Providing quality air-conditioner installation and services at CCAC Air Conditioning is built into David Mathews’s DNA. The president and general manager of the family-owned air-conditioning company reflects that philosophy in his company’s name, which is an acronym for “Constantly Concerned About Customers.”
“My dad always told me, ‘If you take care of customers, the customers will take care of you,’” Mathews said. 
His father ought to know. Richard Mathews started his own company, Mathews Air Conditioning, in 1957 in Corpus Christi. In 1964, he purchased property on South Padre Island Drive, where CCAC operates today. Sounds simple: Mathews Air Conditioning became CCAC, right? Nope, the tale is actually a little more twisted than that. 
David Mathews did learn the business from his dad. His training in the industry began at 8 years old, when he swept the shop and put up parts for his father. By the age of 14, Mathews was working summers helping install A/C systems. He worked summers and after school through high school before leaving for college. After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Mathews returned to work at his father’s company, this time to help manage the business side.
“My father, my brother and I owned the business together,” he said. “In 1998, we sold the business to a national consolidator, but dad kept the building.”
It was a time of consolidation for many companies. Richard Mathews retired when the company sold, and David’s older brother worked for the new owners for another two years before leaving. David Mathews stayed on for four years then left, too. 
“I decided the corporate life was not for me,” Mathews said. “Taking care of customers seemed less important than meeting sales quotas.”
After leaving the national company, Mathews purchased CCAC Air Conditioning on Kostoryz Road.
“The previous owner started the business in 1979, but he wanted to retire,” Mathews said. “So, my wife and I bought this small company. The original name was Corpus Christi Air Conditioning (CCAC), but it was rebranded before I bought it to Constantly Concerned About Customers, which was more in line with my own business philosophy of wanting to take care of customers.”
In 2007, Mathews was able to buy his father’s original building on South Padre Island Drive and move his company there. What started with eight employees has since grown to include 24 top-quality workers. Mathews takes care of operations, while his wife has an office across the hall. She keeps order as office manager. 
“I also have a sales team and service and install managers to oversee the technical side,” Mathews continued. “Our installers are very knowledgeable. Our technicians have at least five years’ experience, and some have been with us for more than twenty years. They do quality work to get the job done right the first time around.”
CCAC Air Conditioning never tries to sell its customers something they don’t need, Mathews said.
“We try to recommend to the customer what we think would be in their best interest, but in the end, it’s the customer’s decision,” he said. “We have customers that left us and tried a cheaper company but came back to us after that company caused more problems than repairs. Most of our customers become repeat customers because of our quality and concern for their needs.” 
The secret to CCAC’s success is focusing on what the company does best: air conditioning. 
“We don’t try to do everything,” Mathews said. “There are lots of corporate companies in town that do A/C, plumbing and electrical, but you can’t always be everything for everybody. We’re a family- and locally owned business. Our primary services are heating and air-conditioning service and installation for residential and light commercial.”
CCAC repairs and services any brand but specializes in Lennox and Trane, two of the top-quality companies in the business. CCAC also provides 24-hour emergency repair service.
An expert in the business, Mathews offers some tips for home and business owners on how to best prepare their cooling systems for spring and summer. 
• Check your filter and change it regularly with a good quality filter — one you can’t see through when you hold it up to the light. If you can see through the air filter, Mathews said, then dirt and dust can pass through it. A good-quality filter keeps equipment running properly. CCAC sells top-of-the-line filters at its shop.
• Have A/C units checked annually by a professional, experienced technician. Problems arise when refrigerant is low and as a system ages. A typical A/C unit in Corpus Christi operates 2,600 hours a year. It needs to be adjusted and serviced at least once a year. 
• Make sure grass, leaves and debris are not packed in the outside unit because if the outside unit can’t breathe, it will have to work harder. In Corpus Christi and around the island, the best thing is to gently run water down through the coil to rinse off the debris at least once a month. Avoid using a spray jet because that could pack dirt and debris farther into the system.
• Make sure all duct work is still intact and your grills are open in every room. If you close too many grills, it puts a lot of back pressure on the A/C, making it work harder to cool the house.
Mathews has even more tips on his website at ccacac.com, where he writes a blog on air conditioning and heating maintenance.

CCAC Air Conditioning is located at 4502 South Padre Island Drive in Corpus Christi. For more information, call (361) 855-3088.