HVACR contractors looking for plentiful job opportunities, high salaries, available training, and an abundance of service calls should head for the Golden Coast or the Buckeye State, according to a list of top states to work in HVACR, compiled by Emerson Climate Technologies, a business segment of Emerson.

Some contractors, in an effort to stay afloat, began to diversify the services they offered, allowing them to break into new markets and stay in business during that turbulent time — a trend that is still seen today as the bruised economy continues to recover.

In just four years, Haitian immigrant Nesli Francois has moved up the ranks with Westborough, Mass.-based Conservation Services Group (CSG), growing from an apprentice to the highly coveted role of energy specialist.