According to Stall, the opportunity to use the expansive Veraestau farm, now owned by Bucher Services’ president Dwight Bucher, enabled the companies to create a truly unique event within the industry at-large.

“Our guys count on training to keep their skills fresh and remain competitive. They need courses to maintain their professional licenses,” Stall said. “Many times, these things are about having a bunch of PowerPoint presentations thrown at you, which is just not all that compelling. GeoFarm is an incredible experience, allowing contractors to see geothermal, put their feet in it, and really grab a hold of it in a way that gives them confidence to recommend and install these systems when they go back to their businesses.”

Engaged in six one-hour sessions throughout the day, GeoFarm attendees participated in live on-site drilling, trenching, piping, and grouting demonstrations, and critiqued fully operational vertical, horizontal, and pond-loop systems. In addition, they were able to engage with ancillary equipment and service suppliers from every end of the geothermal system, as well as see some of the latest ClimateMaster heat pump units and controls in operation.

“GeoFarm is such an effective way to get contractors up to speed on our latest technologies by giving them the opportunity to not only learn about their features and benefits, but actually see them live and in action,” said Joe Fish, Mideast regional manager, ClimateMaster.

Product Introduction

According to Fish, this year’s GeoFarm training included an overview on the company’s latest unit, the Tranquility® 30 Digital Series, with digital communicating controls, two-stage capacity, variable-speed fan, and variable-flow geothermal source functions. It also incorporated an interactive demonstration in working with ClimateMaster’s iGate™ intelligent control system and high-efficiency vFlow™ variable-water flow technologies.

“By giving contractors real tools and know-how in selling, installing, and servicing geothermal systems, GeoFarm is a direct line to creating more business for them,” said Jay Kaiser, director of sales and marketing at Corken Steel. “Just the fact that this event has grown three times over in the first five years alone, which equates to the professional training of more than 1,500 people strong, shows GeoFarm’s compelling value to the industry.”

According to James Tobias, new house manager at Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning in Dayton, Ohio, GeoFarm’s authentic experiences are key to helping ramp up the next generation of geothermal contractors. “I’ve been installing geothermal systems in homes since the early ‘80s, and have seen the industry go through a lot of changes since then,” Tobias said. “Homeowners are getting much more educated about the benefits of geothermal systems thanks to the tax incentives and overall rising energy costs, and some are even coming in with a lot of complex background knowledge from their own research.

“The construction market is definitely coming back — our business is up 30 percent this year — and we need trained professionals to be able to deliver on the demand for geothermal installations in homes,” continued Tobias. “We brought guys here for the first time this year, and they’ve already seen so much they can apply when we head back. It’s also great to amp up the enthusiasm by being among peers, learning about the latest technology that’s available.”

Family-owned Tucker Heating & Air Conditioning of Middletown, Ohio, views GeoFarm as a way of ensuring its staff — consisting of husband-and-wife copresidents Ken and Carolyn Tucker and sons Rob and Scott Tucker — is well-equipped with the latest industry knowledge.

“We’ve attended GeoFarm as a family every year for the past five years, and always find it to be a valuable experience for everyone,” said Rob Tucker, vice president of sales and service. “We really do take our company motto seriously — ‘When you call Tucker, you get a Tucker’ — which means we all need to be up-to-date on the latest in geothermal equipment and installation techniques.”

According to Rob Tucker, the business philosophies of both Corken Steel and Bucher Services are well-aligned with those of his own, particularly in their mutual dedication to being very hands-on and high-quality in their service.

“Corken Steel and Bucher have gone to no end in making this one of the industry’s premier training events, which is very similar to our experience with them when we’re actually on a job,” said Rob Tucker. “It’s clear that they’re committed to ensuring businesses like ours are successful with geothermal installations, and that we understand every part of them so they are properly and professionally installed, tested, and serviced.”

Raj Hiremath is director of marketing at ClimateMaster Inc. He is responsible for strategic and tactical initiatives supporting all commercial and residential product marketing.

Publication date: 12/30/2013 

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