The District Chronicles

Issue date: 5/3/09 Section: Business

Media Credit: Freddie Allen/District Chronicles

Sydney Paskel received a call a couple of years ago from a company in Georgetown, D.C., that had a leak. While digging for the gas line, they found something unordinary. The gas leak was coming from a bamboo line.

"At the turn of the century, they used bamboo to run gas through. However, as time passed, the wood began to deteriorate," Paskel said.

This is just one of the weird things that Paskel has dealt with for the past 10 years as the owner of A-One Air Inc., a heating and plumbing company.

A-One Air Inc. handles replacing pipes, garbage disposals, drain cleaning, flooring, computer design, painting, windows and doors, and toilets, just to name a few.

Paskel worked for the Washington Gas Co. before starting his company with three other employees. "I used a lot of personal funds to start this business. I took out an equity loan, used my own personal credit cards and I even took out some of my 401K," he said.

But that was just the beginning. Paskel had to establish a clientele, but according to him, that wasn't a major issue because during the time he bought out the business, many people were looking to get their electric gas converted to natural.

Paskel remembers his first sale vividly. "Our first sale was a whole subdivision. We had to convert it from oil and electric gas to natural gas. It felt pretty good when it was over with, but it was a lot of work," he said. The hard work being, getting everyone to try to convert at the same time. Paskel had to get enough people to sign up at once so the gas company could run the lines.

"I had to solicit all over the neighborhood. I went door to door, and I also went to a lot of community block meetings," he said." You try to get 20 home owners to agree at the same time," said Paskel with a laugh.

However, even now with the success of A-One Air Inc., Paskel still runs into problems with maintaining steady income.

"A part of what we do heavily relies on the weather, if the weather is extremely hot or cold, business is really good. But when the weather is mild, business doesn't do very well," he said.

The company has expanded to more than 35 employees. And even though it has its ups and downs, Paskel loves running his own company.

"You kind of control your own destiny. You get headaches, but you make your own decisions, whether good or bad. You call your own shots," Paskel said.

He also gives reason to why entrepreneurs will find it difficult to start a business without funding.

"You need to have enough money when you start because when you grow, your company will grow too fast for you to control. And if you don't have the proper technology, it will take forever to catch up," he said. "With so many companies [in our line of work] big and small, you need to find something to specialize in. If you don't have anything to differentiate yourself from others, then you shouldn't be in this market," Paskel said.

Address: 5924 Allentown Way, Camp Springs, Md. 20748
Phone: (301) 297-4244

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