Investing in Talent Development to Gain a Competitive Edge

There are countless reasons that commercial HVAC company owners and their employees have chosen to join the Service Logic family over the past two decades. For many, it’s Service Logic’s decentralized model, which offers acquired companies the autonomy to run their businesses as they’ve always done it but with the strategic support and financial backing of the largest privately held HVAC/mechanical company in the United States.

Another significant selling point is the access to an enormous amount of knowledge capital and training that comes with being part of Service Logic’s business unit network. This includes the company’s intentional approach to investing in professional development and providing resources that help business unit team members across the country develop new skills and grow in their career paths.

To accomplish this, Service Logic created a comprehensive in-house talent development program called The EDGE. The EDGE provides all business units learning and engagement opportunities from the leadership level to first-year apprenticeships.

“Many businesses don’t have this breadth of training available to them prior to becoming part of Service Logic,” said Eric Bolin, head of talent development. “They’re trying to figure it out on their own while balancing the demands of managing the day-to-day operations at their companies. Once they join Service Logic, our goal is to help transform how every team member views and experiences training and development.”

Resources and educational opportunities offered through The EDGE include:

• Hands-on OEM training

• Journeyman continuing education

• Leadership webinars

• Peer-to-peer forums

• Project management workshops

• Safety summits

• Sales boot camps

• Technician apprenticeships

“Our comprehensive approach to talent development is founded on education and innovative collaboration across our 47 business units," said Bolin. "By bringing the strengths and experience of these business units together, our workforce becomes more skilled and better trained and empowered to be more powerful at Service Logic than anywhere else.” 

“By bringing the strengths and experience of these business units together, our workforce becomes more skilled and better trained and empowered to be more successful at Service Logic than anywhere else.”

Creating an Exceptional Workforce

At Service Logic, talent development is not just about acquiring new skills; it also focuses on improving existing ones. This continuous improvement ethos can lead to increased efficiency in daily operations for each business unit. Whether it’s optimizing HVAC system installations or streamlining administrative processes, ongoing training and knowledge sharing contribute to a more productive workforce.

Service Logic’s purposeful investment in professional development supports each business unit’s ability to:

• Stay current on advances in technology by helping management teams understand new technologies at a strategic level while ensuring technicians are proficient in their hands-on application.

• Put safety first by ensuring employees are well informed about the latest safety protocols and compliance standards.

• Increase customer satisfaction by enhancing technical skills and customer interaction outcomes, resulting in increased customer loyalty and repeat business.

• Improve retention by signaling to employees that both Service Logic and the company value their success and career progression.

“Attracting and retaining a skilled workforce is one of the greatest challenges every labor-based industry is facing today,” said Bolin. “The EDGE program succeeds by delivering a structured approach to mentoring and coaching. By encouraging an ongoing cycle of intentional improvement, each team member understands how they contribute to their own personal growth and the overall success of the company.”

“The EDGE program succeeds by delivering a structured approach to mentoring and coaching. By encouraging an ongoing cycle of intentional improvement, each team member understands how they contribute to their own personal growth and the overall success of the company.”

Leveraging the Scale of Service Logic: From Online Courses to In-Person Training and Peer Group Forums

The HVAC and mechanical industry continues to experience rapid technological advancements, from smart building automation systems to energy-efficient HVAC solutions. Ongoing training ensures that employees are well versed in the latest technologies, enabling them to provide cutting-edge solutions to clients.

Service Logic’s streamlined, online training covers hundreds of topics, allowing technicians to learn at their own pace and complete proficiency tests related to each subject. These assessments help managers easily determine where their teams stand, what areas can be improved on and which technicians may be ready for the next level of training.

Through OEM training, business unit technicians can gain experience with troubleshooting and repairing the equipment that they frequently encounter on the job, including HVAC mechanical equipment, air- and water-cooled screw compressors, and centrifugal chillers.

Service Logic coordinates exclusive hands-on training with the industry’s premier OEMs:

• Carrier

• Daikin

• Johnson Controls

• Trane

Service Logic also finds ways to bring other business unit team members together for in-person workshops and forums. These networking events allow attendees to share their experiences and gain valuable learnings on topics such as sales, service, safety and project management.

“The Service Logic umbrella naturally provides a vast network of highly skilled individuals,” Bolin said. “By arranging a formal setting for peer group interactions, we bring together individuals in similar job functions and discuss the challenges and processes that are common within each peer group.”

Cultivating Leadership Excellence

To ensure each Service Logic business unit has a long-term path to continued growth and success, the company also actively develops leaders through the Leadership Excellence Accelerator Program. The program aims to strengthen each business unit’s capabilities by equipping top and future leaders at Service Logic with the required skills and behaviors to succeed now and in their future roles.

Meanwhile, The EDGE leadership webinar series offers every Service Logic team member the opportunity to engage with a wide range of internal and external business executives, discussing topics such as leadership style, emotional intelligence and time management.

“The companies that are successful in this industry achieve that success through a purposeful investment in improving their people’s leadership skills and, subsequently, their interactions with other people — from their colleagues to their customers,” Bolin said. “We may think we’re in the mechanical business, but we’re really in the people business … we just happen to do mechanical work.”

Interested in learning more about how your company could benefit from joining the Service Logic family? Explore how Service Logic’s Acquisition Program is tailored to each company’s needs and provides valuable benefits, such as training and talent development.