A.O. Smith Training | Indiana Tech Goes Commercial

Erin Trybulec • May 13, 2019

Meet Larry | Goshen, IN 

Our Goshen-based technician, Larry, joined our team this year and has not ceased to grow in technical skill and has continued to expand our company’s relationships throughout the Midwest— from his local Ace Hardware stores to various water heater manufacturers. Larry recently attended A.O. Smith University to receive a 32-hour training course on commercial and tankless units, enabling him to continue to provide excellent services: “I came away from this training feeling more equipped with knowledge and hands on experience that will allow me to be a better asset to this company as well and to the customers we serve. I networked and was able to meet individuals creating relationships that will serve me well.” As a small business, heading into its second year, U.S. Water Heating Solutions aims to develop a new standard for service and quality, which begins with the establishment of strong manufacturer relationships and training seminars like this one.  

This training experience was unique because Larry is our first technician who has ever driven to training! The nearly eight hour drive to Ashland City provided a unique opportunity for our technician and the staff at A.O. Smith. This was the first time our colleagues at A.O. have had the opportunity to physically set foot in one of our active service vehicles, providing them with a glimpse of how we have created a user-friendly vehicle for our technicians, providing them access to various residential and commercial parts.

Larry has over 20 years of experience in construction, HVAC, plumbing, and other commercial and residential maintenance. His most recent years of experience have been with HVAC systems, providing him with the perfect background knowledge to dominate the water heater industry: “I was interested to learn more of the trade of water heating systems because it plays a role in both HVAC and plumbing.” Larry also enjoyed this hands-on opportunity, which reinforced his initial two weeks of training alongside our Wisconsin-based technician, Kevin: “We were able to work on different water heaters by taking them apart and then putting each component back together. I was able to learn more from this training, working with the different models for both commercial and residential, which increased my knowledge significantly.” 
Since Larry first joined the team, the majority of his service calls have consisted of diagnose and repair cases. In those cases, a residential or commercial customer’s unit requires troubleshooting. These calls typically tend to be among the most difficult for newer technicians, as ease with troubleshooting often comes from on-the-job experience with various types of units. As for A.O. Smith University’s troubleshooting walkthrough, Larry noted: “The most interesting part to me was learning all the troubleshooting and what the fixes are. This gives me more knowledge to diagnose the issues quicker and [repair them] or recommend a fix. This will make customer down time minimal and make them happy.” A.O. Smith also assesses the quality of their training courses and the technicians’ retention via a hands-on troubleshooting quiz at the end of the seminar. Larry’s prior knowledge combined with this training came in extremely handy, providing him with an invitation to attend the fifth day of training, an eight hour boiler start-up course. 

We would like to thank A.O. Smith for continuing to provide such high quality training seminars and for working with us as we continue to grow. Be sure to stay tuned for more on Larry (via Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn), as he brings reliable service throughout the Goshen area and has more adventures on the road in Michigan!

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