Andrew (Instructor):
I am kind of mean, I guess you could say, sometimes, because that’s what they’re going to get out in the field. Nobody’s going to respect them until they prove themselves. And that’s the expectation we have here — prove to me that you want it. Making it through the six weeks is not easy. We don’t baby them. That’s not what we’re here to do. We expect them to learn and leave with the understanding that it’s a tough job, a tough industry. Everything we touch can kill you every day, and that’s just what we do. I scare them, and then I help them learn how to play with it safely.

But with that said, great group of guys. I have extremely high hopes that everybody gets their EPA and can hit the door running. It’s a great group. They start off not liking each other in the beginning, not knowing each other, and suddenly they’re all friends when they leave. It’s crazy how this class takes people who don’t know each other — except the two who live together — and turns them into friends in six weeks. That’s the camaraderie we try to build here, along with knowledge to be effective. Congratulations, everybody.

Danny (Host):
As he knows and as I’ve expressed to him and to Robert, we want to teach. We want to teach the hands-on. We want to teach more than that. There was a lot of frustration and difficulties that all the participants went through. Those were intentional. I want to see how you react when something doesn’t go as planned, because in Mrs. Smith’s house, things don’t always go as planned. How you react matters.

We also emphasize that this is not a fancy place. You’re here to work. You’re here to learn. You’re here to do hands-on. And you’re also here to do a video. Every participant does a video. One purpose is to share it so you can see a little about that individual and what they’re doing. It’s also used for marketing material. If someone goes to a job interview and the employer wants to see them a bit in action, they have access to that video on YouTube and our website.

Before I go to the video, I want to ask a special person to come up and say a few words — someone who has no idea I’m calling her up. Don’t give me that face, Stephanie.

Stephanie (Past Attendee):
I just have to come here to support y’all because you need to know your time here is not being wasted. People will act like you don’t know anything. You’ll go to employers and they’ll look at you and say, “You don’t have any time.” But if you open your mouth and speak for yourself — what he has you doing the whole time here — you’ll find you’re more valuable than the employees they already have. You can’t be scared. If they try to overtake you, shake it off.

I just came from incarceration less than ten days ago. I got a job at 7-Eleven — I have to make it work with the probation office — but guess what else? He just talked to my future employer. She owns her own HVAC company. Her company started ten months ago and they’re about to hit a million figures already. That shows you how good this industry is.

Don’t let anyone tell you HVAC isn’t worth it. That’s somebody who gave up — not you. It’s on and popping from here. Make it work. And let Danny put y’all up there in front. He’s going to call you up next.

Danny (Host):
Thank you, Stephanie. I’m very proud of you. You’ve come a long way. Like I told the young lady, she wants more than quick hires — someone who wants to learn and grow within the company. That’s what I see in you. You’re going to stumble. You’ll have jobs you won’t get, and you’ll wonder why you’re trying. Don’t have that talk. You can try, you can succeed, and you will. But if you give up and decide to stop, that’s when you’re lost.

It can and it will happen. One of the things we do is videos. Bear with me while I get this video up and then I’ll introduce the individual.

Danny (Host):
Thank you, James’s mom. Is there anybody else, or are we getting hungry? Anybody else? On the count of one, two, three.

Okay, what we are going to do now is we are going to open up the area, move the chairs out, we are going to bring some refreshments and food out here, and we are just going to hang out for a little while.

Okay. Thank you once again for coming out here. Let’s enjoy.

Danny (Host):
He has been mentioned several times, not necessarily all in a favorable light, but that is okay. So, Robert.

Oh, snap. Oh, come on up here. If you have any vegetables, do not throw them.

Robert (Instructor):

Well, hello family of all the students. I have been putting up with them for six weeks. I warned you. What do I have to say? Welcome. Please, thank you for coming. It was welcome to see all these students come in and want to be so eager. Some of them we had to actually pull teeth, but you know, it is how it goes. You have to get people to think a little harder and want to be a little bit better with their lives. And you know, that is kind of what we try to do here.

Last class, I said something, and I think it is fitting for the whole thing. Andrew, Danny, Elaine, Chris, and I, we lead them to the beach. They have a beach. They can go up and down the beach and do what they want to do on that beach all they want, but there is this big wide-open ocean in front of them that they can do everything in this industry because it is so vast. So do not shoot yourself short. Excuse me. Do not shoot yourself short on any of this, guys.

This is a career. It can do many things for you. And it is all up to you. No one is going to hold you back but you, as you guys have learned in this class. So, good job. You made it. Congratulations, and thanks for coming and supporting the kids and everything. Family and thanks.

Danny (Host):
It is. There is a vast ocean of opportunity out there. Without a doubt. Without a doubt. Typically around this time, I like to ask if there is anybody who wants to say anything. Come up here, make a reference, say anything at all about how wonderful I am or not. You are more than welcome to. If not, is there anybody? Anybody? I am going to count to three. You want to come up here for a second? Okay, come on up here. Nobody knows you, James’s mom, so I will not tell them. So, here you go.

Guest (James’s Mom):
I want to give honor to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I just thank Him for Career Source and leading us to Mr. Danny. We came to the previous class when it was like the fourth week or so, and I am like, “Wow, this is amazing. I am going to just spread the word. This is a great opportunity.” I mean, they really drilled these students and I just love what they are doing here, and I just thank God for this opportunity. I am a junior, and this young man, I have met a few of you, but I wish you all the best. Like you were told, the opportunity is here. It is up to you. You can have your company, you know, just be great at what you do. God bless y’all. Thank you.

Danny:
Just kidding. I am just teasing with you. He just kept on yapping. So what I want to do is ask Roger to come up here, accept this, and say more than three words. There you go.

Roger Williford:
I want to thank Danny, Robert, my family, Mom, Dad, and Andrew. I learned a lot through this program, and I hope to get a job soon. Yeah, that is all I got.

Host (Danny):
I swear they were more targeted in class.

[light laughter]

I know it. That is…

Host: Danny — Participant Testimonial: James Samuels

Every different type of personality comes through here. So that is a good thing, because if everybody was the same, it would not be any fun. And that is what I really appreciate about James. Thank you for being part of this organization, part of this family. I do not think it is the last time I am going to hear from you. I know I am going to see you Tuesday and Wednesday for OSHA, as well as anyone else who is going to be here, and you better be here like you committed.

So come on up here, say a couple of words in the microphone, because you are soft. And I do like the shoes.

So thank you so much, Mr. D. And here is the handshake.

I am very honored to be receiving this certificate, and this was a great class, one of the best classes I have been in. We have everybody here when it comes to students that you could count on or depend on. So we have some of the best teachers as well because, coming up learning about AC, you would always feel it in the classrooms. You would just know that you were cool, that you were safe, and that you were in the best place because you had the principal and the assistant principal and the teachers, administrators all around.

So I thank Danny for this great opportunity to be learning about AC. I thank Andrew for being a great teacher and the son of Mr. J. And I thank Robert for his great work and his talks to me that really helped me understand what I am learning. And I thank Danny’s wife, Mrs. Elaine, and Mrs. Huffman for her support being here as the mother.

I could always depend on my good teammates and classmates like Jason, one of the first partners that I had when I started and I took out the blower motor out of the air handler. It was a great experience. We really took it apart, and we got what we needed to get done.

Then there is Tommy and his brother Cameron that were there, and they made sure that I focused on what the teachers were telling me so that I could get done what I needed to get done myself. Because if I go into the field, I am going to be a technician and I am going to have to do most of these things myself. I know I will be able to call somebody, but I have to depend on what I have been taught and see how that can lead me to success.

We also have Roger, who was always there. He was working with his team, and he would give you any words of encouragement he could on the side. And then there is Edward. Edward would always encourage me to do my homework, get what I needed to get done, and just be professional about it. That is why I really respect him for who he is.

Then there is Junior. Junior helped me focus on studying, focus on studying myself so that I would be prepared for the test. I feel like I did good on it. So I am very thankful for this great opportunity.

And then you have Jance. And Jance was—

Oh, that is right. Yes. So my mother, she was the very best support that I could have during this time because she took me to school every day. And she made sure that I was first with Career Source. Career Source really helped me with a gas card to help me get to school.

I am sorry about all this time that it is taking to tell you all of this, but it is just how this experience was. It is a really great opportunity. So I am so thankful to Career Source and to my mother because she helped me while I was taking classes with Career Source. That is why my mother matters so much to me, and I would never forget her.

I am thankful that all of you are here to hear me talk about this, because every student means so much to me, as well as my teachers and my parents, especially my father, because he had a chance to ride up here a few times with my mother and meet some of the great people that are here at this great place in Sanford.

It was really, really fun coming up here two hours every day. It was a great opportunity.

And so Jance really helped me understand the wiring that is inside of the air handler. And then you have Nate. Nate helped me understand about the condenser. Then there is Kevin. Kevin was right next to me in class. He helped me through whatever I needed, like getting some of the notes that Danny was telling me about early in the morning. I hope that he passes his test and that we see him, especially for the OSHA.

So thank you all so much for this. God bless you all. Thank you.

Yay.

One of the things that James did mention was Career Source. We owe a lot to Career Source. They have been very helpful, very beneficial, and supportive for a lot of different reasons. True Tech Tools is also part of the family. They have been very helpful, and they help us with tools and the great things that you all get.

Another company, Kaos, helps us with some donations and a lot of the stuff that everybody broke down system-wise and put back together. I appreciate Kaos’s help as well as, of course, Tropical Air of Central Florida. This is their location. We did a lot of work because of them, and without their support, their knowledge, and Andrew and Robert, we would not be able to function.

So thank you all. And again, Career Source. The next video that we are going to watch—James made mention of that individual, but let us see what the video has to say. If I could only get this next person to not speak so much.

Edward Rodriguez – Participant Spotlight

When I talk to companies about our program and the different things that they are looking for, low-voltage wiring is one of the top things they look for. So Ed did a great job in explaining that. And what I would like to do is ask Ed to come on up here, accept this, and say a couple of words.

Thank you. Give me a hand. I do not really think I need this.

Hi guys, I am Ed. Thank you all for coming tonight. I know this entire six-week program was rough on all of our classmates, and I can imagine it was rough on the family members as well.

I want to give a shout-out to my wife. She is very supportive through this, and I could not have done this without her, to be honest. I could not have done this without Mr. Danny here, without Mr. Chris, Mr. Rob, or Andrew. Could not have done it without any of you.

And I want to thank you guys, Rob and Andrew. You take the real technical, nitty-gritty, and you beat it into our heads for six weeks, and I cannot appreciate that anymore. Expect some phone calls, by the way, whenever I am out there.

Mr. Danny, I want to also give you a shout-out and let you know you should not discredit yourself just because you are not a technician. What you have to offer for this company, for the skills, for the class, is just as valuable as what Rob, Chris, and Andrew have to teach. So, thank you guys. Thank you.

All right.

Aw, shucks.

Thank you. But I have to agree, because in HVAC we have seen technicians—senior technicians—who know their stuff, but they do not have the attitude, the way to talk to customers. The soft skills about HVAC. If you do not have that mix, you are not going to be effective for very long. So I appreciate that.

The next individual we are going to take a look at was typically here very early and often at times a little too late, but I am not going to mention any names. Let us watch the video real quick.

Nghi (Nate) Thoi – Participant Spotlight

Is the little performance that Nate did for many companies. And if the capacitor goes out at your home, hey, now you know how to fix it.

But for most companies, you are looking at that capacitor averages, what, 10 bucks, 10 to 15 dollars, somewhere in that area. But you are looking at, depending upon the company you go to, between 150 and 250 dollars to get it replaced. Wow, that is a lot of money for something that only costs a little.

So their skill is really increasing in their knowledge. So, Nate, I know that. Try not to talk more than 30 minutes if you can, but come on up here.

Well, thank you everybody for watching the video. You have a good day. Thank you for my family supporting me today. And thank you for Danny and Andrew and Robert to give me opportunity to learn HVAC today. So, I will be… thank you very much.

That is it.

You have never talked so little in your life. What happened? That is crazy.

Another individual who I just cannot get to stop talking as well. Let us watch his video and you will see, you will understand why.

I went through a lot. But after going through a lot of stuff, we figured it out.
That’s all I really have to say.
I’m just ready for the industry. 🔧