03/07/2025
Built to Last: Celebrating 40 Years of Ford & Doonan Excellence
2025 marks Ford & Doonan’s 40th year of business. 40 years of delivering year-round comfort to Western Australians through high-quality air conditioning systems. The two original founders, Andrew Ford and Kyle Doonan, remain active in the business daily. To this day, Ford & Doonan also remains 100% Western Australian-owned and operated.
The Origins
What started as an idea between two tradesmen back in 1985 has grown into a Nationally recognised brand that employs some 170 people across 12 locations in Western Australia. Andrew and Kyle first met whilst undertaking their apprenticeship working on the refrigeration systems at a hospital in Perth. Quickly striking up a friendship, the pair identified a gap in the market for servicing and the ongoing maintenance of air conditioners and refrigeration systems, pairing high-quality customer service with proper workmanship.
The first location was 13 Campbell Street in West Perth, chosen for its central location, affordable rent, and ease of access to the freeway networks to service jobs North and South of the river.
(Pictured above: Andrew Ford & Kyle Doonan in 1985 at 13 Campbell Street, West Perth)
The pair quickly outgrew the Campbell Street office and moved to 994 Wellington Street West Perth for a better street frontage and a larger warehouse facility. Hiring their first employee in 1987, and deleting refrigeration from the company’s core competencies, led to what felt like immediate expansion within the residential air conditioning installation and servicing sector.
(Pictured above: Andrew Ford & Kyle Doonan in 1987 at 994 Wellington Street, West Perth)
Growth & Expansion
“Doing the right thing consistently” led the company down a path in the 90’s of year-on-year 50-100% growth per year, and business awards including Three Telstra Small Business awards (1994, 1997 and 2001) and five consecutive entries into the BRW Top 100 fastest growing companies in Australia list (1997-2001)
Continued growth soon demanded the building of a purpose-built facility from the ground up in Kardinya in 1997. This centralised the company’s operations, with this same facility standing tall as Ford & Doonan’s Head Office location some 29 years later.
Pictured L to R: Andrew Ford, Richard Court MLA, Kyle Doonan
Kardinya Head Office Cira 2000
2001 was a year of tremendous growth and recognition. Andrew Ford won Entrepreneur of the Year (WA Region, Young Category) and runner up to the first among equals in the Business News 40 under 40 awards. 2001 also saw the inception of the very first Ford & Doonan franchise location. Mandurah was chosen so that the brand could meet the soon-to-be-exploding urban sprawl of the Perth metro area.
Ford & Doonan Mandurah opening
2002 to 2014 saw Ford & Doonan open another six franchise locations as demand grew, and opportunities presented themselves (Osborne Park, Canning Vale, Bunbury, West Perth/City West, Midland and Busselton).
Industry Innovation & Technology
Whilst the actual operation of air conditioners (the refrigeration cycle) hasn’t changed since the company’s inception, the technology around controllers, zoning and types of refrigerants has. A lot of the ‘standard practices’ that competing air conditioning companies operate with today were developed by Ford & Doonan, as they always wanted to keep improving residential ducted systems. These quality improvers included dual return air ducts, correctly hung and strapped duct work in the roof space and larger return air grilles with pleated filters are but a few examples.
Ducted installation roof space
Industry Innovation & Technology
Technology advancement from manufacturers has also played a pivotal role. Advancements such as inverter technology and touch screen controllers not only make air conditioners much easier to operate for end customers but far more energy efficient and cost effective to run.
The future
After 40 years of business, Ford & Doonan are showing no signs of slowing down. Expansion in the solar energy sector in 2021 demonstrates the company’s ability to identify areas of growth.
Being WA’s second largest employer of apprentices, demonstrates the commitment to training the industry’s future trades people. Additionally, investments in technology are anchoring the company’s operations as a leading light within the WA residential and light commercial air conditioning space.
Cheers to another 40 years!
1800 AIR CON 
