Alum opens new business

By Vaughn Lenard

Sloan Lenard, class of 2020, started his own company called “Lenard Heating and Cooling” in 2022. Lenard started Sacred Heart as a preschooler and ended up graduating with a class of seventeen students.

During his time at SH, Lenard participated in track for two years and football for all four years including being a part of Sacred Heart’s 2016 football state championship team. “My favorite part of attending Sacred Heart was playing on the football team,” Lenard said. “I enjoyed getting to play on a team with my friends and being coached by Doug Goltz.”

After graduation, Lenard attended a one-year program at Highland Community College where he learned about heating, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing. After receiving his diploma, Lenard worked for Jones Air Conditioning in Falls City for two years. “I always planned on having my own HVAC and plumbing business,” Lenard said. “After two years at Jones Air Conditioning, I decided I was ready to start my own company.”

Lenard enjoys being his own boss and the fact that he gets to choose his own hours. On a typical work day he starts work around 8am, and he could be doing any variety of different activities; every day is different. Some of his typical tasks include working on air conditioners, heating, plumbing or even excavating.

Part of Lenard’s job includes being available and ready to step up when someone calls and needs help, and these calls don’t always happen during regular business hours. He feels like one of the most important parts of success is hard work and dedication. “If you don’t take risks, you will work for someone who did,” Lenard said.

In May of 2023 Lenard married his girlfriend of six years, Emily Hutton, who he met at a track meet during his eighth-grade year. Recently, on January 21, Sloan and Emily welcomed their first child, Boden Lenard. “I’m excited to see what the future holds,” Lenard said. “I can’t wait to see Boden on the football field.”