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An air-conditioning contractor with roots in Deltona and a headquarters office in Orange City for many years is marking its 50th year in business.

Now headquartered in Holly Hill, Von-Aire Inc. was incorporated in 1968 by Harold VonBrocken and began operating in Deltona, according to a company history provided by the company. Von-Aire was chosen soon thereafter by Mackle Brothers’ Deltona Corp. to be the heating and air-conditioning provider for their massive new Deltona Lakes development, which became the city of Deltona.

As the Mackle Brothers’ fortunes grew, so did Von-Aire’s. When the Mackle Brothers went statewide, so did Von-Aire, running eight offices around Florida by the early 1980s.

But then VonBrocken decided to cut back. By 1991, two locations remained — the corporate headquarters in Orange City, and a satellite office in Holly Hill.

In 2008, the decision was made to consolidate the company into one central business office in Holly Hill to concentrate on better serving Volusia, Lake and Flagler counties.

Today, Von-Aire remains a major air-conditioning and heating contractor in Central Florida and is run by VonBrocken’s two children, son Richard and daughter Tammy.

“Being a family-run business, we treat our employees as family and our customers as family,” Tammy VonBrocken Dalton, the company’s secretary/treasurer, said when asked why the company has endured so long. “We have a different outlook on business.”

Although both of VonBrocken’s children had grown up in the business, working summers and weekends with their dad, they did not officially join the company until graduating from college.

Tammy VonBrocken Dalton joined in 1979 with her degree in accounting from the University of South Carolina. Richard, the company president, joined two years later with a degree in business from the University of South Florida.

Both are state-licensed air-conditioning contractors, and learned together, growing and expanding the service and replacement aspects of the business at their father’s side until his passing in 2005.

As Volusia County has grown, so has the number of competitors. Having a well-recognized name helps Von-Aire stay ahead of its rivals.

“Also, we get a lot of referrals and word-of-mouth,” Dalton said. “A lot of our business comes from people telling other people about our services.”

Today, Dalton and VonBrocken say they are surrounded by a great team, striving to continue the long tradition of superior customer service and quality craftsmanship instilled in them by their father. But while Von-Aire is in its second generation of VonBrockens running the business, there will not be a third generation in charge, Dalton said.

“Unfortunately, I do not have children, and Richard’s two girls are pursuing different career choices, so we are it,” she said.

Although based in Holly Hill, the company’s service area includes all of West Volusia, as well as, Lake and Flagler counties. Von-Aire provides air-conditioning installations and replacement systems, repair service, and maintenance.

For more information about the company and its operations, go to www.vonaireinc.com.