Board of Education recognizes the owner of Mr. Central for school aid

When Robert Giancroce's oldest daughter enrolled at South Aiken High School, he began to hear about state budget cuts to the Aiken County School District.

"I heard about a lot of things that shocked me," said the owner of Mr. Central Air Conditioning in Aiken. "We're asking our teachers to provide more of their own money for pencils and paper. I thought that businesses in Aiken could help close that gap."

Last fall Giancroce donated $2,500 in the form of $50 gift cards from Walmart. He was recognized at Aiken County Board of Education meeting for his efforts.

Interestingly, Giancroce faced his own challenges educationally as a child. His parents were Italian immigrants who moved to the northeast United States when he was 3.

"I grew up in a home with two languages," he said. "My parents provided a good work ethic but couldn't help me with my education. I had to get it myself and find solutions in order to advance."

Giancroce learned the heating and air conditioning trade, and, at the age of 24 in 1986, he opened his own company that started out in his garage. By 1997, he employed 44 people, then sold his firm to a company that was acquiring independent contractors following energy deregulation.

After working for that company for about a year, Giancroce decided with his wife Loretta to move to the South along with their three daughters. They owned horses, and Aiken proved to be a perfect fit.

Giancroce decided to return to his trade and acquired the Central Heating Company, changing its name to Mr. Central. Over the years, he has increased his staff from 8 to 18 and said he has focused on innovation and technology to enhance his employees' skills and provide benefits for his clients. That has led the company into geothermal energy and into the solar spectrum.

"We have 17 solar systems in the CSRA," Giancroce said. "We're the greenest company in this market, and no one else has harnessed this technology like we have. We believe the future is a combination of innovative products and energy-saving products."

Tax credits are available to solar system customers, he said - 30 percent from the federal government and 25 percent from the state.

"Most of our customers are seeing great success," Giancroce said. "At the end of the day, consumers are finding that the reduction of energy in the home is the best investment with the highest return."

In the future, he wants to continue to assist the school system, supporting an institution where he feels he can make a difference.

"Hopefully, other businesses will follow and help our teachers," Giancroce said. "There are a lot of teachers struggling within their own households. They're taking resources their families can use and putting them back into the classrooms."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.