Training Excellence

Press Release

March 7, 2002

Energy Management Specialists, Inc.

Awarded ACCA's 2002 Training Excellence Award

Arlington, VA - The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), the nations largest trade association representing heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) contracting business, announced the winner for the association's 2002 Training Excellence Award.

Energy Management Specialists, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio won the 2002 Award for Excellence Training. Energy Management Specialists provides hands-on training for teardown and assembly of large tonnage chillers. In 1988, as the need for customer oriented HVACR commercial/industrial service technicians grew more intense, the service staff at EMS wondered, "could we train service technicians in house?" Soon, they stopped the wondering and figured out how to get it done. They created a new and different environment for an HVACR contractor, where mentoring, coaching and teaching were the way of life.

Since then, EMS has followed its mission statement, "Every EMS Service Technician will be a mentor, coach and a teacher!" EMS sought texts that were relevant and prepared apprentices quickly and thoroughly. Additionally, EMS replaced the customer relations portion of the texts with the company version; a more personalized, detailed training that advises EMS technicians on specifics and ensures apprentices understand that "being technically astute in this business is only about 49% of being an excellent service technician."

Apprentices and Senior Service Technicians enjoy the program. In fact, Management and Customers realize the benefits. The training program provides for technicians' personal and professional growth, develops their confidence and self-esteem and improves their lifestyles. For management, it provides a more positive image, aids with customer service and employee retention, reduces cost and helps develop better margins. And, customers are ensured the most economical and dependable service available.

"Training is of utmost importance to the HVACR contracting industry, and companies like EMS provide the entire industry with real-world examples of innovative training programs that directly benefit the bottom line," said Paul T. Stalknecht, ACCA President and CEO. "They've done an amazing job in raising the bar, which is ACCA's mission for the entire industry, and we salute EMS for their commitment to lifelong learning for their employees."

Other finalists for the "Excellence in Training Award" were: Entech Sales and Service, Dallas, Texas and Tri-City Mechanical, Chandler, Arizona.

ACCA, a federation of 60 state and local affiliated organizations, is the leading trade association representing the business, educational, and policy interests of the nation's heating, air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration contractors. ACCA represents over 9,000 small businesses nationwide through its federation of affiliates.

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