GRAFTON – K Komfort Heating & Cooling was gearing up for its 15th anniversary this week, but a high school band put a twist on the plans.
Grafton-based K Komfort invites employees and their families to the Milwaukee Brewers game every summer for a day of tailgates and baseball. Originally he was slated to mark the exact anniversary on August 29th, but the company saw a unique opportunity to celebrate the occasion early and help a high school band in need.
The Grafton High School band was invited by the Brewers to play the national anthem before their August 18 game, but had to sell more tickets if they wanted to play. His Slava Krol, president and founding member of K Komfort, did not hesitate to come out of danger.
“We reached out to the Brewers and told them we would buy tickets to help them perform and reach this goal,” Kroll said. “I’m biased because the band has two daughters, but I bought some tickets and went to hear the band play the national anthem. It was a lot of fun and I was able to help the kids. I’m glad I did.”
Krol and K Komfort have been mainstays of the community since they opened. The company repairs and installs heating and cooling systems. In fact, it’s included in the company’s mission statement. When not responding to a large number of service requests (Krol estimates he receives 150 phone calls per month on the residential side, in addition to various commercial inquiries), K Komfort We put a lot of effort into contributing to the cause.
K Komfort Bank of Grafton, Krol is past president of the Grafton Lions Club and has been actively involved in the Grafton Chamber of Commerce. All these efforts and more add up to his 15 years of trust and confidence from the community.
“There are opportunities to do business locally,” Kroll said. “We want to be trusted, but Ozaukee County is not that big, and the only way to treat clients is to be trusted by them. It won’t last.”
Since its inception in 2007, K Komfort has grown to 50 employees. Krol says one of his most important obstacles to overcome after opening was the 2008 global recession, which took a toll on many businesses. Kroll and his family spent long periods of time without paying themselves, always making sure that the health of the business and its employees was the most important priority.
“We were trying to build a company at a time when many businesses were going bankrupt, so we swam upstream for a while,” says Krol. “But we knew we had this dream and we needed to overcome it to survive.
“The biggest reward is looking back and seeing what we have done and knowing that we are supporting 50 families with a steady income.”
The coronavirus pandemic has faced additional challenges for K Komfort, but Krol and his group are doing their best to overcome this new hurdle. While K Komfort has had to deal with common issues such as rising supply costs, other concerns have arisen.
“We are still trying to get back to normal,” Kroll said. We suffer a lot because of market uncertainty. That is the challenge that ultimately falls upon us.”
Krol would love to see K Komfort do more business outside of the state, but not at the expense of the lasting relationships the company has established. Krol is ramping up its mentoring and training efforts to develop strong leaders who can ultimately lead larger projects within K Komfort.
Given the company’s current position and future direction, Krol appreciates the community’s support and is eager to see how K Komfort’s development continues to unfold.
“For us, it’s more than just making money. This is our livelihood,” Kroll said. “We have a lot of regular partners who come back again and again. Even if we were a little pricey, they knew we were there if they needed us. We are always trying to find ways to help others and we are always one step ahead.”
K Komfort is located at 1201 6th Ave., Grafton. The phone number is 262-375-0075.