heating and cooling

John Lebellarte

Milwaukee Valve has announced the retirement of President and CEO Rick Giannini, effective January 20, 2023. John Labellarte, the company’s current COO, will succeed Giannini in leading the commercial, industrial and marine valve manufacturer.

Giannini joined Milwaukee Valve in 1998 and successfully guided the business through challenging market conditions. His leadership transformed Milwaukee Valve into a service leader and global manufacturer. He guided the transformation of the sales organization, reinvested in manufacturing processes and equipment, and assembled the company’s overseas manufacturing operations. Giannini greatly expanded the development and growth of Milwaukee Valve’s product offering and presence in the Navy Marine market.

Giannini also developed and maintained the management team which will continue to lead the company. He dedicated time and energy to industry-leading organizations, serving as Chairman of the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition (ACIBC) since its inception in 2004. He also sat on The American Supply Association’s (ASA) Industrial Piping Division Steering Committee and served on ASA’s Board of Directors.

New president and COO John Labellarte started with Milwaukee Valve in 1999 as General Manager. He was promoted to Vice President and COO in 2006. During his tenure, Labellarte has been instrumental in driving the company’s global manufacturing initiatives, strategic planning, product development and operational performance. His focus on continual improvement and the utilization and development of new technologies will continue to build brand value and value proposition for the company. Prior to joining Milwaukee Valve, Labellarte worked for 12 years with the Marpac & McCANNA Valve companies, serving in operations and management roles. He is extremely qualified to lead Milwaukee Valve, with 35 years of executive and operations management experience in the valve industry.

In its 121^st year of business, Milwaukee Valve Company is internationally recognized for state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and innovative new products covering a wide range of commercial and industrial applications.

Two historic companies are joining forces to serve San Antonio 

San Antonio, Texas — Two of San Antonio’s oldest home services companies— Shafer Services Plus and Steve’s Plumbing—are joining forces to become one of the area’s largest and most experienced plumbing and HVAC businesses. The catalyst for this partnership is the upcoming retirement of Steve’s Plumbing founder, Robi Jalnos, who has served San Antonio for more than 40 years. Robi started Steve’s Plumbing out of his mother’s garage in 1978, naming the business after his father, Stephan Jalnos, a Holocaust survivor and plumber who passed away when Robi was a young man.

Robi and Eileen Jalnos

Since then, Steve’s Plumbing has grown to become one of San Antonio’s premier plumbing contractors currently serving some 4,500 customers throughout the area. Robi has become a plumbing leader, not just locally but regionally, serving on the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners where he was of Chairman of the Examination, Medical Gas, Water Supply Protection Specialists, and Personnel Committees for seven years. Robi also serves as an expert witness on plumbing-related matters across the country. He’s considered a national plumbing expert in all aspects of plumbing installation and products, holding a Green Plumbers Certification and is an expert in solar water heating.

“For decades, our teams have had a mutual respect for one another’s history, skills, and dedication to putting customers first—so you can imagine our delight in uniting to become San Antonio’s preferred option in plumbing and HVAC services,” said Chase Anderson, President and CEO of Shafer Services Plus.

Shafer Services Plus is San Antonio’s oldest plumbing company. They added HVAC services to their offerings upon the invention of air conditioning in the early 1900s. Since then, the Shafer team has built much of San Antonio’s residential and commercial infrastructure including installing the first commercial air conditioning in a high-rise office building in the United States at San Antonio’s own Milam Building in the heart of downtown. Today, Shafer serves more than 6,000 residential and commercial customers, and is consistently rated among San Antonio’s best plumbing and HVAC contractors.

Chase Anderson (l) and Jimmy Shafer

In searching for a compatible plumbing partner, Robi Jalnos selected Shafer Services Plus because of the organization’s knowledgeable team and commitment to putting customers first. Robi will be working with the united Steve’s Plumbing and Shafer Services Plus teams for the next three years to assist in the transition.

“It has been my honor to serve San Antonio for the past 40 years,” said Robi Jalnos, founder of Steve’s Plumbing. “This has been more than a job for me. It’s my life’s work. That’s why I wanted to partner with the Shafer Services Plus team to ensure that my employees and customers will continue to be cared for like family for generations to come.”

Both Shafer Services Plus and Steve’s Plumbing attribute their longevity to top-quality workmanship and a customer-focused business model. Through their union, they will operate under five core values: treat people like family; do the right thing, even when no one is watching; be easy to do business with; exceed expectations; and provide mutual respect for all.

“The Shafer and Steve’s Plumbing teams are not satisfied with marginal service,” added Chase Anderson. “We are committed to bringing value and world class service to everything we do because it is an honor to be invited to work in someone’s home, an honor that we will continue to earn for generations to come.”

Earning a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, Michael Flynn’s (@flynnstone1) career path took an unexpected turn. “I fell ass-backward into the trade,” says Flynn. Early on, Flynn worked as pool lifeguard for six years, and, at the time, he knew a family that owned a plumbing and HVAC business. “They asked me to come on as a helper and driver, and they said I could go on my interviews and take care of my criminal justice stuff any time I needed.”

After realizing that he wasn’t getting hired due to the job shortage in 2008, Flynn focused all of his energy on the trade; he started paying more attention because this was his new career path.

When the guy Flynn was driving for left that company a year and a half later, Flynn’s boss at the time threw him the keys and told him to hop in the truck. “Needless to say, I was shaking in my boots. I was super nervous to run my own truck and service calls. Yet the boss told me to call him anytime I needed help to describe what I was looking at. The dude was a genius; he helped me fix it every time, and this was before FaceTime and good quality phone pictures, lol,” says Flynn.

With this new-found confidence instilled by his boss, it finally clicked in Flynn’s head that he could succeed in the field. Then, a self-inflicted roadblock. Flynn got a DUI and the company couldn’t keep him on, which inevitably led him on the path to sobriety. “I’m going to be four years sober on the 19^th of this month,” says Flynn.

Searching for new work, he worked for a company for six months and eventually moved to another company. “That company’s boss taught me a lot about the business aspect of the trade, and he was super hard on me to succeed. Because of that, I did 1/2 million in sales for him on the service side in one year.”

Eventually, Flynn sought an opportunity to advance his career and he moved to the company he is at now, Service Professionals, Union, New Jersey, to do installs. Working with Service Professionals for the past six years, Flynn wears many hats and has multiple responsibilities. “I am a lead installer for residential installations for plumbing and boiler service, and I oversee all operations on the jobsite, and entire projects. I’m also a field supervisor, and take care of warranty issues, difficult service calls, and sometimes oversee other installs that I am not even a part of,” says Flynn.

The last few months have been rather difficult, but lately business has picked back up. When COVID-19 first started here in the states, work was extremely slow, says Flynn. The company had to lay off a few installers—some who weren’t comfortable coming into work and some that just wanted to take off. “It was rough; fighting to get 25-30 hours a week when I’m normally at 50-60. People wouldn’t let us in the house. Now it has picked up because the weather is getting warmer and people need their AC. We are wearing masks and gloves, and asking customer to keep their distance when we are performing an install.”

Flynn owes much of his growth and success to his father. “I’m adopted, which can be tough for some people. He showed me the meaning of hard work, but most of all, he showed me the love and affection I needed,” says Flynn. “He told me that if I wanted something, I had to put in the work to get it, and I still carry that to this day.”

That hard work translates to happy customers. “I get the best feeling when a customer sees the finished install and says ‘wow’! Taking a really bad looking and terribly functioning system and turning it into gold is what I live for,” says Flynn.

Beast mode

Flynn’s advice to those considering the trades is to dive head first into the trade and don’t be afraid to ask questions. “The lead, boss, or owner knows a lot more than you will ever know. That doesn’t mean they are not willing to teach you what they know. Are a hands-on learner or a watch and learner? It helps so they can get you to a point where you can perform tasks on your own,” says Flynn.

While the job is very rewarding, it’s not all puppy dogs and rainbows. “It’s a rough and tough industry. You have to lift stuff, push stuff and pull stuff; that’s just the nature of the beast. But, it’s also extremely fun. We have a great time every day, whether it’s joking on the job site—while still getting work done—or problem solving in a customer’s home. It really is a great place to be.”

The RIDGID Rp241 propress tool is one of Flynn’s go-to tools.

Yet, people have to know that the trade and industry is always changing, says Flynn. “My concern is people’s unwillingness to change with it and adapt. Some things never change. But some things are completely different. You have to look at things totally different now and be able to adapt. There is a lot of technology that can help people improve system performance, for example.”

According to Flynn, that excitement and visibility for the trades needs to start with shop classes in middle school and high school. For instance, recently Flynn was cleaning out his basement and found some woodworking projects he did in middle school. “I said to my wife, ‘Damn, I wish they had shop in high school.’ I might have been even further in my career if they did,” says Flynn.

Being part of the RIDGID Experience was one of the best things in Flynn’s career

Moreover, the trades need to more in the discussion as a viable option. “Everyone is pushing college, college, college when you can go to trade school and be debt-free. Don’t get me wrong, I benefited from college as far as knowledge and people skills, but I am not using that degree.”

Finding success in the trades does take time, hard work and dedication. And finding the right balance between home and work life can be difficult. “Balancing is hard, but it’s great for me because when I’m home, I’m home. I don’t have to go out. No on-call for me at all. There is an install weekend rotation, but that’s it. My wife knows that I am working very hard to provide so she doesn’t give me a hard time. If I know it’s going to be a long day, I let her know beforehand. She really is a great support for me. Communication is key to that, as well,” says Flynn.

In what spare time he has, Flynn enjoys reading and researching, BBQs and cookouts with family and friends, concerts and fishing trips. That researching includes scrolling through IG and absorbing as much information as he can. Social media has been a beneficial frontier for Flynn. “IG has been great for me. Connecting with everyone in the trades is incredible, and it really has helped me up my game on install with cleanliness and functionality. All of the tips and tricks is amazing.

I’ve also made some contacts with some tool companies, which is cool. Obviously, being part of the RIDGID Experience was one of the best things in my career, and I found out about that through Mechanical Hub!” says Flynn.

The last time Flynn said it was a great day? “It may sound cheesy, but every time I step back and look at a completed job that is running perfectly, I have a good day. I really do love what I do.”

Indianapolis—Williams Comfort Air, a leading provider of heating, cooling and plumbing services, is providing free delivery of grocery pick up orders to healthcare professionals working with COVID-19 patients and people considered to be at high risk for severe illness from the coronavirus. The company, which operates Williams Comfort Air and Mr. Plumber in Indiana, Thomas Galbraith Heating, Cooling and Plumbing in Ohio, and Jarboe’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling in Kentucky, is converting its preventative maintenance teams into grocery delivery drivers – picking up and dropping off online grocery orders made through Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, Target and Market District.

“Our services are considered to be essential, and many of them – like HVAC and plumbing repairs and replacements – absolutely are,” said Jacob Huck, president of Williams Comfort Air. “But we don’t need to be completing preventive maintenance work right now. Still, we wanted our field teams to be getting 35-40 hours of work per week, so we came up with a meaningful, new way to serve the people in our community. We’re proud to offer free delivery of grocery pick up orders to those who need it right now, while still keeping employee and client safety top-of-mind.”

Free delivery of grocery pick-up orders is available now. Company leaders say they’ll continue to provide deliveries throughout the stay-at-home orders.

“As a company, we talked about how thankful we were for people on the front-lines of the pandemic, and discussed how we could help in an authentic, human way,” said Matt Tyner, Williams Comfort Air director of marketing. “Offering free grocery delivery was a way we could give thanks to people treating those who have the virus, help protect those most vulnerable to the virus and prioritize the health and livelihood of our own employees at the same time.”

To receive a grocery delivery from Williams Comfort Air, qualified individuals can place online orders scheduled for pickup between 8 – 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, then call the client care team in their area to confirm the delivery.

• Williams Comfort Air (Indiana) customers can call 317-663-9125.
• Thomas Galbraith Heating, Cooling and Plumbing (Ohio) customers can call 513-342-0460
• Jarboe’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling (Kentucky) customers can call 502-442-7500.

For more information about Williams Comfort Air, visit https://williamscomfortair.com/.