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Comfort Supply

Comfort Supply

If your family has been in Williamson County for a generation or two, you’ve heard of the King family. And you probably know more than one or two Kings. There’s even a good chance that you’re related to one, like Heritage Foundation Historian Rick Warwick, whose wife is the great-great grandchild of a King.

“My wife’s great-great grandfather was Peter King, a Civil War soldier and son of David King, the first King who arrived in Williamson County 168 years ago, in 1846, and bought 50 acres on Backbone Ridge west of Hillsboro – the place we call Kingfield today,” Warwick said.

In his book, “Leiper’s Fork & Surrounding Communities,” Warwick noted that other Williamson County family names that can trace their lineage back to Kingfield include the Howells, Hargoves, Wallers, Furloughs, Burdettes, Wilsons and Whites. The Kings themselves trace their family tree back to Revolutionary War soldier Anthony King of Warren Count, N.C.

The land around Kingfield on Backbone Ridge is rocky and the soil is thin. Growing up there, you learn to make the most of what life brings your way. You learn the kind of fearless perseverance for which the King family is known.

It’s the kind of dogged determination that convinces a 16-year-old boy that he can make a career in an industry in which he has no prior experience, and about 20 years later find himself leading regional sales for one of the largest HVAC wholesalers serving Williamson County.

Which is exactly what J.J. King has done. And on Aug. 1, he and his King family cousin, Mark White, will open the new Franklin office of HVAC wholesaler Comfort Supply at 1725 Columbia Ave. – with King as Dealer Consultant and White as Branch Manager.

“I’ve known the King family since I was a small boy,” said Comfort Supply CEO Clay Blevins. “My father, Bill Blevins, owned a farm in the Leiper’s Fork area for about 30 years, and J.J.’s family used to help us out on the farm. I’ve always admired them as strong-willed, hard-working people who would do anything for you – and I am honored that two members of this proud family are running our new operation in Franklin.

“J.J.’s grandfather, Noble King, was the leader of the Kingfield community, and he ran a successful farming operation in southwestern Williamson County. But it was hard land to farm, and about the only way many people could support their families in the old days was to make a little whiskey – and there is no doubt that there was a moonshine still or two around Kingfield. We found an old one on our farm when we bought it.

“Because of this, the Kings sometimes got painted as a somewhat ornery clan. And, no doubt, there were some who deserved it. But I was impressed with the Kings I knew growing up. And J.J. and Mark are two of the most intelligent, hard-working, loyal and respectable men I’ve ever known. J.J. even serves as a weekend preacher at a Baptist church in Centerville. I know our store will do very well in the hands of these men.

“And if there is a little excitement in the King family history, well, that just makes it interesting. It means Comfort Supply’s new Franklin store will feel like the real thing, not something artificially grafted onto the community. As a matter of fact, I have a feeling that the Franklin location will be our most successful yet, thanks to Mark and J.J.”

About Comfort Supply

Founded in 1971 as one of Tennessee’s first HVAC wholesalers, Comfort Supply is a wholesaler of quality Ruud products and a one-stop location for both traditional and geothermal HVAC products, serving the residential and commercial markets from locations in Nashville, Clarksville, Cookeville, Knoxville, Murfreesboro and Franklin. Comfort Supply supplies leading brands, superior stock and expect service. The company focuses on helping dealers grow their businesses by providing training classes, marketing solutions and services that save time. Learn more at Comforttn.com, Facebook.com/ComfortSupply or ComfortSupply.Blogspot.com.