WEBVTT 00:00:02.589 --> 00:00:05.769 We're putting out a stellar product that is high 00:00:05.769 --> 00:00:08.490 efficiency, the highest technology out there 00:00:08.490 --> 00:00:11.890 that you can put in an HVAC system. So we sort 00:00:11.890 --> 00:00:14.089 of owe it to the market to make sure that we 00:00:14.089 --> 00:00:17.929 have trained people that can work on it. Welcome 00:00:17.929 --> 00:00:21.589 to Did You Know, the ESCO HVAC podcast, the show 00:00:21.589 --> 00:00:24.429 where we explore the cool, the hot, and the everything 00:00:24.429 --> 00:00:28.199 in between of the HVACR industry. Each week, 00:00:28.300 --> 00:00:30.800 we dig into the innovations, the insights, and 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:33.759 the inspiring stories that power our trade from 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:36.759 the classroom to the job site and beyond. This 00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:38.600 episode is brought to you by this week's amazing 00:00:38.600 --> 00:00:42.179 sponsors. Daikin Comfort Technology, perfecting 00:00:42.179 --> 00:00:46.700 the air since 1924. ServiceLogic, people first, 00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:51.159 always. Hudson Technologies, one pound reclaimed 00:00:51.159 --> 00:00:55.969 is one pound not made. iConnect Training. supporting 00:00:55.969 --> 00:01:00.170 HVAC and refrigeration instructors, as well as 00:01:00.170 --> 00:01:02.649 the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices 00:01:02.649 --> 00:01:04.769 of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the 00:01:04.769 --> 00:01:07.430 United States and Canada, built on excellence 00:01:07.430 --> 00:01:11.090 since 1889. Whether you're just getting started 00:01:11.090 --> 00:01:13.269 or you've been turning wrenches for decades like 00:01:13.269 --> 00:01:16.150 myself, there's always something new for us to 00:01:16.150 --> 00:01:19.230 learn. I'm Clifton Beck, and this is Did You 00:01:19.230 --> 00:01:23.629 Know? The ESCO Age Fact Podcast. Let's dive in. 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:27.980 All right, everyone. Thank you so much for joining 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:32.040 us on Did You Know? The ESCO HVAC Podcast. So 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:33.659 I am spending some time with my dear friend, 00:01:33.719 --> 00:01:35.640 Jeff Bledsoe. How are you? Doing great, man. 00:01:35.739 --> 00:01:38.299 I'm loving this podcast trailer. Well, we're 00:01:38.299 --> 00:01:40.840 sitting here in the Daikin Atmosphere Lounge 00:01:40.840 --> 00:01:44.599 doing our podcast recording. And, you know, this 00:01:44.599 --> 00:01:46.640 conversation, and by the way, for everyone that's 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:49.480 listening, like Jeff flew up here from Florida 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:51.359 just to be the first person to do a podcast in 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:54.680 this thing. So we can get this new studio launched. 00:01:56.719 --> 00:02:00.140 So, Jeff, this is. You wear many hats in the 00:02:00.140 --> 00:02:04.120 industry. For our sponsor, Daikin, you are the 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:07.620 contractor development manager for the entire 00:02:07.620 --> 00:02:10.020 country. So you're hopping around doing that. 00:02:10.099 --> 00:02:13.500 You're doing a lot on your own, though, a lot 00:02:13.500 --> 00:02:17.280 of giving back to the industry. Tell us a little 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:18.949 bit about that. about that before we even get 00:02:18.949 --> 00:02:21.110 started? Well, one of the cool things in the 00:02:21.110 --> 00:02:23.870 last week, I was at the MSCA conference, and 00:02:23.870 --> 00:02:26.770 we have now sponsored the Convoy of Hope with 00:02:26.770 --> 00:02:29.949 the MSCA. Okay. It's a faith -based organization 00:02:29.949 --> 00:02:34.050 that responds to natural disasters, whether they're 00:02:34.050 --> 00:02:37.340 here or they're in 40 countries. Wow. And the 00:02:37.340 --> 00:02:39.379 nice thing about that, when they told me that, 00:02:39.419 --> 00:02:41.080 I looked at them and smiled. I said, well, we're 00:02:41.080 --> 00:02:46.159 in like 176. But for even, I think some of the 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:48.520 stuff that we packed at the kitting process last 00:02:48.520 --> 00:02:51.699 week is going to wind up in Jamaica. Really? 00:02:51.780 --> 00:02:53.539 For that natural disaster. Oh, yeah, for the 00:02:53.539 --> 00:02:55.939 hurricane. And it's just a hygiene kit with soap 00:02:55.939 --> 00:02:58.340 and toothpaste and shampoo and stuff like that. 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:02.500 And we packed 5 ,400 kits in two hours. Wow. 00:03:02.990 --> 00:03:05.710 Because the MSCA is really behind the charitable 00:03:05.710 --> 00:03:08.129 giving. You know, they know that the industry 00:03:08.129 --> 00:03:10.370 has been good to them and this is a way they 00:03:10.370 --> 00:03:13.550 can give back to people. You know, that's kind 00:03:13.550 --> 00:03:17.090 of the theme for this podcast is how did we get 00:03:17.090 --> 00:03:21.650 here? No lie. No lie. Even just you and I, when 00:03:21.650 --> 00:03:24.409 we first met, I wasn't in this role. Yeah. You 00:03:24.409 --> 00:03:26.650 know, I was a national accounts guy for Daikin 00:03:26.650 --> 00:03:29.810 covering Johnstone. And now I've moved into this 00:03:29.810 --> 00:03:32.189 role with contract development and I'm heading 00:03:32.189 --> 00:03:34.710 up the EPP program, which are all our educational 00:03:34.710 --> 00:03:37.229 partners across the country. Yeah. Schools and 00:03:37.229 --> 00:03:40.069 the UA and places like that. I didn't dream when 00:03:40.069 --> 00:03:42.150 I started with Daikin. I just celebrated my 19th 00:03:42.150 --> 00:03:44.729 anniversary. So I've been here for a while. Right. 00:03:44.810 --> 00:03:47.759 And when I met you, you were at Johnstone. as 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:51.020 a trainer for training on Daikin. And it's amazing 00:03:51.020 --> 00:03:54.319 how our careers take us and the people we get 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:56.840 to meet and the things we get to do. It's very 00:03:56.840 --> 00:03:59.180 cool. I think that's the reason we wanted to 00:03:59.180 --> 00:04:01.259 do this podcast was to encourage people that 00:04:01.259 --> 00:04:04.159 wherever you are, that's just where you are right 00:04:04.159 --> 00:04:06.520 now. It doesn't have to be where you're going 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:08.719 to be in the future. There's so many avenues 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:12.159 in this industry. I look back and eight years 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:14.689 ago or so, I was turning wrenches. You know, 00:04:14.710 --> 00:04:17.110 I had no idea I would be doing anything other 00:04:17.110 --> 00:04:19.850 than turning wrenches. But when I finally took 00:04:19.850 --> 00:04:23.089 that step of faith and kind of stepped out of 00:04:23.089 --> 00:04:25.810 my comfort zone and decided to do something different, 00:04:25.889 --> 00:04:29.589 it changed. things for me very much so that's 00:04:29.589 --> 00:04:31.350 one of the things and when i'm privileged enough 00:04:31.350 --> 00:04:33.449 to get to speak to trade school students around 00:04:33.449 --> 00:04:36.610 the country i always tell them always do more 00:04:36.610 --> 00:04:39.170 than you get paid for yes i said somebody will 00:04:39.170 --> 00:04:41.430 take notice absolutely you never know where you 00:04:41.430 --> 00:04:42.829 may wind up and i was thinking about you and 00:04:42.829 --> 00:04:45.709 i when i said that yeah i mean like would you 00:04:45.709 --> 00:04:47.410 have ever imagined when you got into the street 00:04:47.410 --> 00:04:50.250 like how did you get into hvac At all. Oh, well, 00:04:50.449 --> 00:04:53.790 many years ago, I went to trade school in Pensacola, 00:04:53.829 --> 00:04:56.649 Florida, Georgetown Votac. Awesome. And taking 00:04:56.649 --> 00:04:58.810 major appliance and refrigeration repair because 00:04:58.810 --> 00:05:01.670 I was going to start my own business in Pensacola. 00:05:01.769 --> 00:05:04.810 Okay. And one day while I'm in class, my instructor 00:05:04.810 --> 00:05:08.550 gets a call from a company called Tempaco, which 00:05:08.550 --> 00:05:10.509 he happened to know the owner. They're a small 00:05:10.509 --> 00:05:12.209 franchise group. There's still some of them in 00:05:12.209 --> 00:05:16.009 Florida. Right. And they do oil, gas, and HVAC. 00:05:16.129 --> 00:05:18.230 Okay. This guy needed somebody on the counter. 00:05:19.050 --> 00:05:21.389 Not only did I find out I was good at sales, 00:05:21.449 --> 00:05:24.069 I liked it. And I never looked back, didn't start 00:05:24.069 --> 00:05:26.829 that business I was going to. And I've been in 00:05:26.829 --> 00:05:29.069 the industry for almost 40 years now. Isn't that 00:05:29.069 --> 00:05:31.290 crazy? You know, so many of our students, you 00:05:31.290 --> 00:05:34.230 know, when we were teaching them in class, typically 00:05:34.230 --> 00:05:37.110 we're teaching them to be a mechanic, but not 00:05:37.110 --> 00:05:39.990 realizing that there are so many other opportunities 00:05:39.990 --> 00:05:42.430 in this industry that could take you amazing 00:05:42.430 --> 00:05:46.529 places. Yeah. And how I wound up at Dykin is 00:05:46.529 --> 00:05:51.019 my best friend. Dave Lucas was my bell and gossip 00:05:51.019 --> 00:05:53.180 pump rep when I was a wholesale distributor in 00:05:53.180 --> 00:05:56.300 Pensacola, Florida. Okay. And now he was one 00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:58.259 of the first six people hired at Dykin. And when 00:05:58.259 --> 00:06:01.000 my position, this position came open, I was the 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:02.920 guy he wanted to hire. Right. So I was like, 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:04.839 Hey, where are you going? What are you doing? 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:07.399 Exactly. And that's how it happens. Exactly. 00:06:07.399 --> 00:06:09.920 So November 1st, every year I call him and thank 00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:13.899 him. Sure. I can imagine because, I mean, just 00:06:13.899 --> 00:06:16.310 think about that kid going through. trade school 00:06:16.310 --> 00:06:18.410 right would you have ever thought that you would 00:06:18.410 --> 00:06:21.269 have came out of school and then ended up the 00:06:21.269 --> 00:06:25.370 largest guy in the world exactly no never you 00:06:25.370 --> 00:06:28.129 know but you never know where your where your 00:06:28.129 --> 00:06:31.009 path goes yeah you know and as long as you're 00:06:31.009 --> 00:06:33.209 working hard and doing treating people right 00:06:33.209 --> 00:06:35.689 and being kind to people people take notice yeah 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:38.879 And your conscientious about your job and you 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:42.240 have that servant attitude as well. It is. Because 00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:45.000 it's all about that. And I tell people all the 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:48.300 time, I said, support is not convenient. If you're 00:06:48.300 --> 00:06:49.579 going to get in this industry and you're going 00:06:49.579 --> 00:06:51.939 to promise people support, whether it's taking 00:06:51.939 --> 00:06:53.620 care of their air conditioning or whatever it 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:56.839 is, it's not convenient. They may call you at 00:06:56.839 --> 00:07:00.759 8 o 'clock on Christmas Eve with a house full 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:02.500 of company because they're starting up their 00:07:02.500 --> 00:07:06.230 first system. Been there, done that. And the 00:07:06.230 --> 00:07:08.290 good thing about that is because I took that 00:07:08.290 --> 00:07:11.310 phone call, he put Dyken equipment in 250 locations 00:07:11.310 --> 00:07:14.529 over the next two years because of that one night. 00:07:14.949 --> 00:07:18.470 It's really about, and I've said this many times, 00:07:18.730 --> 00:07:21.189 and I think you just hit it on the nail, because 00:07:21.189 --> 00:07:24.490 I asked people in our industry, do you feel like 00:07:24.490 --> 00:07:26.910 being successful in this industry is literally 00:07:26.910 --> 00:07:30.170 just being a good servant? It is. I think so. 00:07:30.269 --> 00:07:33.230 It truly is. Because I have a blast what I do. 00:07:34.110 --> 00:07:36.750 As long as years ago when we were first getting 00:07:36.750 --> 00:07:39.449 started, I called Dave one day and I was laughing. 00:07:39.569 --> 00:07:41.209 He said, what is so funny? I said, man, as long 00:07:41.209 --> 00:07:44.089 as I can find one person who doesn't know the 00:07:44.089 --> 00:07:46.910 capabilities of our equipment. I said, Dave, 00:07:46.930 --> 00:07:48.529 you're kidding me. Look in their face, never 00:07:48.529 --> 00:07:52.870 gets old. Yeah. Well, that's that passion of 00:07:52.870 --> 00:07:56.670 it. So do you think that you found that passion 00:07:56.670 --> 00:08:02.100 of... sales and just education when you were 00:08:02.100 --> 00:08:05.879 at the parts counter? I was, yeah. Because back 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:08.639 then, though, everybody had the same thing. But 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:10.879 I remember when the electronic ignitions first 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:12.959 came in and the furnaces. So you had to be able 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:15.740 to educate people. Yeah, yeah. Because the manufacturers 00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:17.779 then didn't know. They just give you a new ball 00:08:17.779 --> 00:08:20.800 of wires and you've got to figure it out. Right, 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:23.379 there you go. But it's all about that. And as 00:08:23.379 --> 00:08:26.160 the technology has changed, and I think HVAC 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:31.620 in the last, 20 years, has grown faster in the 00:08:31.620 --> 00:08:34.700 technology than most any other things out there. 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:40.200 I agree. We've now gone to heat pump, hot water 00:08:40.200 --> 00:08:43.759 heaters. That's a big change. But prior to that? 00:08:44.110 --> 00:08:46.990 It was going to a big box store, buying a blanket 00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:49.769 and a timer, so you only heated the water when 00:08:49.769 --> 00:08:51.570 you were needed early in the morning or late 00:08:51.570 --> 00:08:53.029 in the evening because you didn't heat it all 00:08:53.029 --> 00:08:55.990 day long. That was the energy -saving aspect 00:08:55.990 --> 00:08:58.590 of it. But with this technology, again, it's 00:08:58.590 --> 00:09:02.389 changing so much so rapidly. You have to be able 00:09:02.389 --> 00:09:04.970 to have students and technicians that are keeping 00:09:04.970 --> 00:09:06.610 up with it because you're giving them a laptop 00:09:06.610 --> 00:09:08.690 computer with the air conditioner. Yeah, you 00:09:08.690 --> 00:09:11.529 are, 100%. It's our diagnostics, even our educators. 00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:15.179 I just came back from a conference where we were 00:09:15.179 --> 00:09:17.379 learning about new technologies that was coming 00:09:17.379 --> 00:09:19.340 through the industry, and that was something 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:22.360 that we were really spending a lot of time with 00:09:22.360 --> 00:09:24.580 the instructors because the instructors were 00:09:24.580 --> 00:09:26.379 wanting to get in front of educators, trying 00:09:26.379 --> 00:09:28.159 to help them understand that things are changing 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:31.799 so fast that the educators have to be on top 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:34.159 of things so that the students are learning and 00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:36.559 that the students are coming out of school going 00:09:36.559 --> 00:09:38.659 to some of these contractors going, hey, I know 00:09:38.659 --> 00:09:40.360 a little bit about this, and the contractors 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:43.639 don't. because they're very far behind on education. 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:46.440 You know, when I started doing these podcasts 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:49.559 and I started making it grow, I started making 00:09:49.559 --> 00:09:52.159 a lot of phone calls, a lot of cold calls. Hey, 00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:55.159 I'd love to have you on our podcast to talk about 00:09:55.159 --> 00:09:56.679 the industry, maybe things people don't always 00:09:56.679 --> 00:10:01.350 think about. And yesterday. I got a return phone 00:10:01.350 --> 00:10:03.389 call from one that I had placed almost a year 00:10:03.389 --> 00:10:06.149 ago, and it was from the director from the Bureau 00:10:06.149 --> 00:10:08.769 of Labor Statistics. That's going to be on the 00:10:08.769 --> 00:10:10.570 show, going to be on the podcast here in a few 00:10:10.570 --> 00:10:14.710 weeks, because even the BLS is recognizing the 00:10:14.710 --> 00:10:17.730 growth that is happening in the trades. and they're 00:10:17.730 --> 00:10:20.830 needing feedback because they're seeing the growth 00:10:20.830 --> 00:10:24.529 in our trades. Like just the HVAC side of it 00:10:24.529 --> 00:10:28.990 has got a projected like 8 % growth, which is 00:10:28.990 --> 00:10:33.710 three times IT fields. Wow. Isn't that crazy? 00:10:33.850 --> 00:10:35.990 That is crazy. And I'll tell you, we did a beta 00:10:35.990 --> 00:10:39.409 marketing campaign with a school a few years 00:10:39.409 --> 00:10:42.629 ago, and they had two classes at that time, and 00:10:42.629 --> 00:10:44.330 they were struggling to fill them with students. 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:49.159 beta test with them marketing campaign we put 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:51.740 on bus stops and on buses and stuff around oh 00:10:51.740 --> 00:10:53.960 really and talked about it within three years 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:56.039 you could be making this number of dollars well 00:10:56.039 --> 00:11:00.159 in the six week period prior to that in the prior 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:04.610 year their website got 1800 hits During the six 00:11:04.610 --> 00:11:06.750 weeks that we did this campaign, they got 28 00:11:06.750 --> 00:11:09.190 ,000 hits. Now that's a big difference. Now, 00:11:09.309 --> 00:11:12.049 two years later, they now have seven classes, 00:11:12.090 --> 00:11:14.870 and they're all full months in advance. Isn't 00:11:14.870 --> 00:11:17.809 that crazy? Somebody asked me about what I attributed 00:11:17.809 --> 00:11:21.190 the new found interest. Yeah. And I said, I honestly 00:11:21.190 --> 00:11:23.919 think it's COVID. And the so -called pandemic 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:25.980 that they had because people were sitting at 00:11:25.980 --> 00:11:29.100 home losing money. Some of them got fired. And 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:31.059 they were watching those tradesmen go up and 00:11:31.059 --> 00:11:32.279 down the street. They didn't miss a lick. They 00:11:32.279 --> 00:11:34.200 were still busy as can be. They did not miss 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:36.399 a lick. Yeah. And they said, so why do I need 00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:40.340 to do this? And it's really created an interest. 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:43.659 Even I was at Lincoln Tech here in Indy just 00:11:43.659 --> 00:11:46.870 a couple hours ago. They started with six students 00:11:46.870 --> 00:11:50.169 last year. Now they have 170 in the HVAC class. 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:53.309 Okay. Well, that has grown significantly. In 00:11:53.309 --> 00:11:57.519 a year. So it's taking off. Goodness, that's 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:00.240 a huge jump. It is. Yeah, I know they just opened 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:02.899 that facility, but, I mean, that's a lot of students 00:12:02.899 --> 00:12:05.000 coming through already. And it looks really good 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:06.720 because it's full of Dykin equipment. There you 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:11.000 go. And they're another co -sponsor of the studio. 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:12.860 Oh, yeah, that's right. Lincoln Tech. Yeah, so 00:12:12.860 --> 00:12:14.799 we'll be spending time at their schools and a 00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:16.759 variety of others. And, really, it's about preaching 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:19.639 this message that our industry has some amazing 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:22.320 opportunities in it. I've seen many articles 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:25.120 lately that the next millionaires are going to 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.639 be tradesmen. I believe it. I do as well because 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:31.200 when you look at taking the technology that we've 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:34.220 got now and the skill set and the mental acuity 00:12:34.220 --> 00:12:36.299 it's going to take to maintain that and keep 00:12:36.299 --> 00:12:38.879 up with it and paying attention to the detail 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:41.740 because of the fact there is a computer in this 00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:44.399 thing, you'll be able to write your own ticket 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:46.220 pretty much going forward because it's going 00:12:46.220 --> 00:12:49.899 to require. the skill set that our grandfathers 00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:52.320 didn't have. Yeah, exactly. And the fact is my 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:55.080 favorite go -to line is like, we've got a 2025 00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:58.299 Ferrari. We're not selling 72 VW bucks. That's 00:12:58.299 --> 00:13:01.519 so true. And you're not working on it. No, not 00:13:01.519 --> 00:13:04.019 the same. Absolutely. They are absolutely not 00:13:04.019 --> 00:13:08.860 the same. So that's going to help elevate and 00:13:08.860 --> 00:13:12.480 just extend their capabilities as far as monetary. 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:16.019 But the fact is, no matter where you get into 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:18.250 the industry, You still got to pay your dues. 00:13:18.429 --> 00:13:19.970 You do. You got to put some time in. That's what 00:13:19.970 --> 00:13:22.750 some of these youngsters and the students are 00:13:22.750 --> 00:13:24.710 thinking. Oh, I can make a lot of money doing 00:13:24.710 --> 00:13:26.210 this. Well, you can't go into it with that mindset. 00:13:26.750 --> 00:13:29.409 You have to pay your dues. You got to have some 00:13:29.409 --> 00:13:31.850 credibility to what you do. I agree. You know, 00:13:31.889 --> 00:13:34.370 I seen an article yesterday and it was from a 00:13:34.370 --> 00:13:38.730 consumer. I think they were struggling with the 00:13:38.730 --> 00:13:41.970 entry -level pay of getting into HVAC because 00:13:41.970 --> 00:13:45.669 they were looking at career paths for their child. 00:13:46.090 --> 00:13:47.970 And they said, well, why would I want to send 00:13:47.970 --> 00:13:50.769 my child to trade school? Because they're coming 00:13:50.769 --> 00:13:53.830 out of school starting at $16 an hour, and they 00:13:53.830 --> 00:13:57.769 can go to McDonald's and make $22. And the response 00:13:57.769 --> 00:14:01.049 was, yeah, but in five years, they'll still be 00:14:01.049 --> 00:14:07.100 making $22, maybe $23. they'll be setting their 00:14:07.100 --> 00:14:09.480 own limits. They can work as much as they want. 00:14:09.539 --> 00:14:11.700 They can go any direction they want. If they 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:13.899 don't progress, yeah, they may still be down 00:14:13.899 --> 00:14:16.860 there in the lower pay, but in a few years, they're 00:14:16.860 --> 00:14:18.860 going to be able to escalate their opportunities 00:14:18.860 --> 00:14:21.860 and their pay. And then relook at all the different 00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:24.059 opportunities that they can do. It just continues 00:14:24.059 --> 00:14:26.539 to grow. You know, you've partnered with the 00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:29.500 UA, which is a lot of our commercial HVAC and 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:31.559 refrigeration. They're another co -sponsor of 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:34.460 the studio. You could come out of a trade school, 00:14:34.679 --> 00:14:39.279 work with a union like the UA, partnering with 00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:42.840 Daikin. And you can be making six figures in 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:46.399 no time flat. Easy. And the fact is when somebody 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:49.019 invests in the money for the technology and the 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:51.539 energy savings and stuff with this type of equipment, 00:14:51.740 --> 00:14:55.539 when you've got a 27 -story building and it's 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:58.899 a week before Christmas and you've got like 14 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:02.120 apartments that have no heat, you need a competent 00:15:02.120 --> 00:15:06.629 guy to go fix that. Because those owners, they 00:15:06.629 --> 00:15:08.629 have a lot of money invested in the equipment 00:15:08.629 --> 00:15:12.690 and the building. And it's not the Johnny -come 00:15:12.690 --> 00:15:14.190 -lately that can go in there and work on it. 00:15:14.230 --> 00:15:15.870 No, not at all. There's no more flipping through 00:15:15.870 --> 00:15:17.970 the yellow pages and starting in the A's in the 00:15:17.970 --> 00:15:20.769 HVAC to call somebody to come work on this. That's 00:15:20.769 --> 00:15:21.690 right. Because they'll go out there and look 00:15:21.690 --> 00:15:23.830 at it and go, I have no idea what this is. I 00:15:23.830 --> 00:15:27.090 don't know where to start. And then, sadly. Some 00:15:27.090 --> 00:15:29.149 of them wind up doing more damage to the system 00:15:29.149 --> 00:15:32.590 than we really want. So that's why it behooves 00:15:32.590 --> 00:15:34.210 us. That's one of the reasons why Daikin has 00:15:34.210 --> 00:15:36.649 gotten so heavily involved with the education 00:15:36.649 --> 00:15:40.889 portion, with ESCO being the go -to guy at the 00:15:40.889 --> 00:15:44.129 conference for the HVAC and investing so much 00:15:44.129 --> 00:15:47.129 in the trade schools because we know that they 00:15:47.129 --> 00:15:48.889 have to have that education. We're putting out 00:15:48.889 --> 00:15:52.940 a stellar product that is high efficiency. the 00:15:52.940 --> 00:15:54.879 highest technology out there that you can put 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:58.419 in an HVAC system. So we sort of owe it to the 00:15:58.419 --> 00:16:00.539 market to make sure that we have trained people 00:16:00.539 --> 00:16:03.059 that can work on it. You can't give them that 00:16:03.059 --> 00:16:04.720 kind of equipment and talk them into buying it 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:06.940 and go, here you go, good luck. Here's your box. 00:16:07.059 --> 00:16:09.100 It doesn't work that way. It doesn't work that 00:16:09.100 --> 00:16:11.879 way at all. Yeah, that trained technician is 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:15.000 the key to successful products of any type. Oh, 00:16:15.019 --> 00:16:17.139 yeah, and it still comes down to the basics. 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:19.120 Make sure it's installed properly. That's it. 00:16:19.450 --> 00:16:21.350 When it's installed properly, it's pretty much 00:16:21.350 --> 00:16:23.389 bulletproof, unless you're in the state of Florida 00:16:23.389 --> 00:16:25.549 and it gets hit by lightning and all beds are 00:16:25.549 --> 00:16:28.909 off. I was actually just talking to a tool manufacturer. 00:16:28.909 --> 00:16:30.830 I spent a little bit of time with our good friend 00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:34.149 Tony Gonzalez from a field piece. He was asking 00:16:34.149 --> 00:16:37.990 questions about installations. I'm like, he's 00:16:37.990 --> 00:16:40.149 like, so why do so many ductless units get a 00:16:40.149 --> 00:16:42.070 bad reputation? I was like, because they're installed 00:16:42.070 --> 00:16:45.110 wrong. That's it. You take a unit that's installed 00:16:45.110 --> 00:16:49.570 properly, you don't hear about them they work 00:16:49.570 --> 00:16:52.149 flawlessly. It's the poor installations from 00:16:52.149 --> 00:16:54.690 the improper training that causes the concerns. 00:16:54.909 --> 00:16:56.889 Yeah. Field piece has been a good partner for 00:16:56.889 --> 00:16:59.289 us as well. So much so that they're building 00:16:59.289 --> 00:17:01.929 some new training systems, I think for HR or 00:17:01.929 --> 00:17:05.079 something going on next year. We're helping sponsor 00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:06.980 that. Very good. That's fantastic. I talked to 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:09.339 Tony the other day. Well, you're all over the 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:12.640 industry, helping out, bringing education and 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:16.339 bringing awareness to this high -tech field that 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:19.279 we have become. We've always had advanced technologies 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:21.839 in our industry. A lot of that was in the commercial 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:25.359 realm. Now those same technologies are in residential 00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:28.359 and in almost every product, and you have to 00:17:28.359 --> 00:17:30.779 become educated. Even those skilled technicians 00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:33.500 that have been in the field for a long time and 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:35.539 got and good at what they're doing, many of these 00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:38.279 new products are almost alien to them, and they 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:40.640 need the education just as much as that fresh 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:42.740 technician that has never even looked at a piece. 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:44.920 Well, let's say years ago the joke was if you 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:47.180 wanted to program your VCR, you'd go get your 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:49.259 grandkids. That's right. Well, you've got to 00:17:49.259 --> 00:17:50.740 do the same thing now with your air conditioning 00:17:50.740 --> 00:17:54.740 because if you're old school. then you don't 00:17:54.740 --> 00:17:56.579 know how to do that. So you've got to get some 00:17:56.579 --> 00:17:58.980 of these new fresh minds, and at least somebody's 00:17:58.980 --> 00:18:01.500 willing to learn. You betcha. When we look at 00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:03.339 all of the technology that is going into them, 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:05.960 you're right. You can work on these. You can 00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:09.319 diagnose these from a PC, from a tablet, and 00:18:09.319 --> 00:18:12.559 many times remotely. It blows my mind. When you 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:14.599 look at years ago, the first thing they would 00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:17.440 do when they go to troubleshoot a piece of equipment, 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:19.200 they'd go hook their gauges to it. Yeah, let 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:22.309 me start here. Yeah. That's the last thing you 00:18:22.309 --> 00:18:24.190 do. That's the last thing. You put your gauges 00:18:24.190 --> 00:18:26.390 on ours and you pressurize it and you charge 00:18:26.390 --> 00:18:28.430 it up and then take the gauges off. That's exactly 00:18:28.430 --> 00:18:29.930 right. Put them back in the truck, you know, 00:18:29.950 --> 00:18:32.730 and you use the diagnostic tools, you know, which 00:18:32.730 --> 00:18:35.769 are computer -based products to do the diagnostics 00:18:35.769 --> 00:18:37.690 on the thing. And if you don't know how to do 00:18:37.690 --> 00:18:41.259 that, then you're pretty much not. that good 00:18:41.259 --> 00:18:43.740 in the marketplace to anybody. I agree. Yeah, 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:46.559 because when you look at all of the pressure 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:48.319 transducers and temperature thermistors going 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:50.519 into these pieces of equipment, it's the same 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:52.839 type of controls that we're using in our digital 00:18:52.839 --> 00:18:56.440 manifold gauges. The data is there. All we have 00:18:56.440 --> 00:18:58.240 to do is to be able to look at that data and 00:18:58.240 --> 00:18:59.900 be able to interpret it properly. But, dude, 00:18:59.980 --> 00:19:02.539 the technology even in the tools, being able 00:19:02.539 --> 00:19:05.990 to set your gauges out. Pulling a vacuum on something 00:19:05.990 --> 00:19:08.430 that are digitally, you know, Bluetooth connected 00:19:08.430 --> 00:19:10.410 to your phone so you can go back in and keep 00:19:10.410 --> 00:19:12.509 working, pulling wires or whatever while you're 00:19:12.509 --> 00:19:14.569 watching it from your phone instead of just sitting 00:19:14.569 --> 00:19:17.630 outside babysitting the vacuum pump. I got one 00:19:17.630 --> 00:19:19.589 right over there. I got one of the new smart 00:19:19.589 --> 00:19:22.170 recovery and the smart vacuum pumps from NABAC, 00:19:22.230 --> 00:19:24.329 one of our co -sponsors for the studio. You can 00:19:24.329 --> 00:19:26.289 set that up and tell it, hey, I need for you 00:19:26.289 --> 00:19:28.869 to go down to this level and I need you to hold. 00:19:29.009 --> 00:19:30.529 And then you're going to go down here again and 00:19:30.529 --> 00:19:31.569 you're going to hold and you're going to let 00:19:31.569 --> 00:19:34.519 me know once you've done this decay test. Unbelievable. 00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:36.579 I can be doing so many other things while my 00:19:36.579 --> 00:19:39.099 tools are doing work for me. So now you take 00:19:39.099 --> 00:19:41.599 the technology and make it work for you. Exactly. 00:19:41.619 --> 00:19:43.740 So you're spending less time on a job so you 00:19:43.740 --> 00:19:46.039 can do more jobs in a day. And guess what? You're 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:47.880 making more money. Making more money. Exactly. 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:51.599 Exactly. Yeah, it's this wonderful cycle. And 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:54.140 it all starts with proper education and having 00:19:54.140 --> 00:19:56.440 the right educational partners in the industry. 00:19:56.859 --> 00:19:58.779 Well, it's going to cut back on callbacks, for 00:19:58.779 --> 00:20:01.420 one thing. The education, especially on this 00:20:01.420 --> 00:20:03.180 type of equipment, make sure you're doing it 00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:04.839 right the first time. So you cut down on your 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:08.299 callbacks. You cut down on your warranties. And 00:20:08.299 --> 00:20:11.420 then you can, now that we've got, there's testing 00:20:11.420 --> 00:20:13.880 and stuff out there, so technicians can get certifications 00:20:13.880 --> 00:20:17.579 and give the consumer that peace of mind that 00:20:17.579 --> 00:20:20.200 these guys know what they're doing. Yeah. How 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:24.079 did we get here? I don't know. I started in this 00:20:24.079 --> 00:20:27.799 industry in 88. Yeah, so I've been around for 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:31.059 a long time. Fantastic. Yeah, I was about 98 00:20:31.059 --> 00:20:34.839 when I got in, and it's been great for me. And 00:20:34.839 --> 00:20:38.400 I encourage everyone that's listening to push 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:43.240 yourself, to make yourself more valuable. It 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:44.640 really comes down to education and certification. 00:20:46.029 --> 00:20:47.910 Absolutely. That's where you need to challenge 00:20:47.910 --> 00:20:50.690 yourself to be better. And don't hope the market 00:20:50.690 --> 00:20:53.509 changes. Hope it gets better. You need to get 00:20:53.509 --> 00:20:56.150 better. Exactly. And challenge yourself and become 00:20:56.150 --> 00:20:58.450 more valuable in the marketplace. And that's 00:20:58.450 --> 00:21:00.589 where it comes to is boiling down to you. Going 00:21:00.589 --> 00:21:02.349 and getting the education and learning everything 00:21:02.349 --> 00:21:05.809 you can about this because that's where, you 00:21:05.809 --> 00:21:09.460 know, out -hustle everybody. I've never seen 00:21:09.460 --> 00:21:11.299 a crackhead get up in the morning and say, I 00:21:11.299 --> 00:21:13.359 can't get high today because I'm broke. He's 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:15.220 going to figure out a way to go get high. So 00:21:15.220 --> 00:21:20.460 don't get out hustled by a crackhead. Man, is 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:22.180 that the name of this podcast? Don't get out 00:21:22.180 --> 00:21:24.119 hustled by a crackhead. Absolutely. It works 00:21:24.119 --> 00:21:27.400 for me. That's hilarious. You're going to be 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:29.799 all over the place. I encourage people, if you 00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:32.279 want to meet Jeff, come on out to the National 00:21:32.279 --> 00:21:35.240 HVACR Education Conference. He's going to be 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:38.960 there for the entire time. to get you connected 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:42.259 with any of the products that Daikin offers, 00:21:42.460 --> 00:21:44.619 any of the educational opportunities that are 00:21:44.619 --> 00:21:49.200 there. In the past, we've primarily had educators 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:51.579 from schools at the conference, but that has 00:21:51.579 --> 00:21:53.180 grown to where we have distributor trainers, 00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:56.000 we have contractor trainers, and just contractors 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:58.119 and technicians that are wanting to learn more 00:21:58.119 --> 00:22:00.079 about the industry. It's a great place for you 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:02.420 to come hang out with us, get to meet everybody, 00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:05.599 and learn more about. everything that Jeff is 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:07.279 contributing to our industry. Well, one of the 00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:08.960 things, too, about when you mentioned contractors, 00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:11.700 we're actually now allowing contractors to sign 00:22:11.700 --> 00:22:13.460 up and be part of our educational partnership 00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:16.720 program. Really? So contractors who are, you 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:20.619 know, have drank the Kool -Aid and know that 00:22:20.619 --> 00:22:22.400 they have to have their technicians trained. 00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:24.700 And this way it gives them more flexibility, 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:27.500 too. So if they have a large enough facility 00:22:27.500 --> 00:22:29.380 where they have a trainer and they're dedicated 00:22:29.380 --> 00:22:31.539 to that, we want to help them with that as well. 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:34.400 Because the fact is they can take one of my installed 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:36.559 commissioning classes that may be eight hours. 00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:39.000 They can break it down over four weeks, two hours 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:41.700 a morning. Make it into chunks. Exactly. So they 00:22:41.700 --> 00:22:43.660 take accountability for their own training, but 00:22:43.660 --> 00:22:45.440 they have to go through the same process that 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:47.279 our trainers do and our distributors and our 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:49.960 reps do and the schools do to make sure that 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:52.559 they're a truly authorized trainer. Love that. 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:54.920 Yeah, that's what our industry needs. Absolutely. 00:22:55.160 --> 00:22:56.799 Well, my friend Jeff Bledsoe, I'm sure grateful 00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:58.619 that you hung out with us for today. Oh, absolutely, 00:22:58.619 --> 00:23:01.720 man. This has been awesome. I love the trailer, 00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:05.640 man. You have done a phenomenal job. Your imagination 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:10.019 and technical skills just continue to blow me 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:11.720 away, man. It's been a learning opportunity. 00:23:11.819 --> 00:23:14.180 And your commitment to the industry. You know, 00:23:14.200 --> 00:23:17.680 people may not realize, but what you do, you 00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:21.930 know, you are truly a... Leading the light, man. 00:23:22.369 --> 00:23:24.150 They say you've got to be salt and light. You 00:23:24.150 --> 00:23:26.029 are damn sure a light in this industry, and that's 00:23:26.029 --> 00:23:27.750 for sure. Thank you. Just trying to bring the 00:23:27.750 --> 00:23:30.529 voices up front where they need to be. Absolutely. 00:23:31.069 --> 00:23:32.970 It's always a never -changing market, so they 00:23:32.970 --> 00:23:34.490 need people like me and you that are leading 00:23:34.490 --> 00:23:36.309 the charge, sort of like Johnny Appleseed. I 00:23:36.309 --> 00:23:40.450 agree. All right, well, thank you so much, and 00:23:40.450 --> 00:23:42.750 I encourage you all to learn more about Daikin 00:23:42.750 --> 00:23:44.970 at Daikin Comfort. All right, thank you, sir. 00:23:45.109 --> 00:23:45.970 All right, thank you, man.