hvac technician

sales professional

lead electrician

hvac supervisor

regional manager

Comfort Systems USA

This is a review for anyone interested in becoming an apprentice and how it's like from day to day. First of all if you aren't familiar with construction just know you will work hard most days and you will be faced with a variety of complex tasks. You will also work in all types of weather. I've worked where my fingers felt like they were going to fall off in the winter to roasting like a Thanksgiving turkey in the summer. There are definitely some positives to working at Shoffner and some cons. The training you receive as an apprentice is extremely valuable and it will give you in demand skills. Many companies don't spend money to trian people anymore. With that being said there are few journeyman who work for the company so many times you will have to figure out many things by yourself or you'll have to collaborate with other apprentices. I barely see my foreman from day to day. Now part of your training you will have to go to class one day per week for four years with summers off. The classroom is an excellent place to ask questions that you may have had during the week. The benefits are decent with no cost health insurance for the employee now once you add a family member it may be difficult to afford. The pay is definitely behind the times and like most places has not kept up with the cost of living. You may after many years of hard work and dedication make in the mid 20s, but you really got to know what you're doing. Even the best plumbers who have been there for decades make in the low 30s. Which is about the average for Tennessee. Another good thing about Shoffner is they are very forgiving if you need to see your doctor take care of a child or need a mental health day. If you're a good employee who for the most part is reliable they will do anything to keep you. One thing I do wish Shoffner did was go to a standard 4-10 schedule for everyone. That extra day would be amazing and boost morale for everyone and many people could schedule their doctors appointments on Friday. Sometimes we work that but it's rare. Another gripe I have is the expectations. Many apprentices are expected to know way more than what should be expected with little support. At the end of the day Shoffner isn't a bad company but I wish the support for apprentices was stronger (really need mentors) and there was a standard 4 10 schedule.

A typical day at work at Comfort Systems USA Southwest included being busy the entire time. Paperwork, phone calls, mail, meetings, and more paperwork. It was a continuous challenge that made it very rewarding when you finally completed a task. 
I learned quite a few things when I worked at CSUSASW that I feel a list would best present them:
-Accounting - I learned different computer programs for the accounting department that helped them keep track of vendors, payments, and parts.
-IT Department - I learned basic trouble shooting for all of the computers, phones, and other electronics used in the office as well as how to program them.
-Multi-line phone - I learned how to not only answer multiple incoming calls but to transfer them, put them on hold, park, and prioritize.
-10-key - My typing and 10-key skills improved greatly. 
-Payroll - I learned how the payroll system works and the programs they used 
-Prioritizing - having a large variety of tasks to accomplish taught me how to find the most important tasks and a way to work on all of them until they were complete.
The management and coworkers at CSUSASW were amazing. They were very helpful all of the time and I never had any personal problems with anyone. They were very professional and very nice the whole time I was there. 
The hardest part of the job was definitely the paperwork. If you didn't keep on top of it, it pilled up and made your job so much harder. Even when there was a lot to do, more would come in the mail everyday. 
The most enjoyable part of the job? Everything. I had to dress at a higher standard, I loved the people I worked with, and I was consistently challenged every single day.

As a delivery driver, my day was rather simple. Pull orders, prepare and load them on appropriate vehicles or trailers for delivery and deliver parts and materials safely to jobsites, However, Supervisors and management here have a trust no one, CYA mentality... This is to say that even the most simple task for any competent employee had to be micro-managed and dictated to the finest detail on how it should be accomplished. If you failed or chose not to do so exactly you were treated and labeled as insubordinate. An employee choosing to take initiative to accomplish a task without direct order or direction to do so was reprimanded. I personally was told by my supervisor "...I need you to stop trying to be a leader or supervisor or whatever it is your trying to do and just do only what your told when your told and how your told to do it..." The same supervisor would be quick to judge and assume the worst case scenario on all issues, often drafting write ups for employees before ever talking to the individuals directly involved or of concern.

I work for a contractor on site of the client, Foley Cellulose. 
The mornings are always fast paced with the phone ringing, time sheets to get done, information shared on new jobs that may have come up over night, and parts and supplies that may need to be ordered. 
I've learned a lot - how to manage my time, to prioritize the work load, to keep positive communication with personnel on the phone or walk-ins, to be flexible at all times - changes happen often.
My co-workers are typical guys who talk of fishing, football, family and the happenings in the world. I get along real well with all the guys and they are easy to work with.
The hardest part of the job is Mondays - coming off the weekend and hitting the ground early with the phone possibly already ringing for assistance of no cool or messages left where the technicians need to go to check the unit. 
I actually enjoy the times we all go out to lunch or have cook-outs/fish fires at work or after work at one of the technician's home. We are co-workers but we are friends as well.

Foreman and journeyman alike are hit or miss. Some will teach you, some will run you like a dog and play favorites. Egos are present, filling in the space where proper tools and management are vacant.

Project Managers are also hit or miss. Some will send a material order in a timely manner. Some will "not see the email" for a week, and then orders from a supplier that is famous for long waits, and defective orders.

Low-rung pay is pretty good. If the person hiring you promises a raise after x days, get it in writing. Benefits are great, high-rung pay for foreman and journeyman is lower, or so I was told. They regularly loose people to the unions. Per-diem is, as the crow-flies, 50 miles from the main office off of Papermill, which does not conform to Tennessee's Travel Policy.

Their PTO system is kind of trash. You accrue a couple (~1-2) hours each week you work starting out. Your PTO hours WILL be used to get your check up to 40 hours, you have no say in that (unless the job is shut down, only then will you get an option).

Office environment presents itself to be pretty nice, this doesn't seem to trickle down the ladder.


What is the best part of working at the company?
Despite engaging in a completely different line of work, I am still able to effectively communicate with my colleagues. Additionally, the flexible working hours contribute to a harmonious balance between my professional and personal life.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Navigating interactions with a highly self-important individual from another group, who oversees personnel yet lacks data comprehension, requires tactfully engaging with his humor and tolerating his unprofessional jokes. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Each individual has a distinct role that falls under a broader category, yet there is much to learn professionally, socially, and in terms of engaging with business professionals.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Managing Power BI reports and transmitting data to a third-party company, addressing HVAC concerns, and seeking innovative tools to enhance the process.

My typical day at Comfort Systems USA consisted of showing up to the jobsite on time, getting my tools ready, going over the game plan for that day with the foreman and then doing what was needed to be done while making sure the work area was clean with no trash left behind. I also learned so much from this job as in the correct way to manage my day time, work ethic, and how to be hard worker at work and away from work. My management was awesome they took us out too lunch numerous times and if we got the job done early and correct the compensated us for that. My coworkers where the same, anytime I had a question about something or needed help I always had someone right their to guide me thru it while teaching me the correct way. The hardest part of the job was the layoffs. But the most enjoyable part was knowing that my work meant something and that people would be using my work in everyday life. (A/C)

During my years with comfort systems l found the work, people, and technology fascinating. l was transferred in from a temporary agency after working only my three weeks. My experience at that time was limited to only previously serviced equipment. Soon after l realalized how ignorant l was, but wth the current technicians and management having years of experience, advice was just a phone call away. There is a call center that monitors HVAC and Energy Management needs around the nation. Working for comfort systems was enlightening to me. Know l am pursuing a career in technology support in part from wondering how does this controller in California communicate to a PC in Indiana.

I actually liked working here at one time, but that came to end when a salesman sold a job that didn't work and that was somehow my fault. They sold a job with new fan coils and the piping was old and scaled up so the new fan coils didn't work because no chilled water was going through them. That was some how my problem. The immediate manager had childish temper tantrum rather than see why it wasn't working. If the pipes aren't getting cold then water isn't going through them, not rocket Science.  Their solution was more duct seal and that didn't  work. But, that was the problem, you had people in Management and sales that had no knowledge of how things worked. So I was fired and black listed for this, that's the thanks you get for years of hard work.

Medical benefits are very poor and very costly for a family. Their are no offers of HSA or anything to help. Company basic benefits are missing. They offer no bereavement pay/leave or sick days from the company. Benefits are so bad that employees got together and made a employee fund to help for bereavement or if anything happens. Everyone gets together and chips in $ money each week to keep the fund going. the fund doesn't have enough money to cover a full day pay but it gives you some change to help . As of vacation days, you get PTO and it's very low amount until you been with them for 20 years . Most of the time if you get sick you end up using all your PTO.

Some employees talked a union would help. Older employees say this was a  better company before Shoffner took over.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Hvac technician 13 salaries reported	$31.46 per hour
Sales professional 7 salaries reported	$82,143 per year
Lead electrician 5 salaries reported	$24.50 per hour
Hvac supervisor 5 salaries reported	$85,000 per year
Regional manager 4 salaries reported	$130,000 per year

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