HVAC

As part of a steadfast commitment to world-class learning, coaching, and development within the home services industry, Minnesota-based Nexstar Network has upgraded their corporate headquarters relocating from downtown St. Paul to Bloomington, Minn. Nexstar’s new headquarters is spacious and light-filled; it features the Frank J. Blau, Jr. Training Center, a state-of-the-art learning destination, as well as free covered parking and onsite security. Just minutes from the MSP airport and the Mall of America, this centralized location is close to numerous acclaimed restaurants, high-end shopping, and green spaces.

Julian Scadden, Nexstar Network President and CEO, joins with Nexstar members, leadership and VIPs during the ribbon cutting celebration at Nexstar Network’s Open House event.

Nexstar recently hosted a grand opening celebration to officially open the doors to their destination HQ. More than 100 Nexstar members, VIPs, Strategic Partners, and employees attended the celebration.

Of the new headquarters, Julian Scadden, Nexstar President & CEO, says, “We serve a membership that is built on in-person relationships. We are proud to have a space where our staff can connect with each other and our members in service to our mission to turn the world’s best tradespeople into the world’s best businesspeople.”

Nexstar Network hosted an Open House celebration to welcome members, strategic partners, current and former employees, industry VIPs, community leaders, and neighbors to their new headquarters and training location.

Designed to host Nexstar members and Strategic Partners in a welcoming space when they’re in the Twin Cities to network and train, the upgraded headquarters offers a collaborative, flexible, and productive workspace for Nexstar employees.

“We are excited to welcome our members “home” to our new headquarters,” says Carrie Fraser, Vice President of Operations. “Connecting members and providing top-tier, participant-centered training is core to who we are and the value we provide for our members.”

Leading provider of Denver home services continues massive growth with expansion of services

High 5 Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, a family-owned and operated home service company serving residents in the greater Denver metropolitan area, announced today the expansion of services as the leading plumbing company in the area will begin offering HVAC services on April 29.

High 5 Plumbing, Heating & Cooling will begin offering HVAC.

“High 5 has been offering quality plumbing and drain services for more than a decade, and we’re always looking for ways to add value for our customers and our community,” said Levi Torres, co-owner of High 5. “We brought in experienced HVAC technicians to help lead this division, and we’re excited to roll it out. Our new service manager, Isaac Jonsgaard, has been offering expert HVAC services to the area for several years now, and he’s the perfect person to lead this new endeavor.”

The new service offerings come after a year of explosive growth for the home service provider. In September 2023, High 5 moved into a new facility in Golden, Colorado, which will feature a 1,500-square-foot training room. Earlier in the year, High 5 landed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing businesses in America for the second year in a row. The company was also ranked as one of the fastest growing businesses in Denver by the Denver Business Journal and a top family-owned business by ColoradoBiz Magazine.

“Since opening High 5, we’ve had lofty goals and even bigger dreams,” said co-owner Cassi Torres. “And we keep achieving them. We’ve seen amazing growth since opening our doors in 2012, and we know there are even greater things ahead. The sky’s the limit.”

To learn more about High 5 Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, visit https://high5plumbing.com/.

Lochinvar announces the launch of its XCalibur^™ Condensing High Efficiency Tankless Water Heaters with X3^® Scale Prevention Technology. Bringing to market new premium features, including an integrated recirculation pump and patented heat exchanger; enhanced installation flexibility and high efficiency performance, the XCalibur tankless water heater supports busy contractors and homeowners.

Available in 160,000-; 180,000-, and 199,000-BTU/hr units and a Uniform Energy Factor (UEF) of 0.95, the XCalibur line of premium tankless water heaters fits a variety of installation needs. Patented X3 Scale Prevention Technology comes standard on three XCalibur models. Other models are available with X3 Technology as an optional accessory. X3 Scale Prevention Technology inhibits scale build-up and corrosion to extend the life of the unit up to three times longer. The XCalibur tankless water heater requires zero lifetime descaling maintenance, meeting the needs of busy contractors and homeowners. XCalibur units also qualify for state and local rebates and are ENERGY STAR^®certified.

“With every product we offer, Lochinvar advances the technology and features available to contractors to improve their day-to-day life, and the XCalibur does just that,” said Lochinvar Senior Product Manager Rhea-Anne Pendley. “Thanks to its installation flexibility and X3 Scale Prevention Technology, contractors can now directly address a homeowner’s needs. Contractors no longer have to return to their wholesaler for a different unit or return to a jobsite for scale maintenance—saving time and money.”

To enhance installation flexibility, the XCalibur line offers two- and three-inch dual pipe direct venting, ½- and ¾-inch gas line options and universal indoor/outdoor installation. The unit is designed so it can be converted from natural gas to liquid propane in the field with the included kit. All of these features work together to provide plumbing professionals with exceptional installation flexibility when working in the field. Plumbers now have a unit that conforms on the spot to fit their needs, regardless of install location, fuel type or existing venting.

XCalibur tankless water heaters also include several high-end features frequently requested by homeowners, including Wi-Fi capability for remote monitoring and peace of mind and an integrated recirculation pump that provides instant hot water and eliminates the time homeowners typically spend waiting at their fixture for water to heat up.

To learn more about Lochinvar’s XCalibur Condensing High Efficiency Tankless Water Heater with X3 Scale Prevention Technology, visit www.Lochinvar.com or XCalibur^™ Condensing High Efficiency Tankless Water Heaters with X3^® Scale Prevention Technology.

Virtual and simulation training isn’t necessarily new to the industry but its acceptance has been met with intrigue, and trepidation. But to say that this is the future of training? Not so fast. The consensus thoughts regarding this type of training is that will never replace in-person or on-the-job training, but it will become a cog in the overall “wheel” for training assets.

According to Taco Comfort Solutions’ Product & Application Instructor-East, Dave Holdorf, Taco doesn’t want to change its training necessarily, rather seek to enhance the training experience.

“We ask many attendees how we can improve our classes and seminars.  One of the most frequent replies is: ‘Add a hands-on section to the class; the theory is great and useful, but I want to install.’

“In a classroom setting, this can sometimes be difficult for the space needed, the time it takes, and to accommodate the different skillsets of attendees. We believe we’re now on a track with virtual reality (VR) training to give that experience to attendees—whether they’re seasoned pros, or new to the trade. VR can help to guide participants in what to look for, and more importantly what not to do on a project,” says Holdorf.

F.W. Webb’s Michael DelConte checks out the VR display at the Taco booth during the AHR Expo.

Ken Midgett, former teacher and apprenticeship Instructor, Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, now Plumbing, Marketing Director with Interplay—whose mission statement is “Better Careers Better Lives”—believes that they can play a part in a person’s career trajectory with that person using Interplay’s content. “When a person engages in learning and increases both their fundamental knowledge and the steps to do a task, we are helping that person upskill and creating more career opportunities for them. The value of a product that interplay offers is the demand function. You do not have to wait until a class is offered you can just connect and learn,” says Midgett.

Adaptation to simulation and on-demand training is paramount to success for the learner and the business. Midgett says that traditional classroom learning for skilled trades is becoming more and more challenging for several reasons:

• Finding good instructors: Many think that because they know a skill, they can teach it effectively. As a former educator, this is not always the case. This leads to poor instruction and marginal learners who are not engaged.
• The cost: The cost of running and maintaining a hands-on training center is much higher than instructor salaries and consumables.
• Change or die: Young learners are not inept at learning from lectures. Most skilled trade learners need to be engaged with learning and it must represent meaningful learning.
• The disruption of classroom learning to the workday: A rationale for going to class in the evening for 2-3 hours is losing traction to young learners. Business owners become frustrated with learning times and days as they view this as unproductive time. Young learners need to be met where they are with training that fits their lifestyle.

Interplay Learning training, combined with the new employee with the right attitude who is coachable and willing to learn, can be an explosive combination with a win-win result. “Taking an apprentice and having them spend time training and learning with on-demand training and then pushing that person into the field with a skilled person to watch and do in the real world is the best way to train this person or persons at scale,” says Midgett, who says there are numerous other advantages to this model:

• On-job efficiency increases as the apprentice now possesses the foundational knowledge and skills to perform a given task.
  • Relationships are better between the journeymen and the apprentice, as the journeyman perceives the apprentice as engaged and productive.
  • Business owners experience low turnover, better culture, and increased revenue as these new hires have direction and are leaning at scale.
  • Technicians feel confident in their work due to training and upskilling.
  • Callbacks are reduced and remediation training for the technician to increase their confidence
  • Service managers can focus on coaching and maintaining technician stats instead of being the only technical lifeline for numerous techs.
  • When sending these apprentices to “factory training,” they can engage and understand this much better due to the foundational knowledge.

Nonetheless, Midgett says there are a few things to note and understand about simulation and on-demand training:
• On-the-job or hands-on training with higher skilled supervision cannot be replaced.

• Simulations are great at teaching steps and muscle memory of a task.
• Simulation or any on-demand training cannot teach “feel.” As an example, simulation training cannot teach the skill of what “tight” feels like with a pair of wrenches on threaded steel piping or how tight to make a tank-to-bowl connection on a closet, or how tight a screw should be on the control board. This is what the onsite skilled person or journeyman must understand and teach effectively on site.

“While VR, AR and simulation-based technology are great resources, I do not think that any one particular learning system or style is the future,” says Rich Camacho, CEO & Co-Founder, BlueRecruit. Having said that, Camacho utilizes Interplay’s services (all of Interplay’s certifications and courses live on BlueRecruit, and when a person completes an Interplay course, they can then add that qualification to their BlueRecruit profile to strengthen their profile for Employer) and he thinks Interplay is a fantastic tool to augment in-class learning and a great launch point for someone either just entering the trades or seeking to upskill a particular technique.

“However, at the end of the day true craft mastery will occur in the field with a wrench. As technology continues to improve and costs continue to decline, Interplay will play a larger and larger part of building the next generation of skilled trades professionals and we’re excited to work alongside them in building “Better Careers and Better Lives,” says Camacho.