These days have been pretty busy for Bulldog Contractors. “When COVID first appeared, there wasn’t enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished. And once stimulus checks hit, there was a huge spike in work flow. We have been very blessed and fortunate to be working through the pandemic,” says Jeff Keller. A licensed Read more
HVAC
These days have been pretty busy for Bulldog Contractors. “When COVID first appeared, there wasn’t enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished. And once stimulus checks hit, there was a huge spike in work flow. We have been very blessed and fortunate to be working through the pandemic,” says Jeff Keller.
A licensed master plumber, Keller works for his father in running Bulldog Contractors in northeast Texas. Bulldog Contractors is a well-rounded company that strives to provide a one-stop shop for its customers, and that’s why Keller specializes in service work for plumbing, electrical and septic, and carries multiple licenses in electrical and septic as well.
Yet, the career path for Keller wasn’t always defined early on. When Keller was in high school, he wanted to be a veterinarian based on his love for pets and animals. “I honestly didn’t have the grades for it, so if I had to guess, I would be in the oil field chasing that dollar,” says Keller.
But watching his father succeed in business—and life—was huge for Keller. “I honestly never thought of following in his footsteps growing up. But as I got older, and needed a summer job, I fell in love with the overall variation of different types of jobs and people I encountered on a day-to-day basis,” says Keller.
To Keller, his father was his biggest motivator. “He put me on a higher pedestal than I would have liked growing up as a kid, but in the end, it turned out very well and it kept my mindset on track. Also, some very deep guidance was from my grandfather—on my mother’s side—as well. The advice, stories, and memories that I have retained has been priceless. If I could be half the man my grandfather was …. they just don’t make them like they used to!” says Keller.
Keller has never looked back as his love for the trades has grown over the years. “In the service industry, you just never know what you are getting yourself into that day,” he says. “I like the uncertainty. The jobs are never identical. It keeps you on your toes and the mind busy,” says Keller. Oh, and as for Keller’s love for animals? “With my current career, I get to see multiple houses a day and their pets; I bond with them and that’s a cool small aspect of my day.”
Moving the Trades Forward
Concerning to Keller about the trades, though, is the quality of work and labor. “With the trades dying, so does the manpower to get projects completed. So, it’s a rat race to get in and out and onto the next one. Years or even sometimes months down the road we are fixing issues that could have been resolved if some time and quality was put into a job,” says Keller.
One of the biggest concerns for the trades overall is to infuse young, skilled labor into the trades. “It’s all about advertising and education; they go hand-in-hand. We really need to be getting into the school systems and reaching out to the youngsters. With the way this world is going at this moment, this will be a never-ending battle and a hard one to tackle. ANYTHING is possible, though!”
And when those recruits are ready, Keller suggests not going to school—unless required—to learn the trades, especially if you are going into the service industry. “What a service technician knows and understands isn’t taught in a book. Get into the trade, get your eyes and ears in the field, and become a sponge. Learn everything you can,” says Keller.
Work/Life Tilt & Spare Time
Balancing family time and work is often tough to navigate. Keller’s family understands that sometimes the phone rings and he has to take the call, yet he will always make time for them. There will be work and money to be made, regardless, says Keller and his family is the most important thing that he has and cherishes.
“Some days I make a lighter work load to pick the kids up from school and take them on a field trip, or doctor appointments. I took my middle girl, Elyse, out to ice cream the other day, just us. The little things are what they will hold onto and remember for years to come. My father did the same for me and I plan to pass that onto my family, as well. You must make time for your family because the kids will be grown and gone before you know it,” says Keller.
For Keller, though, it’s hard for him to sit still so you’ll normally find him in the shop tinkering around mostly cleaning and keeping it organized, and playing with the kids. “The same with my yard, I’ll go mow dirt if I have time! It’s my quiet place if you know what I mean. On the weekends, I enjoy my main hobby, which is fishing—mainly night fishing so the wife and kids sleep through most of it while I’m gone,” says Keller.
Social media has opened many doors for Keller that he would have never imagined. “If someone told me 10 years ago, I would be traveling all over the country—anything from factory tours to trade shows to attending early tool/product releases, I wouldn’t have believed them. I appreciate all the new friends and connections I have made. It’s a true honor.”
What people may not know about Keller is, “I’m a nerd when it comes to numbers and efficiency of my house. During a day I might check the water pressure of my house 2-3 times. Same goes for my current water heater temp—digital display on heat pump unit. And my solar input and output. I keep a close eye on efficiency.”
The last time Jeff Keller said “today is a great day”? “I took off work super early, surprised my wife and we went out and about for the day, no schedule at all.”
Designed to recognize and thank essential workers, the program will shine a spotlight on those who show up on the front lines, every day Bosch Power Tools, the world market leader for power tools and power tool accessories, will recognize and acknowledge trade workers for their tireless efforts and give them the thanks they deserve Read more
Designed to recognize and thank essential workers, the program will shine a spotlight on those who show up on the front lines, every day
Bosch Power Tools, the world market leader for power tools and power tool accessories, will recognize and acknowledge trade workers for their tireless efforts and give them the thanks they deserve. With “Always Essential,” Bosch plans to meet these essential workers where they are, giving back through giveaways and worksite activations.
Recognizing that individuals in the trades couldn’t stay home while facing a global pandemic, Bosch sees workers from HVAC to construction and beyond continuing to perform their essential duties. As many facets of everyday life were shut down, new hospitals and healthcare centers needed to be built, heating and air conditioning systems needed to be repaired, power lines, roads and bridges needed to be maintained. The very framework of our society continues to be managed by frontline workers who stay largely behind the scenes. Until now.
“While ‘essential worker’ has become a buzzworthy phrase in 2020, we understand and celebrate that these trade professionals are, and always have been, essential to our way of life,” said Roger Amrol, president of Bosch Power Tools North America. “Without the commitment, hard work and dedication from each and every one of these individuals, society as we know it could not exist. And for that, we’re forever grateful.”
Over the coming months, teams from Bosch will meet trade workers on their turf at worksites around the country with giveaways and other gear to say “thank you” to the indispensable individuals who are the backbone of the trade industries and the country itself.
Amrol added, “The trades have always been essential and worthy of our gratitude and recognition. Now, it’s time for us as a society to give it to them.”
For more information on Bosch Power Tools and “Always Essential,” please visit www.stories.boschtools.com/always-essential or connect on Facebook and Instagram.
BY JOHN O’REILLY 35-year industry veteran discusses why his employer, CPI Plumbing & Heating, has chosen to invest heavily in developing the tech skills of local high school grads, working with various vendors and suppliers to create a 2,500-sq.-ft. learning facility from scratch. The headlines tell the story with increasing urgency: The shortage of skilled Read more
BY JOHN O’REILLY
35-year industry veteran discusses why his employer, CPI Plumbing & Heating, has chosen to invest heavily in developing the tech skills of local high school grads, working with various vendors and suppliers to create a 2,500-sq.-ft. learning facility from scratch.
The headlines tell the story with increasing urgency: The shortage of skilled workers in the trades hampers our economy. Work takes longer to complete and costs more because of inevitable delays and fierce competition. This list of reasons why this shortage has reached critical mass is as long as your arm. What isn’t as clear is what to do to correct it.
That is, unless you’re Steve Murray, a 35-year veteran of the PHCP industry and currently HVAC Division Manager at CPI Plumbing & Heating, a full-service contractor based in Mt. Vernon, Washington, a 60-mile drive north of Seattle on Interstate 5. For Murray and CPI owners Brad Tully and Michael (Oly) Olsen, developing a team of properly trained plumbing and HVAC service technicians is a task just as important as—if not prerequisite to—successfully managing the day-to-day operations of this fast-growing company.
The key to the company’s training effort lies in its recently completed “Training Lab” where young apprentices get to practice the skills taught in the company’s classroom. To outfit the 2,500-square-foot space with the plumbing, hydronic and forced-air HVAC systems the company installs and services, CPI went to the vendors that they rely on every day.
Among the most critical was Uponor North America, because its PEX-a piping and fittings offering are at the core of the company’s plumbing and heating disciplines. Uponor responded in a big way: donating nearly $5,000 of Wirsbo hePEX plus pipe for radiant and hydronic heating applications, as well as fittings, manifolds and controls. Also included was nearly 200 linear feet of Quik Trak plywood panels, used mainly for retrofitting a residential space with radiant heating.
“The CPI Training Lab has been a significant investment for us,” says Murray. “We spent $25,000 to $30,000 outfitting the space. Thanks to Uponor and our other vendor partners, we’ve been able to get much of the material donated. But it is a serious expense, for sure—yet one that we think will pay off, long term.”
In the following interview, Murray tells how CPI ensures it has access to a ready and reliably stable of service technicians, as well as how his background positioned him to lead this important initiative for CPI.
Question (Q): How did the idea for the training room develop?
Steve Murray: The closest training center to Mt. Vernon is 50 miles away, and it isn’t practical to ask guys who have already worked a full day to drive 90 minutes in rush-hour traffic to get to a training class. While there are a few local colleges with some HVAC classes, there is nothing in plumbing. Nor did the available curriculum offer any hands-on learning, which we believed essential.
We started by expanding an existing classroom and outfitting it with all the newest audio/visual equipment for online learning. Next, in 2018, we began to transform a junk space every contractor’s shop has into a hands-on lab where apprentices could actually practice what was taught in the classroom. We can now accommodate up to 30 students at one time. Our top techs, Coady Pike and Jake Petterson, help with the training and the curriculum planning as well.
To create an authentic environment, we framed a floor above existing plumbing connections for waste and water connections. The renovated space now has full plumbing facilities: a working bathroom, urinal and kitchen. We also have all the mechanical systems our techs work on in a home: two combi-boilers, two furnaces and air handlers, an electric furnace and, with Uponor’s help, radiant heating on the wall. We also have all kinds of water heaters, tank and tankless.
Q: What is your background and how did you gravitate to training?
Murray: After high school, I joined the Coast Guard. The trade skill in that branch of the military is called “damage control.” On a ship, damage control involves everything from firefighting, to taking care of plumbing systems, to welding and carpentry. That’s where I learned how to maintain plumbing and hydronic systems.
After five years, I left the service and got a job working for a maintenance/property management company, maintaining large apartment buildings in the older part of Seattle. From there, I worked for various contractors, becoming a journeyman plumber and HVAC service technician. Eventually, I opened my own shop for a time.
The one constant at every company, including my own, was a need for trained personnel. Most applicants lacked the necessary skills; or, worse, they had really bad habits. So, I started devising in-house training programs.
At the same time, I taught the plumbing apprenticeship track at a local trade organization called the Construction Industry Training Council. Working two jobs and commuting two hours each way for work eventually became too much. So, in 2016, I joined CPI, which is just 10 minutes from my house.
The owners wanted to grow their HVAC business, and I took on the role of HVAC Division Manager. We’re still working to grow it, and it has been a challenge, mainly because we just don’t get a lot of already properly trained candidates. That’s really what it boils down to.
Q: Who are the students and how do you find them?
Murray: Most are high school grads who CPI has hired. The average age of our apprentice crew is 20, although the average apprentice nationwide is 27, so we’re significantly below that.
Recruitment isn’t easy. Our marketing person participates in all the Chamber of Commerce meetings and all the local contractor trade groups. Last year, we started an outreach program to the local high schools, hosting meet-and-greets at the schools with graduating seniors, talking to them about the opportunities in the trades. We also host monthly open houses for interested kids and their parents. They tour the CPI Career Center and talk about what it’s like to work in the trades. That is really our best opportunity.
There is no perfect system to find the right people, and it is pretty easy to get disillusioned. So many high school guidance counselors still think every student needs to go to college to have a meaningful life. It makes no sense to me. Kids need to hear the message that the trades are a real career option that can provide a good living, post-apprenticeship training.
Q: How many young people are a part of the CPI apprenticeship program right now? What is the curriculum they follow?
Murray: Pre-COVID 19, our classes had 8 to 10 students, now it’s 3 to 5 students per session, so we can spread out.
We have done a couple of things to create the curriculum. We’ve pulled pieces together from Skill Mill (Interplay online for task-based learning), the National Center for Construction Education and Research, NATE [HVAC Courses], as well as content from the Illustrated Plumbing Manuals. I am in the classroom and can monitor what each student is learning online and can supplement that with real-world instruction on what we encounter in the field. Half a day is spent on online lessons; the other half, we’re going to the training lab to practice those skills, hands-on.
Right now, the curriculum is based on a three-month, eight-hours-a-day learning. We call it “boot camp.” Once a student graduates boot camp, he or she works in the field, side-by-side with a journeyman-level technician. Six months to a year down the road, we bring each apprentice back in for a refresher and a hands-on evaluation. There are performance tests each must pass before working independently with a customer.
Q: Do most students pick one track or another, plumbing or HVAC?
Murray: Some do both. From our perspective, it would be great if everyone did. But some lack the interest; others lack the proper skill set. Michael Olson and I are fully licensed journeyman plumbers and fully licensed HVAC technicians. We have the advantage of being able to model that opportunity for students who want to do both.
Q: What’s the advantage to CPI in developing its own young talent?
Murray: We have the confidence that the people we train know how to do things correctly. So much of what goes on in the trades is learning, one person to another. That system relies 100 percent on the person doing the training, teaching the right way to do the work. Without standardized curriculum, that is a crapshoot. The Training Lab allows us to make sure, before we send anyone into the field, they are trained to do work correctly — the way we want it done.
Q: Cynics say: Why spend the money on training, knowing that a trainee may leave and take the skills and all that investment to a competitor?
Murray: We hold ourselves to a very high standard. We want to be the best at turning out quality people. Better to train someone and run the risk of losing them, than not train them and run the risk that they will stay.
NJ-based contractor, distributor and Johnson Controls join forces to support Building Homes for Heroes® Recently, Air Technical Services and F.W. Webb Company partnered with other local contractors and Building Homes for Heroes® during a Welcome Home ceremony in Barnegat, NJ, for Navy Hospital Corpsman First Class Corey Reed. After serving his country for more than 20 years, he suffers from severe PTSD, a traumatic Read more
NJ-based contractor, distributor and Johnson Controls join forces to support Building Homes for Heroes®
Recently, Air Technical Services and F.W. Webb Company partnered with other local contractors and Building Homes for Heroes® during a Welcome Home ceremony in Barnegat, NJ, for Navy Hospital Corpsman First Class Corey Reed. After serving his country for more than 20 years, he suffers from severe PTSD, a traumatic brain injury, migraines, left foot fasciitis, elbow fractures, right knee injuries and tinnitus. His injuries require specific modifications to his home in order to live safely and focus on his recovery.
To support Reed, F.W. Webb Company donated a YORK® heating and cooling system with a Wi-Fi®-capable touch-screen thermostat to better assist him with adjusting his home’s temperature without the need to get up. In addition, Air Technical Services donated the HVAC installation services for the veteran’s new home.
“Having the support of companies like Johnson Controls, Air Technical Services, and F.W. Webb Company gives us the opportunity to honor injured veterans with a mortgage-free home,” said Chad Gottlieb, director of construction development, Building Homes for Heroes®. “The customized amenities Johnson Controls can bring to these homes allows veterans to live their lives in greater comfort and dignity.”
Building Homes for Heroes® is a national organization that recognizes those who serve in the United States Armed Forces by supporting the needs of severely wounded or disabled soldiers and their families. The organization strives to build or renovate quality homes and donate them, mortgage-free, to injured veterans nationwide.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to work together with Building Homes for Heroes® to be able to give back to real heroes, like Corey Reed and his family, who have made enormous sacrifices for our country. Contributing our services to their home was a great privilege,” said Raymond Dietrich, president, Air Technical Services.
The YORK brand of Johnson Controls has been a proud sponsor of Building Homes for Heroes® since 2014. The company has been recognized by U.S. Veterans Magazine as a top veteran-friendly company. Johnson Controls is also committed to hiring veterans and military spouses. Veteran employees are honored to design, engineer and assemble systems that help improve the lives of fellow veterans.
Building Homes for Heroes® invites anyone wishing to volunteer or donate to the organization to contact them at info@buildinghomesforheroes.org. To learn more about the organization, please visit www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.
To learn more about Air Technical Services, please visit www.airtechnj.com, and to learn more about F.W. Webb Company, please visit www.fwwebb.com.
For additional questions about Building Homes for Heroes® or the ceremony, please contact Ashleigh Ostermann at ashleigh.ostermann@buildinghomesforheroes.org or Jazmine Jean-Francois at jazmine@buildinghomesforheroes.org.
About Building Homes for Heroes
Building Homes for Heroes®, Inc. is a national organization committed to helping severely combat wounded or disabled US veterans and their families by gifting them a mortgage-free home. For more information on these projects, please call (516) 684-9220 or visit the organization’s website at www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.
SA Youth’s office and Boys & Girls Clubs member gifted new HVAC systems from Shafer Serves— the New Philanthropic Program from Shafer Services Plus SA Youth and a family from Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio are receiving critically needed HVAC systems as Shafer Services Plus launches Shafer Serves, a new philanthropic program founded Read more
SA Youth’s office and Boys & Girls Clubs member gifted new HVAC systems from Shafer Serves— the New Philanthropic Program from Shafer Services Plus
SA Youth and a family from Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio are receiving critically needed HVAC systems as Shafer Services Plus launches Shafer Serves, a new philanthropic program founded to assist San Antonio non-profits by providing complimentary HVAC and plumbing products and services.
“Safe temperatures and reliable running water are critical for healthy environments—especially for children,” said Chase Anderson, President and CEO of Shafer Services Plus. “By providing these services to local non-profits, Shafer Serves is honored to help our community by serving our San Antonio family.”
Shafer Serves is being launched by Shafer Services Plus to thank San Antonio for supporting the plumbing and HVAC company for the past 136 years. Established in 1884, Shafer Services Plus has built much of San Antonio’s commercial and residential infrastructure, even installing the nation’s first commercial air conditioning system in a high-rise at San Antonio’s own Milam Building.
At the SA Youth facility, six out of 10 HVAC units were broken, leaving the team to work in temps climbing over 90 degrees. The Shafer Team repaired all malfunctioning units and replaced a broken unit, providing over $15,000 in parts and services.
“By donating HVAC repairs and installation, Shafer Serves is helping SA Youth focus on providing much-needed supplies and educational opportunities to students who are a part of our program,” said Asia Ciaravino, President and CEO of SA Youth. “It’s been an impactful gift not only for our organization but for the youth of San Antonio.”
Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio has been working to ensure club members continue receiving support at home while clubs operate at limited capacity due to Covid-19. Through partnership with Shafer Serves, they were able to provide Eastside Club member Yolanda Davis and her family with a new HVAC system for their home as she is currently without central AC.
“This HVAC donation from Shafer Serves has changed the quality of life for the Davis family and strengthens the bond that our clubs, members, and community partners share,” said Angie Mock, CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio. “It’s when we come together to care for one another that we experience what community can really mean.”
Shafer believes in building community and operates 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.
“At Shafer, we’re here to take care of our San Antonio family for generations,” said Chase Anderson, President and CEO of Shafer Services Plus. “SA Youth and Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio are paving great futures for San Antonio’s children. Being able to provide them with HVAC services so they can continue providing meals and educational resources is a great honor for us.”