It is definitely a sign of remaining relevant and on the cutting edge when a third-generation family-owned business wins the 2008 entrepreneurial award in the wholesale category.

Over 60 years ago, when Alfred Nussdorfer opened the Appliance Parts Company on Michigan Avenue, little did he know that his repair shop for wringer washers and other household appliances would evolve into APCO, Inc., a heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) company with sites in two states and multiple divisions that stays ahead by incorporating the latest technology well before the competition.

“We’ve been with the same software company since 1986,” said Michael Nussdorfer, the current president of APCO and Alfred’s grandson. “We’ve been instrumental in being a beta site. You have to be on the cutting edge of technology. We have to maximize what the software can do.”

David Nussdorfer, Michael’s father, bought the company from his father in 1965, which, by then, was stocking parts and selling them to other repair shops. David moved the shop to South Pennsylvania Avenue. “There was nothing there then except cow pastures, and then the town grew up around him,” said Michael. “He had foresight.”

David incorporated the company in 1970 and opened the first branch office in Grand Rapids in 1972. He soon added other branches in Saginaw, Kalamazoo, Flint, Troy, Pontiac, and Madison Heights, and made an acquisition in Indianapolis.

“My father has been a wonderful role model for me to emulate as he built APCO from its meager beginnings,” Michael said. “I remember his excitement when APCO broke a million in sales for a year and other milestones.”

Michael has an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan. He originally worked in equitable financial firms, eventually joining the family business, starting in the warehouse and working his way up to vice president of HVAC, before becoming president and buying the company with his brother, Jeffrey, in 2005.

In 2003, Michael helped divide APCO into two operating divisions: Michigan Temperature Supply to serve the HVAC/R customer and APCO Supply for maintenance repair and operations and apartment customers. In the fourth quarter of 2007, he started two more divisions: APCO CIS to serve institutional and industrial customers and APCO-FFH to serve Internet-based customers. According to Michael, the temperature supply side is a mature market, so APCO needed to look at moving into new sectors of the market.

In the next year, Michael intends for APCO to switch to a Microsoft Windows-based software package, which he said will be a “huge culture shift.” Other corporate plans include unveiling a new APCO supply catalog and looking at opening branches for the different divisions in Metro Detroit and Cleveland.

Michael will also be looking to hire a new CFO/controller to replace his mother, Marilyn Nussdorfer, who is retiring. The company currently has 80 employees, 20 of whom have been with APCO for more than 10 years; 14 of those have been there for more than 20 years.

In addition to his commitment to the family business, Michael is also very involved in the community, serving as a coach for numerous sports teams and developing The Healing Fields through the Lansing Exchange Club in an effort to bring attention to child abuse. He is also a MENSA member and is married with four children.

Michael was greatly honored that APCO earned the Entrepreneurial Award. “This is a fantastic award,” he stated. “I greatly appreciate it and the reflection it puts upon my family. It’s a wonderful achievement, and something I can be very proud of.”