Business of the Week: Progressive Heating, Air and Plumbing Keeps It Local With “Roots, No Suits”

On a hot Georgia afternoon, when air conditioners strain and plumbing problems surface at the worst possible time, one locally rooted company has spent more than three decades showing up for Coweta and Fayette homeowners—often the very neighbors they live beside.

Progressive Heating, Air and Plumbing, based in Newnan, has been serving the region for over 30 years, offering HVAC, plumbing, indoor air quality, and crawl space encapsulation services to homes and businesses across south metro Atlanta.

Founded by Greg Wallace and now led day-to-day by General Manager Samantha Brazie, the company has grown to a 45-person team—most of whom live right here in Coweta County.

“Our team is carefully chosen based on our core values—how we treat our customers, how we treat each other, and how we do business,” Brazie said.

Roots, not suits

That philosophy shows up in the company’s tagline: “Local Roots, No Suits.”

For Progressive, “roots” means more than just a marketing phrase—it’s a commitment to community involvement and local investment.

“Local Roots is all about being locally owned and supporting our community,” Brazie said. “About 90% of our employees live in Coweta County. We serve Coweta County. We show up.”

That support goes beyond sponsorship checks. The company contributes time, labor, and expertise to nonprofits, sometimes even installing systems for organizations that otherwise couldn’t afford them.

“We don’t just give money—we also show up and do the work,” she said.

The “no suits” side reflects a different kind of commitment—remaining independent in an industry increasingly shaped by private equity.

“The owner lives in Coweta County, and there’s nobody to answer to except myself and him,” Brazie said.

More than heating and air

While the company name may sound familiar to longtime residents, Progressive Heating, Air and Plumbing does, in fact, include plumbing as a core part of its business.

Their full service list spans heating and cooling, plumbing repairs and installations, indoor air quality, and crawl space encapsulation—a service designed to control moisture and prevent mold beneath homes.

“We do leak detection, toilets, water heaters, faucets, water treatment, and water filtration—basically just about anything except septic,” Brazie said.

That broad scope reflects how modern home systems are increasingly connected. A problem in one area—like humidity under a home—can impact everything from flooring to air quality.

Built for the long haul

Preventative maintenance is a major focus for the company, especially as summer approaches.

“Always preventative maintenance,” Brazie said. “Make sure you’re changing your filters, because that can cause your entire system to fail.”

The company offers tiered maintenance plans with biannual service visits, helping customers avoid costly breakdowns and extend the life of their systems.

“Maintenance is like going to the dentist—you set it up, and having it done twice a year is important,” she said.

Investing in the next generation

Beyond service calls, Progressive is also investing in the future workforce—introducing students to skilled trades through school visits and career days.

“We go out from elementary school all the way through high school,” Brazie said. “Sometimes we just go to show them what a blowtorch looks like and teach them what a plumber or an air conditioning technician does.”

It’s part of a broader effort to strengthen the local economy by encouraging young people to build careers close to home.

Earning a seat at the table

Brazie, who has been with the company for 15 years and general manager for the past two and a half, also brings a leadership perspective shaped by experience in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about earning respect and doing the work,” she said. “Once they know that you work just as hard as they do, they respect you.”

Staying local, by choice

As consolidation continues across the home services industry, Progressive’s leadership says staying locally owned is not just a current status, but a long-term commitment.

“We’re proud to still be locally owned. We’re one of the very few,” Brazie said. “We don’t plan on going anywhere or selling at any point. We’re just here to serve.”

For customers, that means the technician who shows up at their door is more than just a service provider—they’re a neighbor invested in the same community.

And in a business built on trust, that may be the most important service of all.