Juan Vicente Cardona was born September 11, 1958 in Camajuani, Las Villas, Cuba and raised there through the late 1950s. In 1961, after Fidel Castro had taken over the island and imposed his Communist dictatorship, Juan's parents, Vicente and Blanca, applied to the United States. 

Ten years later, June 21, 1971, after many troubles related to this decision, the family was allowed to leave the island for the United States, land of freedom and opportunity, taking along with them, maternal grandmother Felicita and Juan's siblings Vicente Jr. and Beatriz. They were not allowed to take any personal belongings, not even wedding rings. Later they would learn that they had flown out on the next to last flight to legally leave Cuba.

COMING TO 
THE LAND OF DREAMS

They landed at Miami International Airport, knowing no English and strangers to American culture and customs. Juan was enrolled in 7th grade and quickly picked up the English language. In 1976, while in the 11th grade, he was hired by a local heating-ventilating-air conditioning (HVAC) distributor, Bryant Air Conditioning, as a warehouse worker. He quickly moved up the ladder to warehouse manager, parts counter, inside sales and technical supervisor.

In August 1981, Juan made a career move to Atlanta, Georgia, where he held technical supervisory positions for HVAC distributor Apex Supply Co. and the Georgia World Congress Center, one of the largest trade show hosts in the world. In August 1983, Juan met Sondra McCloud and her daughter Vicki. In December of that year, Juan and Sondra married.

THE MAKING OF A DREAM

In 1985, Juan and his new family relocated to Charleston, West Virginia, the original home of Sondra and Vicki. After working for three HVAC contractors in the area, he followed his own dream of establishing a company dedicated to quality, dependable service and integrity. In January 1989, Juan founded JC Heating & Cooling. He became an American citizen on October 22, 1990.