Schmitt Heating Company, Inc. is a fourth generation family-owned business, established in the Midwest by Greg Schmitt's greatgrandfather in 1876. Greg's great-grandfather and grandfather moved the business to Oakland by train at the turn of the century, initially operating out of the very box cars that had hauled it.

They moved the company to San Francisco in the 1920s, setting up shop on Ocean Avenue and later moving to the Mission District. Having concentrated on residential work throughout the Depression, Mr. Schmitt still has long-term clients who remember his grandfather putting the furnace in their homes.

When Greg's father moved the business to the Richmond District in 1966 it was one of the largest of its kind in the city. He later scaled back to a small, neighborhood operation until Greg took over in 1994. The company now caters to both residential and commercial clients.

This is a company built on tradition, yet it remains up-to-date. They install high-efficiency furnaces and air conditioners to provide energy savings and employ infrared camera technology to check furnaces for cracks, holes, rust and carbon monoxide leaks. They also do architectural sheet metal design and installation.