E.P. Homiek: Growing a Successful Family Business from Humble Beginnings
When Ed Homiek first started his sheet metal fabrication business in 1987, he’d already gained a reputation in the local HVAC industry as personable and energetic. Thirty years later, as the owner of E.P. Homiek Sheet Metal Fabrication & HVAC Supply, Ed is still known for his accessibility to customers and hands-on management style.
Ed Homiek learned to make ductwork in the mid-1980s working for his older brother John at HAB Heating & Cooling in Brick, NJ. When other HVAC mechanics began asking if he could make ductwork for them, Ed was glad to oblige, first working out of the back of his brother’s shop, then securing a small loan from his cousin Wayne Friedland, owner of Epic Mechanical in Neptune, NJ, to set up a bare-bones operation in a rented 40-foot trailer. In 1992, he moved his fabrication shop to a repurposed chicken coop in Toms River, NJ, and hired a few employees including Mark Biagi, who still works at E.P. Homiek as Inside Sales and Counter Manager.
By 1997, the business had outgrown the coop and relocated to E.P. Homiek’s current headquarters at 1352 Route 9 in Lakewood. With a larger shop, more equipment and growing staff, business increased rapidly, and Ed began exploring the possibility of adding HVAC supply to his operation to further meet his customers’ needs. In 2002, E.P. Homiek broke ground on a new 22,000 square-foot full-line supply house behind the sheet metal shop and opened its doors in February 2003. A second location opened in May 2014 at 945 Brighton Street in Union, NJ, and future expansion into southern New Jersey is being considered for the future.
E.P. Homiek Sheet Metal Fabrication & HVAC Supply still guarantees a one- to two-day turnaround on all residential and light commercial ductwork, one- to two-hour emergency service, and free delivery. Featured product lines include Goodman, Honeywell, Bryant, Bradford White, Crown Boiler, Daikin, Weil-McLain, Sea Breeze, Generac, Fantec, ZM, A.O. Smith, Hart & Cooley, Malco, Mueller, and many more. Employing a staff of 37, they are a family-run business, with Ed’s son Eric Homiek, 33, serving as Vice President, niece and Controller Beth Homiek-Musico overseeing financial and administrative operations, and a number of other family members working in various positions throughout the company.
