to us
If you want an HVAC company with a long track record, real credentials, and deep roots in Central Illinois, we would like to earn your business. You can request service online or call us at 309-866-3025 to schedule service, set up an estimate, or ask about switching to geothermal. We are glad to help.