Name: Eric Hesch

Title: Service Technician

Why He’s Tech of the Month: Hesch got into heating and cooling because of a friend in the industry. “I worked with him for a summer, a couple days a week — when he needed me — and I liked it,” he said. So he went to Kalamazoo Valley Community College and got his certificate there, graduating at the age of 20, then found a job in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Currently, Hesch works at Lakeside Service Co. Inc. in Brighton, Michigan, where he’s been employed for five years.

“I had heard about Lakeside numerous times; they’re known for being one of the better companies around,” he said. “They finally had a sign out front that said ‘hiring’ … I went in there and dropped off my resume, and they hired me the next week.”

For Hesch, a day’s work means maintenance and repair of residential and light commercial HVAC systems.

“I like the service side of it,” he said. “I like going at my own pace, being on my own watch — I can think more clearly … I meet a lot of really cool people, and it’s rewarding: people are thankful that I come into their houses and fix the issues they’re having.”

But, the customer service aspect is Hesch’s favorite part of the job.

“I’ve always been a people person … I do well with customers,” he said. “I’m really patient with them, let them talk, make sure I explain everything really clearly and they understand what is needed and what we recommend. I just take my time and make sure they know I care about their concerns and that I’m gonna do a good job. I try to go out of my way to be extra friendly. We’re in their house; you gotta respect them.”

Jason Boylan, service manager at Lakeside, said he’s gotten comments from “literally hundreds” of customers who’ve contacted him or sent a review to mention how pleased they were with Hesch’s service.

“Just a couple days ago, one of our new customers took the time out of their day to personally come to Lakeside’s office and tell me how impressed he was with Eric’s professionalism and honesty,” he said. “He was touched by Eric’s desire to educate him by taking time to make himself and his wife feel at ease with their decisions, instead of just fixing the issue and getting out as quick as possible.”

Hesch chalks it up to company ethics.

“It’s a very honest, thorough company,” he said. “They do really good work, and they expect that from each technician. That’s their No. 1 thing: to be a good, honest company and do good, honest work.”

Plus, he said, Lakeside takes care of its employees.

“They have a lot of respect for their employees: they stand behind them, treat us really well,” he said. “Unless I change careers, I’ll probably stay at Lakeside and continue to grow as a technician.”

Boylan would agree that’s to Lakeside’s gain.

“Eric consistently posts KPI [key performance indicators] numbers at or near the top of the team across every metric we track in the field,” he said. “He is a great technician, and we are blessed to have him.”

To nominate an HVACR technician for Tech of the Month, click here, or email mariataylor@achrnews.com.

Publication date: 7/30/2018

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