New Guests going Pro?

[Smittyhvac1]

My business is family owned and operated since 1946. It was started by my father and his 4 older brothers. I started at age 8, sweeping floors and running drive cleats every Saturday. My summer vacations were spent in the shop with my father (the shop foreman at the time) learning how not to loose digits in the many pieces of machinery. My father passed when I was 13, and my uncles and many cousins took over in my HVAC education. By the age of 18 I was finishing high school and ready to begin my career when I was informed by my uncle, "You can't work here unless you have a college education. No if's, and's, or but's." So I went to 4 years of college majoring in small business management. I set up my classes so I could always have at least a half a day of work. (You get used to having money in your pocket!)
I graduated college with a Bachelor's degree and finally went to work . I was given a van, some gauges, and an old Motorola radio. "Get going!" my uncle said as he ushered me out the door. "Call in on the radio if you can't figure something out!" I worked and learned like this for 2 years. Once it was decided that I liked service and install better then tin knocking, I signed up for Local Union 420's apprenticeship program. I graduated the program as an MES serviceman. I worked in the field for the next 22 years.
Eventually all my uncles have passed or retired, and the business has been left in the hands of myself and my 4 cousins. We each have our own divisions of the business we run. I run the crews who pipe and wire equipment in all new housing, commercial, and retrofits. I also do service when things get really busy.
The business has grown, and my reponsibilities have changed. I am now in the office a couple days a week (depending on work loads) to help oversee the ordering of equipment, and layout and manufacturing of custom ductwork for all of our retrofits, amongst other things.
When the business was at its peak a few years ago, we were employing 30 duct mechanics, 15 pipefitters, 5 servicemen, 2 shop men, 2 apprentices, and 4 in the office. Needless to say, it isn't that way at the moment. We have our own sheet metal shop and amke all the duct we use (except round and spiral).
I try to keep up with my guys as far as new equipment education and training. I am NATE and IGSHPA certified. I still go out and crawl around crawl spaces and in attics with my men. I wouldn't ask them to do it if I wouldn't.

[Tech23]

Tech23, Chuckcrj, Supertek
You guys competing for who gets the Welcome Wagon Mod position?
Nice of the three of you to make all these welcomes on behalf of the entire Htalk community. Let me help lighten your workload.

Welcome to all new members who have posted to this point.
Tech23, where do you get those awesome smilies? Those are hilarious!

Actually, I am on the welcoming committee.



I get the smilies here:
http://bestsmileys.com/lol/

[Tech23]

Hello everybody,

I want to intruduce myself and I'm going start with my education backgroun. I went to community collage and earned an Associated degree on Hvac/Refrigeraion. I'm currently taking more classes on personal development and sale. Presently, I'm working for school district in my area. Servicing various type of systems such as packege unit, multizone, heat pumps, medium and low temp system.

Welcome...sounds like you got a pretty good start on things, good luck in the future!

[Tech23]

My business is family owned and operated since 1946. It was started by my father and his 4 older brothers. I started at age 8, sweeping floors and running drive cleats every Saturday. .

Welcome. Sounds like my son, he is 4 1/2 and I take him to work once in a while and he uses the magnet on wheels to pick up all the screws and sheet metal pieces in the parking lots. He loves it and tells me all the time, that he needs to go to work with me to keep us from getting flat tires.

[Smittyhvac1]

All I wanted when I was a kid was to be a part of this whole thing, and now some days, all I want is to be done with it.
I've encouraged my daughter to find out what it is she LOVES to do, and try to make a career of it. I was never given that choice. It was a given that I would work for the business. It's an honest living, but not necessarilly an easy one.

[Tech23]

All i wanted was to be a part of this whole thing, and now some days, all I want is to be done with it.

Glad I am not the only one that has those thoughts some days!!!

[BrendanM]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Brendan and I am a new apprentice straight out of high school. I have had a job now for about a month and its been pretty good, its a little intimidating at times because i dont want to get anything wrong, but i guess thats how we learn. I joined this site so that i can learn from other people in the trade and so that i can grow my knolwedge about it.

[TXSpeed6]

Howdy, folks. Been a member on this site for a bit, signed up mostly because of the wall of shame. Worked 2 years in the field. Currently working for an HVAC distributor in South Texas, and soaking up what info I can. This site has been tremendous in teaching me things that you just don't get to experience in the wholesale side. And also good feedback on products currently on the market. Seems like a great community with a wealth of information. Looking forward to reading more as new things arise!

[Tech23]

Howdy, folks. Been a member on this site for a bit, signed up mostly because of the wall of shame. Worked 2 years in the field. Currently working for an HVAC distributor in South Texas, and soaking up what info I can. This site has been tremendous in teaching me things that you just don't get to experience in the wholesale side. And also good feedback on products currently on the market. Seems like a great community with a wealth of information. Looking forward to reading more as new things arise!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Brendan and I am a new apprentice straight out of high school. I have had a job now for about a month and its been pretty good, its a little intimidating at times because i dont want to get anything wrong, but i guess thats how we learn. I joined this site so that i can learn from other people in the trade and so that i can grow my knolwedge about it.

[TXSpeed6]

Hey, thanks for the welcome

Been working here for over 4 years and I enjoy working with most of our contractors! I feel comfortable talking about our product and helping out in the technical aspect with most common problems, but I enjoy learning new things and that's what I hope to gain out of this site, and hopefully help with anything I can.

[jimtwalkermech]

I'm excited to have found this site. It seems to be a bunch of very experienced techs. I hope that I can help others and get soem help myself. I' worked at York for 10 years doing a lot of teardowns and went to Johnson Controls to start a chiller dept a few years ago. I am now trying to build a chiller dept for a local mechanical contractor and hoping to offer and recive some good information and advice.

This site seems a bit confusing at the moment but hoping to figure it out quickly. Hello Everybody!

[rkelsensohn]

Hello all,

For the last 27 or so years I have worked as an operating engineer for a health care corporation in Central California. In my younger days I studied Marine Engineering and spent a few years working in the maritime and construction industries.

We installed our first building automation hardware many years ago ( Landis/Gyr Powers- 1 SCU with an orange, text based terminal.) Over time, our facility has grown quite a bit and so has the control system. We now have a SIEMENS Apogee system controlling hundreds of VAV/CAV boxes and associated HVAC systems in the main hospital and several off-site locations. We also have one JCI/Metasys building and a new wellness center/ gym that uses Alerton BACnet.

I am happy to have finally joined this group as I have found this site to have been very helpful several times when I have googled a problem and been directed to a posting here.

Regards to all.

Robert

[mmair]

I signed up to keep up and to have a good place for referance. Iam 38 yrs olds and i am starting my career in hvac. Being 38 i know what hard work is and more than ready to do some. If any in the north GA ( gainesville) area needs help or hiring i'm here. I do have a maintainace back ground.