Foreign. Parker's Portland booth at the Ahr 2023 or at the HR Expo 2023 Um, so we are. We're playing with some audio stuff so here with us here. All right.

So, but so we are at the Ahr Expo here: I got Gil Katie sitting next to me my buddy Scott a uh HVAC rookie sitting next to me and uh, it's really cool you know I'm I'm Blown Away With the amount of stuff that I've been seeing at the show we got I I Had a brief opportunity to watch the show for maybe about two and a half hours today and I just barely walked. You know the smallest bit of it. It's amazing. It is.

It is really awesome. One thing I will say and I don't know if you guys are I Really think that we're back to pre-orlando levels I Really think that I agree when we hear what the turnout is I think we're going to be back to normal I I think things are pretty, you know Orlando was like record-breaking I think it was like was it ten or twenty thousand years. it was up there and last year and Vegas was a beautiful event but it wasn't a lot of people like this year. I agree it's back to back to business I think it is and that is so cool.

It is awesome to be able to feed that. uh obviously y'all have been watching my stuff I've been going live a lot and I get that but you know what? I have all kinds of friends. It's really awesome to be able to hang out with these friends. So um, Scott has become a friend of mine.

You know, just from watching videos and interacting and then the same thing with Gil too. And it's really cool. you know? Funny story is that I probably told us like five times this whole time, but Scott and I actually used to work together and it hurt. It's kind of crazy.

You used to work for an unnamed restaurant and uh, I used to do work for that restaurant and we actually opened the same restaurants at the same time. and uh, we didn't know each other at the time, but it's pretty cool to be able to like have a conversation with someone to realize that you cross paths earlier in life. So it's pretty neat. But what do you guys think of the show? How's it all going? Oh, it's just insane.

All the stuff there is to see and it doesn't seem like there's gonna be enough time to see it all. Definitely not going to be enough time. I think I Think accepting the fact that there's not going to be enough time, it's just something you have you have, you know? Um, I picked a few places I Think that's a really important thing is if you're gonna do it, you got to pick a few key places and just, uh, go to those and then when you get done seeing those things, then you just kind of work your way around. you know, yeah and you know it is like we have certain obligations and places that we have to be and you try to make sure you fulfill those obligations but at the same time still like the inner Tech in you wants to be like oh I want to see what's new here and what's new there and you try to fit it in you know as you're going around but it's definitely cool.

Man this this event is awesome. When it comes to a tech this is this is Christmas this is Disneyland and what what do got us to Nicole Bush is the Press coordinator She handles and she operates things for the press and for whatever reason they consider us press. uh whatever. but hey we're thankful for that.

It is amazing because they take care of us, It is awesome and uh you know it's just amazing. So Nicole thank you very much and that is awesome! She does a great job making sure that we have all these we have the facilities we need. You know it's just awesome but uh, we're currently at the Parker Sportland booth and uh you know of course I'm done work with Partners bowling for quite a long time now. So today I filmed some uh some Booth footage and went around interviewing about different new products that are coming out.

It's really cool. Um and it's just cool to be able to be able to communicate with these manufacturers. you know guys. I was going to tell you guys something.

so earlier today, uh, no. Yesterday I actually walked up to a manufacturer and I realized that I have the ability I may have said this on an earlier live stream, but it is what it is. But I have the ability to communicate on an end with the manufacturer in a way that you know a normal service technician isn't Now when I say normal service technician I am a normal service technician. So actually I'm going to get to the point of this.

you're going to understand where I'm going. but I had a discussion with a manufacturer it was a tool manufacturer and I went to them and I said hey, I'm running into this problem and you guys have some issues with the way that you Market this and you have some issues with this and this and this. They have no idea who I was okay in this situation, right? But I do have the ability and other ways to talk to certain manufacturers but I went to them and I said you know, here's a problem and this is a really big problem and you tell us that we can't use this part of your tool if we don't have this specific thing. but then yet there's nowhere to get this other specific thing.

And I go. What are we supposed to do here and the person just looks at me and he's like hey uh well I don't know how to answer that question and I said hi I'm I'm Gonna Be a Jerk here because I'm a jerk and I go. but why am I asking you this? you're the manufacturer I'm the service tanker. so again, he doesn't know anything about this.

Well I'm a service technician. why am I bringing us to your attention? So it wasn't rude. but I mean I did tell him like Hey I want to be a jerk or I'm going to be frank. But the point that I'm trying to make is these manufacturers.

Some of them they need to do a better job of listening to service desks, you know. And there's some manufacturers that do a great job. Yeah, I Agree. When you have like the people that we work with right the manufacturers that work with us and help to continue us educating the industry.

Those guys seem to be doing a great job because they're out there, they're trying, they're trying to get the word out. They appreciate the fact that hey maybe us as service technicians such as Parker Sporland. You know they appreciate the fact that we as a service technician I have a different way of explaining how their products work, but sometimes that's a you know that helps a certain person. Yeah, and it's really cool be able to do that with these awesome manufacturers.

and then for the ones that don't already do that you need to get on the bandwagon here. You need to listen to what contractors have to say. you need to do better. And it's also when they actually listen because some say they want the information.

You give them, the feedback and the information. they'll take it. Yep. so when you actually give it to them, you know they're listening.

You take it. You see it in the product like oh, second generation, this came out and you see the changes. It's awesome that they do that. That's and even if a manufacturer is not asking for your opinion I encourage everybody out there to share it.

I'll give it a course and a polite way. You don't need to be a jerk. Okay, in a cordial way. Send emails, send different things, and share that information.

Okay, because you know as much as I want them to do it on their own, sometimes we just have to help them too. We have to share that information. So um, now when it's coming to the show I'm walking around I'm blown away with all the new products that I'm seeing. If you guys have never been to an Ahr trade show, even to a local retail convention in your area I Encourage you guys to go.

Now there's you know, sometimes some people are going to be bored. Okay, you know it is what it is. but for me I Just love seeing the Innovation I love seeing how everything's changing I Love seeing you know that this particular manufacturer is willing to say that they know they had a problem and they're changing it to fix this one thing and it's really cool to see that piece it is and then see like and even like just from year to year seeing like uh you know I'm at like three Corner Orlando Three years ago like battery uh, powered vacuum pumps so that was like man this is cool Now we have like things that been like black iron pipe and things that bend like just where it's going. It's exciting to see see the growth and then like just keep seeing where it's going like it's it's awesome and you know what I appreciate is I appreciate Like let's just talk about battery operated tools right? Um, there's several manufacturers that make these battery operated vacuum pumps now and all kinds of different tools and you know some of them like when they first came out, they weren't the best tool in the world.

But but here's what I Love the Innovation I Love the fact that these particular manufacturers are constantly striving to make them better. They're listening to feedback and they know that hey, this is the first iteration. It does what it's supposed to do, but they also take feedback and then three years later, two years later they're like hey, we improved all those things you guys asked about So it's cool to be able to see that stuff. So I encourage everybody out there to come to these events, walk the show, let your guard down I had to tell myself that today I'm walking around and I'm like I don't need to look in that Booth I don't need to look here I didn't even do that but you know what? I let my guard down and I started walking in there and I started being like you know what? I'm gonna chill out and I'm just going to listen to what these people have to say.

You know, maybe I'll be educated. maybe automatic. So I think there's a lot in us too because sometimes I walk around and I'm like you know, looking for what I'm looking for and it's like you know I sometimes forget to look out out here you know and the goofy stuff like the small booths that like they don't have the big name but you're like that's really cool. like I want to go check this out? Yeah, you know I mean another thing you know when you come here you walk through it with a bag.

You leave here with enough t-shirts and hats to last you a year. Like you know what? I mean you get so much stuff that it's it's it's it's well worth it. I'll tell you something funny in my case. I actually made it a rule that I no longer take that stuff because now I gotta put it on the plane and bring an extra bag and travel home because you aren't joking I'm not kidding with you.

You're gonna walk away with jet tools you're going to walk away with like all kinds of stuff. Who was it? someone? someone that I was talking to came and goes Yeah, he goes I walked up to the booth and I told him it was a young guy. he's like I told him that I was new in the trade and that I'm really interested in doing this and I was curious about the product. he goes.

they're going to send me a full residential heat pump package. he goes why I don't know but apparently they're going to ship me a whole heat pump package to my house and I'm like you never know what's gonna happen at HR The other thing too. the advice I'll give you is if you do come to HR if you really want goodies, stay until the last day. yeah, they don't want to take it back and they just start giving stuff away I'm not joking with you, it was kind of funny.

Well also going back to what you're saying. it's very important for us techs to show up and give our feedback. A lot of times we're just like, well, it's broken, it doesn't work. Spend our time to get the feedback to the manufacturers.

yes, the people that are actually in the field You need to get the context hundred percent. You know there's a reason why when you fill out a warranty claim form and you say the compressor doesn't work and then they deny your claim form, it's because they need more information. Okay, you need to do your due diligence. What's wrong with it? It's got locked Road Ramps What's wrong with it? You know this or that and uh, that helps the manufacturers because they need to have that information I Was just talking to um and this is really cool I Was just talking to a professor manufacturer and uh, they were telling me that actually what they do because unfortunately, if you don't know this, this is so true that there's a good majority of compressors out there.

I'd say higher than 50 percent that are returned for warranty replacement. And there's actually nothing wrong with the compressors now. One particular compressor manufacturer has really started to push back and they're changing a lot of things. But one of the things that they do with the compressors that are returned that there's nothing wrong with is they actually cut them up and donate them to the schools for compressor care adapters.

They have professional cutaways actually use the warranty compressors, even if it's not just the ones that there was nothing wrong with. They'll cut away the bad ones too if they're cleaned up inside and give them donated up to schools. That's cutaways. So I was like that's pretty cool I Want one? I Actually really enjoy cutting away compressors I encourage everybody out there.

You know when you have a compressor that's bad when you change something, when you have a failed expansion valve, when you have failed contactors, pull them apart, take them apart. When you go home, you're going to learn that there's so much value in taking those components apart. You learn so much more about how they operate. Growing up in the trade, I worked for my dad and you know I just always listen to him and he said yeah I don't cut a compressor but it's a mess.

You're gonna make a giant mess you don't want to. and so for the longest part of my career I was afraid to cut the Clusters open until I finally did one day when I kind of have an idea I'm like you're really not that bad I can pour the oil out before I cut it open I'm just going to do it, you know? and then now I Just kind of love I Love it I Figured out like the right with certain brands are pretty good at cutting them open. you know? one shot. but trust me, the first compressor you cut open.

Yeah, you're probably going to make a mess, but you're not going to cut it in the right places. Um, if you've watched any of my videos, just watch those and kind of just look at where I cut them and you'll kind of get an idea cutting apart components. You guys would be surprised how many manufacturers are willing to donate components to trade schools and different things like that. You know? another cool thing that you can do with you guys.

As new technicians in the industry, go to supply houses and ask them if they have a warranty pile of stuff that the manufacturers don't want to act. They'll actually be the manufacturers. Sometimes after a certain period, they'll tell them to check them. they'll just donate them to the scrap yards, right? Yeah, Yeah.

so you can go. and you can take those compressors, take those components, the failed expansion valves, and and cut them open. Tear them apart. Learn! I Can't stress enough how important it is to tear things apart.

So that way you can learn it, right? Well, when I was in school we had we had shelves and shelves and compressors that were either cut in half by either us or sent by the manufacturers different tools and there's nothing to say about experience. When you can actually see it and put your hands on, you're like, oh, okay, so the scroll's supposed to go like this or this part doesn't look right. Let me compare it to the next unit next to it. Yeah, Ian is believing I've actually done that.

Where some of the compressors that I've cut up I've actually gone and yeah, donated them to a school or something like that. like it's pretty good cuddling like you guys want this? Yeah, all right, cool do that. I mean I was just gonna throw it away anyway. So there's also a lot about that with, you know.

uh I do like I Recently I will admit that I I was looking at my backyard I'm like man I got like a Boneyard I have to be driving by I was like oh stop and I was like pushing all this stuff out there. So I do it sometimes but sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming. My wife will be like hey, what are we gonna do about the side yard over there I'm like uh yeah I'll get to that eventually. It's on the list so deal.

Let me ask you this. Uh so Gil from the HVAC Uncensor podcast of course, right? For those that don't know, come on guys, figure it out. come check out those stuff. I said that, right? Yeah, okay.

I just had. um, but uh. definitely go check Gill out. Um, how do they find you so you can pretty much any platform if you search at HVAC Uncensored? Uh, the videos The video podcast is on YouTube uh Facebook Instagram that kind of stuff.

The audio podcast is now on all the major platforms. So I'm trying to make a push for video a lot more video stuff in 2023, so we'll uh, we'll see how it goes when it comes to the content creation Guild uh how does your wife feel about it? I mean besides, besides financial and stuff like that like it's cheap, does your family get frustrated with the amount of time that you spend? or are you more hyper aware of all the time that you spend because I know you're a family member? Yeah, so it definitely so it bothers them because it does take a lot of time. They wish that they had me, but they they've accepted it. you know I mean they so we try to a lot at certain times that I do certain things and if it's not one of those times then I don't that that's time? That's a lot to be here man.

I try to keep that as much as possible because um, it it is a lot you know. So trying to give the time to my wife and then four children and um yeah I hear you bro. like we could probably talk for hours about the craziness that and guys you can forgill. but I know we.

We are both very thankful for the opportunity to be able to do what we're doing I am amazed with that like it is awesome but it is time consuming and it's It's a balance and uh, it's a hard balance and I'm trying to find that and it's It's constantly evolving too. You know there's days that it just hits your head a little bit more than it should. and then there's days that you're good. You know you can have a good week, you can have a bad weekend.

Dude. Again, we probably need to talk some more because I know you deal with that too. But yeah, that's why. like people I mean you know when you're out there understand like if it's Chris or whoever you watch your favorite content creator and you see them post hey no show today no stream.

Most people are very cool but just know. Like for one that's not easy for us to do but sometimes it has to be done. It's not we wanna it has to be done. You need to give your mind a break, you need to relax because sometimes you just have to turn it off because you work your normal job, you do your family stuff, your husband's stuff, your father's stuff and then you know podcast or YouTube channel.

It's like sometimes you you have to rest your brain, you just have to. Yeah and again I'm very thankful and very honored to be able to do what I do. but there is times that it's just like okay I gotta take a chill pill you know I like um starting in like November I was like you know what I have to take a little break and I went down to one video a week and I skipped a ton of live streams and and I just needed to do that I spent time through the holidays with my family and and I know that everybody understands but I mean still it messes with my head. It messes with my head more than anybody out there cares about it.

Yeah, like I have my own worst anime actually understand how much forwarded how much it bothers you when you can't produce content. So yeah it is. It is crazy. But I love it.

You know and then and then you know, um, someone can walk up to me and tell me this cool story about this video that they watched. or or tell me how they watched. You know one of my friends videos or something and it's like it. It hits you right in the right spot.

You know it's like damn I need to hear that. it's awesome. Well because most of you guys I'm a better technician. when I first started it off in the field I started watching both of you and you know of course we had a relationships.

So I have to send questions and you guys have never ever stopped me from from answering any of my questions. never made me feel dumb for asking the question. and you know that's really important to someone that's learning. You know, because you're nervous when you first start off the field.

You don't know if you're making the mistake and you're just a little bit more cautious. Sometimes you get a little bit in your head and it's nice to know that another person would be like no, you're on the right track to slow down. Try this. So I really appreciate that both of you guys I really needed to hear that.

can I give you a hug? no but like it is true dude I'm making fun of that but that is awesome. like and you've told me that several times and you know and that's that's kind of how we started being friends and it is awesome. It is humbling very hot to hear that it really is. So thank you thank you! I Appreciate both of you guys you know, Um, so you know Gill and Scott and I Um, it seems that uh, you know of course we all know that we're busy, we have lives and everything.

we all have families, but it is awesome to be able to catch up with you guys you know. And we know that at least at the trade shows we can catch up. and occasionally we all pop into each other's content and we know and Gil knows it. and I know that you know maybe I don't watch everything when I pop in when I can and he doesn't seem to me and I appreciate it because I know yeah because we understand when you're trying to make content, it's hard to consume it.

You can't consume it and make it sometimes. So we know that we support each other and like I feel bad because I'm like like it's Monday he's throwing up yeah a live streamer it's Friday and you're with overtime and you know I'll hop in and and then I I I feel guilty so like I'll do like um the Super Chat Chris is like dude you don't have to do that like if you come in like it's fine. just smash that like button. Yeah because I feel bad.

Hey if you come in my stream the best thing you can do is in cap socks They smash the like button and subscribe to the channel. You're my man. Don't give me Universe I can do that. um but that's that's for real you know? and but but I really do enjoy it because I love sharing.

You know, as pointy as it is I love sharing a little bit of knowledge that I have I genuinely do and we all have knowledge. And if we can share that with people and prevent people from making the same mistakes that we made in our careers, the mistakes that I made in the beginning of my career. those are unforgivable mistakes these days. Things you know they would not accept that customers would fire me for the mistakes that I made.

So if I can tell you a story about something that I did and while you may laugh about it, maybe you're gonna learn something from it. Yeah, maybe that can prevent you from doing the safety, but you know. I I Can't stress that enough is just share this and because there's no better time to be in the trades than right now. If you if you have a good mind, morals, values, work ethic and you want to learn, sky is the limit.

You can name your price. So if you listen to people like Chris was just saying, you learn from their mistakes and what to do and what not to do. It's not saying you're not going to make mistakes. You're going to have to make mistakes because um, okay, it's not about not making them, it's about not making the same ones twice.

Yeah, um you know that Yeah, you have to. Right now is the best time because you can name your price and you can make some serious gluten. That was my subtle don't tap your hands. We share our experiences where you know you may have made a mistake in your first year of your career, where now you tell your story Gil hears it or I hear it.

Yeah, we don't repeat it. It just makes the whole industry and a community more stronger. Interact What Gil said? Okay coming up in the trade, there were so many people out here coming up at the trade. There were so many people that were afraid to share their knowledge.

They were afraid there was a stigma that if I shared my knowledge that I worked hard to get that I'm going to be replaced and just like you said, you were starting to talk about what I preached all the time. If you're competent, if you're honest, if you are a hard worker, you genuinely are going to be employed for the rest of your career. Share every bit of knowledge that you have. You are not going to be replaced and the younger you are, you're a unicorn.

Yes, you are a unicorn. The term unicorn? Well actually no. I use the term unicorn yourself. No, no, no, it's actually a good term.

Unicorn's detect that doesn't exist that you wish they exist. Oh yeah, they are a unicorn. That's true. When you're looking for a unicorn, you mean like the way that I always see it as you're looking for that Tech that is a clone of what you need an attempt I'm not saying that you're an Aztec but it's what you want as a tech because they're a Biblical creature.

Yeah, yeah, the day I stopped learning would be the day I die yeah I'm actually I said that uh earlier I slept with Jessica Bannister today and I said you know I'm actually I look forward to the moments that I'm wrong I actually do these days because it's an opportunity to learn even more. It really is. and I I and maybe it's an age thing, but like I think I'm realizing that as I get older and older I'm realizing there's so much more knowledge that I want that I don't think is possible for me to gain so it's like every bit I can absorb right now it's just it's become Obsession like really I can learn about this um you know I I Was talking with someone last night and learning about some Concepts that would blow my mind about airflow and different things like that. well not someone I was talking to Steve Rogers from the Energy Conservatory and he was blowing my mind talking about these different air properties and things that can happen and you know what? That's someone who's super smart person.

Steve if you're listening, you're you're amazing, right? But he's a super smart person and I was very humbled and I usually don't like to share this kind of stuff because I don't want it to sound like I'm gloating. but I was very humbled when I was talking to Steve Rogers and I said I said you know I was always told that when I get to sit down with you my body was going to leave alone I said I need to make you look comfortable but I said you just you just put my heart dude and he goes Chris he goes that's the same thing that you do for other people are blowing my mind last night I feel uncomfortable so you blew my mind just you know, like it. but that's the thing. Share he's willing to share I'm willing to share.

Share Share. You're willing to share. Everybody out there. Share.

Share what you have because it's only going to make the next Skype better. So yeah, all right. Well I think it's time we wrap this up. We've been going for a few minutes I Want to say thank you very much guys for coming on here.

It's of course really cool. just a quick little live stream. You know we like to share the little bit out here. It is so awesome.

If you see us at the show I encourage you to stop us. If you see us talking with someone, it's okay. Come up and stop us. Stop us.

let's let's let's have a conversation. let's let's pull Trevor Matthews Line let's get into conversation sir. Yes so you know that's another thing. super humble then I have to I Want to publicly say thank you to Ben pool too and solder Welcome putting on the HVAC Tactical Awards and all the amazing sponsors that came behind that that was an amazing event I Got to join your level? Yeah to be able to honor all the great people and my friend right here did get to join the award winners level.

What award did you win? Uh so I won HVAC Podcast of the Year and it is well deserved my friend. Thank you bro! I'm not good to tell you. Congrats on that. That's awesome! Truly humble so we're gonna wrap this.

Emily Thank you guys very much! If you are at the show definitely come over and see us and uh we will definitely catch you on the next one.