April is the time of year to start thinking about saying farewell to the cold weather and greeting spring with a smile. In other words, transitioning from heating your home to cooling it.

Perfect time to highlight one of Dracut’s heating and cooling companies that can help you transition from cold to warm. RPM Heating & Cooling, 19 Chuck Drive, Unit 2, is the Dracut Economic Development Business of the Month for April 2025.

Matthew Rancourt started RPM in 2016. He graduated in 2003 from Greater Lowell Technical High School, where he studied carpentry, then entered that field upon graduation. He liked it well enough, except for the fact that not a lot of carpentry can be done around these parts in the winter, resulting in layoffs.

So he decided to look into the heating and cooling business, working with a couple of Dracut companies, including Mike Marcoux Plumbing & Heating, Rick Jean Plumbing and Heating, then Macheras Service Mart in Lowell. It was while working for a large company in Haverhill that he realized it was time to strike out on his own.

“I saw the revenues they were doing, and I thought, ‘Hey I can do this on my own,’” Matt said.

He already had his oil-burner, refrigeration and EPA licenses, so he decided to go for it.

Almost a decade later, he has six full-time employees and accepts Cooperative Education students from his alma mater, Greater Lowell Tech, giving kids the same opportunity he had to start out on his career path while still in high school.

Matt and crew do a lot of work with Mass Save and other agencies that help low-income residents with fuel assistance, including Lowell-based Community Teamwork Inc.

Most of the work RPM does is residential, though it also does light commercial.

“A lot of it is service work, replacing AC equipment, boilers,” Matt said. “But we have a geothermal job in Pelham. We’re into all aspects of heating and cooling.”

And it’s OK if you’re one of those people who make their appointments for equipment servicing months in advance, or if you call only when something breaks down. RPM will be there.

“Some folks are proactive and want to make sure everything’s working ahead of time, and some wait till the last minute,” Matt said. “That’s fine. We cater to everyone.”

He keeps it in the family as well. His father, George Rancourt, CEO of Constant Knowledge, a Boston-based company that assists small businesses with marketing and training, helps on the business side of RPM.

As for the name he chose for his company, Matt was looking forward a bit. He liked the image that RPM evoked, that of “high-performance heating and cooling” and “going the extra mile.” But he also plans to expand the business into construction, so the RPM actually stands for Rancourt Property Management. Toward that end, he’s pursuing his sheet-metal license starting this spring.

“In the near future, I want to start another company building homes,” he said. “I work a lot with local contractors. It’s a good way to generate business and relationships.”

For more information, call 978-957-2728, email sales@rpmheat.com, or visit www.rpmheatandcool.com.

CAPTIONS (ALL PHOTOS COURTESY RPM HEATING & COOLING)

1: Matt Rancourt owns RPM Heating & Cooling.

2. Matt Rancourt works on a residential cooling project.

3. The RPM van is ready for action.

4. Matt with his wife Rosaly and children, Neilla and Matthew Jr.

5. RPM is starting to work with geothermal heating and cooling systems.

6. A hanging furnace installed by RPM.