Local versus National

Hey guys,

Just hoping to get some input here on people's take between national brands and locally owned shops.

Looking to get a solar water heater installed for the house. I'm based out of Jacksonville, FL here, and have checked into what appear to be a couple local shops... I get the goal is to save money in the long run, but man, one of the companies (place called solarjacksonville.org, looks to be a locally-owned one) returned with a quote that dang near made me drop dead.

Do the national companies just have an easier time keeping overhead low? Or are they just cutting corners on quality? 

I'm fine paying for the top-notch stuff, just want to make sure it's legit before I write the check.

Thanks,

Brad