It was a scorching Friday afternoon when Chad was wrapping up a service call at a townhouse complex. As he worked, a nearby resident came outside and gave his air conditioner a frustrated kick. Chad had just heard it start up and instantly recognized the issue, a bad capacitor. Even though his day was nearly done, he didn’t hesitate.
“I told him I could call my dispatcher and find out if I could fix it while I was here,” Chad recalls.
The man was overjoyed. “I've never seen somebody so happy,” Chad says, smiling. “And he’s still a customer of ours seven years later. It’s a great feeling to help someone, and it’s really an honor when someone requests me in particular.”
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About eight years ago, after working for a company that built custom aquariums for two decades, Chad was ready for a change.
The last aquarium project he worked on opened his eyes to a new direction. It was a new home build, and Chad worked alongside many contractors, one of whom was an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) installer. “He was super smart, and we got along really well,” Chad recalls. “He understood the science behind what he did, and he was curious. I could really see myself doing that.”
Inspired, Chad went back to school to learn the trade. Eventually, he interviewed with Standard Heating & Air Conditioning, based in Minneapolis and serving the Twin Cities metro area. “My wife is a massage therapist, and one of her clients happened to be a sales representative at Standard Heating,” Chad says. “I was interviewing at another HVAC company, but she convinced me to interview here instead.”
That decision changed everything.
Years later, Chad is confident he made the right choice, both in his career and in the company he calls home. “I went to school with a bunch of people who do what I do, and many of them have bounced around from company to company,” he says. “That doesn’t happen here.”
At Standard Heating, the company’s values aren’t just words on a wall, they’re lived every day. “They’re posted all over and constantly talked about by the owners, managers, and employees,” Chad explains. “The top one is integrity. Do your job with integrity.” The others are Service, Expertise, and Character.
For customers, those values translate into genuine care. “You can tell people to do a good job, you can even try to force it, but when employees feel valued, they go above and beyond because they want to.”
In addition to being a service technician, Chad helps train new employees. “We have an accredited training program that helps all our employees grow their careers and earn credentials,” he says. “It’s a huge investment by the company, one that produces highly qualified people and benefits both the industry and our customers.”
He also makes sure new hires understand the importance of culture. “When I ask them what company culture is, I get all kinds of answers,” he says with a laugh. “But I always tell them, you are the company culture. Every one of you. We help each other, work hard, and strive to be better versions of ourselves.”
Chad’s approach to customer service is grounded in education and empathy. “There’s a lot of science behind what we do, and the average person doesn’t always understand it,” he says. “So, I make a point to explain things clearly, in everyday terms, so customers feel comfortable and confident in their decisions.”
By slowing down and taking the time to communicate, Chad shows customers that their understanding, and peace of mind, truly matter.
One experience stands out. “A customer who’d had bad experiences was really guarded when I arrived,” Chad remembers. “He sat next to me, watched every move I made, and didn’t say a word. I just stayed focused and figured out the problem.”
Once Chad took the time to explain everything, the man’s demeanor changed. “What he really needed was for someone to slow down and talk to him,” Chad says. “By the end of the appointment, he was showing me pictures of his grandkids and telling me all about his life.”
For Chad, every day on the job is about more than fixing heating or cooling systems, it’s about connection, trust, and doing right by people.
“It’s a great feeling to help someone,” he says. “That’s why I love what I do.”