The Year Was 1958…
Gas cost 25 cents a gallon. Rent was about $92 a month. A movie ticket was 70 cents. And the average house price was $2,390.
1958 was a year of a massive recession and large increases in unemployment (over 7%). Those making average wages over $3,851 per year were quite well off. The first satellite was launched to Cape Canaveral, the Microchip was first developed, NASA was formed and Chapman Heating & Air Conditioning opened its doors.
I don’t remember the year- I had to use Google to find all these facts. And then I called Grandpa. I have heard so many stories over the years, and it is mind boggling to think back to our country & Chapman’s being like that.
Chapman Heating & Air Conditioning literally started on a shoestring. When I asked Grandpa how much money he had to start Chapman’s, he repeated the question back to me and then laughed at me and said “Nothing”. He had been working for a plumbing company in town making $1.86 (and a half) dollars per hour. A sales representative he had gotten to know at the plumbing company told him if he ever wanted to go out on his own doing HVAC that he would co-sign at the bank to help him get his tools. So, after some time Grandpa was able to line up 6-8 jobs, finance a truck at the Chevrolet dealership and Grandma got out her card table to do the paperwork on. And Chapman Heating & Air Conditioning was open.
He charged $500 to install all the ductwork, heating and guttering. The shop he worked out of (until 1972) was a chicken house.
Times have changed. A little.
To learn more about our company’s history, check out this timeline.