Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer Sharkey.
Hi Summer, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The HVAC Shark was built on a simple belief: treat every customer the way we’d want our own family to be treated.
My husband, Patrick, has worked in the HVAC industry for over 15 years and always dreamed of building a company that put honesty, quality workmanship, and customer service ahead of sales. Before starting our business, I worked as a NICU and pediatric nurse. Our lives changed when our identical twin boys were born premature with complex medical needs, leading me to become their full-time caregiver. While caring for our family, I also began helping Patrick behind the scenes with scheduling, customer service, bookkeeping, and marketing.
In 2025, we took a leap of faith and started The HVAC Shark. We began with one truck, a lot of determination, and a commitment to doing things differently. Patrick still personally completes every installation and service call, while I manage the office and keep everything running behind the scenes. As a family-owned business, we’ve never wanted to be the biggest HVAC company—we simply want to be the one people trust.
We believe in educating customers, repairing systems when it’s the right solution, and treating every home with the same care and respect we’d expect in our own. That approach has led to incredible support from our community. In our first year, we’ve grown primarily through word-of-mouth referrals and were honored to receive Harrisburg Magazine’s Simply the Best Award for Best Customer Values – Small Business.
Building this business while raising our family hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. We’re incredibly grateful for every customer who has trusted us and look forward to serving Central Pennsylvania for many years to come.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting a business always comes with responsibilities, but we’ve honestly been very fortunate. We’ve been incredibly grateful for the support of our customers and our community, and the business has grown faster than we ever expected.
Our biggest challenge hasn’t been the business itself—it’s simply balancing everything that comes with life. We launched The HVAC Shark while raising our identical twin boys, who have complex medical needs and a calendar full of therapies and specialist appointments. Like many family-owned businesses, we’ve had to learn how to balance serving our customers with making sure we’re also present for our family.
Patrick is committed to being available whenever customers need him, which often means long days, evenings, and weekends. At the same time, we work hard to protect family time whenever we can because that’s the reason we built this business in the first place.
In many ways, we’ve been blessed. We’ve been able to grow through honest work, quality craftsmanship, word-of-mouth referrals, and treating every customer the way we’d want our own family to be treated.
As you know, we’re big fans of The HVAC Shark. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At The HVAC Shark, we believe HVAC service should be built on trust, not pressure. We are a family-owned and operated company serving Central Pennsylvania with residential and light commercial heating, cooling, indoor air quality, and ventilation services. With over 15 years of industry experience, Patrick personally performs every installation and service call, ensuring each customer receives the same level of quality and attention to detail that our reputation is built on.
What truly sets us apart is our commitment to honesty. We take the time to properly diagnose problems, explain every option, and recommend only what a customer actually needs. Sometimes that means replacing a system, but many times it means making an affordable repair that keeps a system running for years to come. We believe in educating our customers so they can make informed decisions without feeling pressured.
As a small family business, when you call The HVAC Shark, you’re talking directly to our family—not a call center. From the first phone call to the final walkthrough, we’re personally involved every step of the way. We know inviting someone into your home is a matter of trust, and we never take that responsibility lightly.
One of the things we’re most proud of is the reputation we’ve built in such a short time. The majority of our business comes from referrals and repeat customers, and we were honored to receive Harrisburg Magazine’s Simply the Best Award for Best Customer Values – Small Business. That recognition means so much to us because it reflects exactly what we’ve worked to build: a company known for integrity, quality workmanship, and treating every customer like family.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
We haven’t had one specific mentor throughout our journey, but we’ve been fortunate to build relationships with several other small, family-owned businesses that share the same values we do. Instead of viewing each other as competitors, we’ve chosen to support one another. During busy seasons, we help each other with referrals, share advice, and step in when someone needs an extra hand.
One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is that building genuine relationships is far more valuable than simply networking for business. Surrounding yourself with honest, hardworking people who genuinely want to see others succeed creates opportunities that benefit everyone—including the customers we serve.
Our advice would be to focus less on finding the “perfect” mentor and more on finding people who share your values. Be willing to ask questions, learn from others’ experiences, and build relationships based on trust and mutual respect. We’ve found that when you support other small businesses, that support often comes back around when you need it most.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TheHVACShark.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BFrmdmnUA/?mibextid=wwXIfr
