Introduction: Founded in 1946, Omar Schraer served Warrenton and Montgomery county Missouri for decades building and installing furnaces in the small community. In the 1950s, Omar added air conditioning to the services he provided and from then on was known as Schraer Heating and Air Conditioning. The company was run by a tight-knit group of family up until 1994, when the company was purchased by Scott-Woolf Incorporated, run by brothers-in-law Gary Scott and Bill Woolf.
Gary and Bill had begun serving the Warrenton area in 1993 with one truck and a customer base of about 300 people, and their purchase of Schraer Heating and Air Conditioning reinvigorated the company.
From the beginning, Gary and Bill committed to continue Omar’s legacy, and the enterprise continued to be a family affair as several generations grew up and joined the family business. Sons, daughters and cousins tell stories of building racetracks in the warehouse from ducting and riding bikes in the parking lot late into the night as the company grew both in capability and clientele.
And many of those same kids joined the company as it expanded to dozens of local counties, added numerous services, and established partnerships with suppliers like Lennox to carry only the most innovative systems.
The years since have been full of major leaps forward and challenges conquered, from airlifting HVAC systems by helicopter for commercial installs to serving the unprecedented growth of the communities west of St. Louis.
But no matter how Schraer has grown, one thing has never been forgotten—that the heating and air conditioning of a home is its beating heart, and it’s with that same heart that Schraer serves its community, and since the beginning has participated in civic cleanups, local parades, and purchases a bull every year at the local 4H auction. The people that work at Schraer treat every home like it is their own. Each new job is a chance to help one of our neighbors first, and a “service call” last. When we talk about comfort, we’re not just talking about heating and air conditioning, we’re talking about giving our heart to our communities. It’s just how we do things around here.
