About Us

“Triple A” has been a trusted name in central Illinois home comfort since 1948, and that’s no accident. From the very beginning, every owner of this company has been a local person with deep roots in this community, and every one of them has built this business on the same foundation: taking exceptional care of customers.

It started with Warner Elson, who established AAA Heating & A/C in Creve Coeur in 1948. A few decades later, Mike Kirk founded Northgate Heating & A/C in Peoria in 1977. Elson and Kirk, neighbors who loved the HVAC trade, both understood what central Illinois families needed and believed that trust had to be earned one customer at a time. In 1980, Kirk merged the two companies into AAA Northgate.

That same commitment carried forward when Chris Baumann became president and owner in 2012, and again in 2016 when Brad Johnson joined as a partner. This customer-focused legacy is moving forward with a renewed sense of purpose, including stepping out from under a decade-long affiliation with a national brand to establish a fully independent identity: AAA NorthStar Heating & Cooling.

The name feels right. The North Star doesn’t move. It’s the point in the sky that navigators have trusted for centuries to find their way — steady, reliable, always there. That’s exactly what this company has strived to be for central Illinois families for nearly 80 years. As we look to the future, AAA NorthStar is our promise that no matter how much the industry changes around us, our customers can always count on us to be their fixed point — the one they can navigate by when making decisions about their home comfort systems.

We extend that same commitment to our team. We believe that taking care of our customers starts with taking care of the people who serve them. Every member of the AAA NorthStar team deserves a great place to work, real opportunities to grow their skills, and the simple satisfaction of being treated right. When our people thrive, our customers feel it.

Nearly 80 years later, the “Triple A” philosophy hasn’t changed: expert people, honest service, and a genuine commitment to the families we serve.