Publisher’s Note: Sig Cox is beginning its 100th year in Augusta as a trusted leader in HVAC service and sales. In a wide-ranging interview, I speak with CEO Jeff Miller on their legacy of doing things the right way, company growth, and what’s planned in 2026.
ABD: Jeff, when you bought Sig Cox, how much did you know about the company’s history?
JM: We knew it was one of the top companies in Augusta, but really didn’t know the history. When we went through the due diligence period, we learned the history and all of the good Sig Cox did for the community.
We purchased the business from John Haynie, he was a third-generation owner. I couldn’t have found a better seller. We both had the same mindset and goals for the business.
John wanted to protect the legacy of the company and the family.
ABD: Why was Sig Cox such a good fit for your skill set?
JM:
I spent 30 years with Club Car, the parent company Ingersoll Rand, and Trane, our sister company. I have run service and sales businesses within Club Car before, so I was confident that we could make a seamless transition with Sig Cox.
We were looking to buy a business that was already established with a good name, but was ready for a little bit of growth and to have a little bit of energy put into the business.
The good news is that the employees already had a strong belief in customer service, doing what was right for the customer. That’s how I built my reputation within Club Car. We always did what was right for the customer. Since they already had that skill set, I didn’t have to bring that in. Now I was just kind of giving them the tools and the ability to grow.
ABD: When you did some due diligence in the community, what did you learn?
JM: One of the curious things when I bought the business, if you ask somebody what Sig Cox did, you might get a residential service company, you might get a commercial service company, you might get a construction company, depending on who you ask.
We are all of those.
We focus on residential service and replacement, commercial service and replacement, and we also have a large commercial construction piece with mechanical contracting.
People in the CSRA probably don’t realize we have an operation in Columbia that focuses on the commercial construction side. We have an operation in Beaufort that takes care of residential and commercial customers from a service and replacement perspective, but also, we’ve expanded our commercial construction footprint in that area. When I came in, we had a construction team here in Augusta and in Columbia, and I thought, with the huge amount of growth that’s going on between Charleston and Savannah, we have all the resources and an office in Beaufort, let’s just expand our construction side to focus on that area. It turned into a boon for us; we’ve completed 30-plus commercial construction jobs from Charleston to Savannah in the last three years.
ABD: How many employees do you have total, and how do some of the long-time employees feel about the 100th anniversary?
JM: We have 60 employees across three different locations and 40+ vehicles.
Our core group of employees came with the business, and we really haven’t lost anybody from that group. They ensure the history and legacy stay intact. With the growth we have experienced, we have brought in a younger generation of technicians and mechanics, and we’re training them and integrating them into the business. This industry is beginning to age out, so you need new people coming in as you grow. Our long-time employees have really taken it upon themselves to train these new employees. One of our key principles listed in our vision and mission statement is to honor the history and protect the brand of Sig Cox. We strive every day to bring value to our customers, and we promise to take care of our customers and do the right thing.
ABD: Jeff, this 100th anniversary is very special to customers as well. Have you had a chance to interact with those who’ve been with Sig Cox for many years?
JM: Yes! So, we answer our own phones seven days a week, 24 hours a day. We rotate the phones during the evenings and on weekends. I’m part of that rotation because it’s the best way to talk to customers. I get to talk to new customers coming in that are finding us on Google or referrals from friends, but you also talk to people that say my parents or my grandparents were a customer of yours. We have some long-term customers like Larry Sconyers of Sconyers BBQ.
Larry has been a customer for 50 years.
ABD: Does he feed you guys when you go on a service call?
JM: (Laughs) Yes! We use him on our quarterly barbecues, but we spread it around to other customers as well because we have a lot of commercial restaurants we serve. Larry is one of them.
ABD: What will be your efforts to give back during your 100th anniversary year?
JM: Augusta has been very good to me and my family. We moved here in 1990 from Indiana. I came down to work for Club Car. My wife, Suzi, worked for the Augusta Chronicle, selling display advertising. Our boys have been raised here. We have lived here longer than anywhere else in our lives. When we purchased the business in 2022, it was important for us to give back, and it’s something we will continue to do in the 100th year of Sig Cox.
It is important that we give to organizations and charities across the area. When people call in and ask for donations, we try to support as many as possible, as we don’t have unlimited funds. So, we have to say no to some, but we give whenever we can.
We also support Habitat for Humanity. We help with their builds. Another great program we are involved with is called “Feel the Love.” As a Lennox Premier Dealer, we participate in their “Feel the Love” program. Each year, they ask dealers to install one unit at no charge to families in need. It is usually someone that has a unit down and cannot afford to replace it. Most dealers do only this for one family, but we believe in the program so much, that we have installed 6 units in the last 2 years. We are excited about doing more in our 100th Anniversary year. There is a nomination process for the program that opens up in April. People can nominate a worthy individual at www.feelthelove.com
ABD: When is the actual anniversary date, and what kinds of things are you planning?
JM: Early June, as best we can tell. The Augusta Chronicle did an anniversary story back in the day on June 4th. So, we are going with June 1st as the official date, but we are going to celebrate all year. We will be running some contests for customers and having some fun with them on social media. We are also exploring the logistics of a 100th Anniversary party.
ABD: Finally, what sets Sig Cox apart from your competitors?
JM: Customer Service, Consistency, and Value.
You will see competitors advertising $49 or $59 tune-ups, and then they try to upcharge for other services while they are there. We do not do that. We’re not the highest price; we’re not the lowest price. We give value for the price. A couple of examples of that added value are that we do not charge credit card fees. Personally, that’s frustrating when I shop and am charged credit card fees. So, I don’t want to frustrate my customers with that. Things are expensive enough in general in our economy.
We haven’t raised prices in our maintenance agreements in seven years. Maintenance is the most important safeguard for customers’ systems. If you maintain oil changes on your car, why don’t you do the same on the most expensive piece of equipment in your house? Why don’t you maintain it?
We provide that value at a base cost level so customers can afford it. Sig Cox cannot control the rising unit costs from the manufacturer, but we can control maintenance costs.
We don’t believe in discounting because I think our brand and the value that we provide outweigh any discounts. I think another key attribute that sets us apart is how we approach every interaction with our customers.
So, if we’re at a service call and the tech finds something wrong, we give customers both options.
Certainly, you can just replace the unit, right? Is it a $10,000 replacement or a $2,000 repair, and if it’s a 20-year-old unit, then we may advise changing the unit. Everybody in our business wants to change the unit out. That’s what they’re striving for. We’re trying to say, all right, what’s the best use of your dollars? We typically fall on the side of fixing rather than replacing.
We are on the side of telling a customer, you don’t need to spend that money to do this. Spend a little bit less and do this. It’s not the right thing to do from where I sit, to not give customers options.
We value the long-term relationship; we don’t treat customers like this is the only transaction we will do with them. This is one of the reasons we have been in business for 100 years, and it is my responsibility to ensure we make it another 100 years.
SIG COX
1431 Greene Street
Augusta, Ga 30901
706.722.5304
www.sigcox.com
