After losing an HVAC job just days after his honeymoon, this Long Islander hit the streets in a van with a promise: honest service, every time. Decades later, GallettAir Inc. is a family-run powerhouse built on loyalty, legacy and a ringing phone.

It was the early 1980s, and nearly every Long Islander cooled their homes with window or wall units. On his drives, Galletta noticed people were quick to toss units to the curb when they stopped working.

“Back in the day, they had the Pennysaver, and I put a reader ad in there, in a tiny box,” he recalled. “I wrote, ‘$29.95 to charge your window units.’”

He promised his wife he’d do 10 units a day. Soon enough, he was doing 50 to 70 a week.

“It just took off. I bought a van and started going out. My phone rang so much my landlord said he couldn’t take the ringing anymore on the other side of the wall,” he recalled with a laugh.

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