Vent Heating & Cooling shares a little vintage comic relief

By Mary Malik

While a large flock of buzzards returns to Hinckley every March, this year there is one in particular to note—Binky.

Born on a drawing table in 1981, Binky was created by Karl Kastl Jr., a former litho artist at American Greetings who drew monthly cartoons for the local Hinckley newspaper. Now, his son, Karl Kastl III, is bringing it back to life. The owner of Vent Heating & Cooling, and a bit of a nostalgia buff, Karl is converting a century-old building on the corner of Route 303 and Ridge Road to house his company along with several other businesses. Among the treasure trove of objects found in the building was a box filled with old Binky cartoons. “I want to share these with Mimi readers in future issues for some much-needed comic relief,” says Karl. “Plus, there will be heating and cooling tips for your home or business.”

Though Karl says he is more mechanically inclined rather than artistic like his father, you can see his creativity on display as he incorporates exposed spiral ductwork as a design element for customers who want a more industrial décor in their business or home.

Vent offers installation, service and repairs of heating and cooling systems; hot water tanks and tankless systems; indoor air purification systems; and duct cleaning and custom fabrication. Last year during the pandemic, the company worked in partnership with Tom Vanover to build Klean Rooms. These boxes have gasketed doors allowing restaurant employees to place the items inside from one side and the customers to grab them from the other side for contactless food pickup.

A locally owned family business, Vent was founded in 2015 by Karl and his wife Stelma. He has more than 25 years experience in the HVAC industry and is passing along his knowledge to his three sons who also work at company.

Vent Heating & Cooling is located at 1388 Ridge Road in Hinckley. For more information, call 440-785-2629 or visit VentHVAC.com.