Latest / The Refrigeration Mentor Podcast / Episode 239. The Path To A Career In Supermarket Refrigeration with Patrick Gregory

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Episode 239. The Path To A Career In Supermarket Refrigeration with Patrick Gregory · The Refrigeration Mentor Podcast

• 0:00
  Trevor: Always getting awesome technicians, awesome experts in the supermarket industry coming in to chat with me, I'm always so happy when they're willing to come and share their knowledge today.
• 0:01
  So I have Patrick Gregory with me and we're going to be diving into a bit of each journey. This guy is an expert at supermarket refrigeration. It's been in the industry for years. He took in some of my courses and I see his posts online and social media.
• 0:02
  Check him out for sure. Wants to share his knowledge and loves helping others in the industry. And this is the people that I love working with and talking with and chatting with Patrick. Welcome to the refrigeration mentor podcast. How you doing brother?
• 0:03
  Patrick: Thanks, uh, yeah, thanks for having me, Trevor. I'm, I'm, I'm doing pretty well.
• 0:04
  I
• 0:05
  Trevor: love hearing that. It's been a crazy summer out there, so I know you've been busy. We tried to schedule this earlier, but you were just crushing the work out there, helping others growing. Um, and today we get a chance to chat, so I'd love to find out a little bit more, but what have you been working on today?
• 0:06
  Patrick: Um, today we're just working on a, on a, like a, a target PM on a few different things, so a little more laid back and not so,
• 0:07
  Trevor: not so wild, like the rest of the summer has been. Yeah, it's been, I've been talking to people all over North America, actually the world, and they said, it's just a, It's just been crazy out there as the, the summer has been so warm and consistent heat waves in certain areas where, you know, that's perfect for perfect storm for supermarket refrigeration technicians.
• 0:08
  So I'd love to find out a little bit about your journey. Uh, like when did you start in the supermarket game?
• 0:09
  Patrick: So, I started in the supermarket game the, uh, the Monday after I graduated college. Um, I went to a, uh, technical college for two years, got an associate's degree in HVAC and refrigeration. And then, um, I took a 16 week supermarket course at that college.
• 0:10
  Um, basically, yeah, I started really liking this stuff, so I figured I'd find myself a job. And supermarkets and I did, and, uh, the Monday after I graduated, I was, I was in a van with a guy and kind of just started there.
• 0:11
  Trevor: \ . And that's how, how it is. You know what I mean? You just, you get after it, right?
• 0:12
  And start learning and growing. And I know you've been eager over the years just to, To grow your knowledge, investing in yourself. And this is what more people need to do, just like you, because you continue to take courses, you go to events and, uh, that's how you grow your knowledge. What are some of the big, uh, biggest impacts over the last few years, uh, for you to really help you grow yourself in the refrigeration industry?
• 0:13
  Patrick: A lot of those things that really helped me is discovering more of the online content that's available. Um, you know, like yourself and the stuff that you offer. Um, I think it's great because, um, the resources online that you can see it is not something that you're always going to have access to like in the field.
• 0:14
  So, um, trying to get, trying to find resources online to learn more things that you don't see every day just to have in the back of your head in case that one day you do start seeing it. Um, I think it's really started helping me along with getting more in depth information on stuff I do see every day.
• 0:15
  So just like trying to find as many resources as possible to keep learning and growing and becoming a better service technician has really been a, uh, a strong point of mind to try to, try to find those resources and find those ways to keep on getting better. And becoming more efficient and proficient and stuff like that.
• 0:16
  Trevor: Yeah, and I totally agree with you when I started out 20 years ago over 20 years ago now in the industry There was no online resources like there is today So, uh, if you dive into it, you can you can learn and grow real fast I always though lately i've been i've been learning a lot myself, but i've been going down rabbit holes So i've been trying to Research a topic on some new technology, but it's really some of the newer technologies are hard to find some of the, the latest and greatest stuff, uh, on more, for me, it's more on technologies.
• 0:17
  That's going to replace some of the previous generation, uh, technology like electrification and diving into stuff that that's not even readily available for refrigeration. Which is pretty cool. Have you been, uh, have you been learning more of that stuff? What's the direction and some of the things that you've been learning to help yourself?
• 0:18
  Patrick: Yeah, I mean, again, um, outside of the online resources, there's a lot of manufacturer information available on a lot of like the newer technologies and the way that they're, you know, the way that they're moving forward. Some of them like to provide information and out there. So guys are aware of it. So, um, kind of say just like looking up new, you know, controls are out there, PLCs, you know, the different style of racks and stuff that a manufacturer is using, because it's an ever evolving industry, I think, and I just don't want to get complacent and kind of get left behind.
• 0:19
  So I'm always on, on the lookout to see, to see what's coming.
• 0:20
  Trevor: So I know you've been doing a lot of CO2 lately and that's, you know, that's something that's growing here in North America. What's your take on it? What do you, what do you think about CO2? How do you feel about it? , uh, cause it's, it's coming.
• 0:21
  It's here. It's not even coming. Yeah,
• 0:22
  Patrick: it's definitely here. I didn't really start dealing with Suit2 until about three years ago when I started at my current company. And ever since then, I've just been trying to get in front of it as much as I can. And, um, and lately with some of the other guys, I'm deciding to like, kind of allow That work to go to some other guys and kind of like share the wealth, I guess.
• 0:23
  I'm getting some more opportunities to get in front of it, experience it. And, um, I've had more like field experience of CO2 in the last two years than I had in the five years my career before that. And there's just even more and more of those locations being built in our area. So that's like a Pretty strong topic of mine to continue learning about for sure.
• 0:24
  Trevor: What do you think are some of the, um, the, where you were two to three years ago with CO2 and where you're now? What, what were some of your struggles then? And what are you looking forward now with CO2?
• 0:25
  Patrick: A lot of my original struggles were on the components, um, that are particular to CO2, like your HPV and stuff like that.
• 0:26
  Um, flash gas bypass that, um, I had no idea anything about them. And it's certainly the pressure to CO2 that everyone's always talking about. But, um, so once I started again, learning some of those resources in the field and through your various programs, um, it's made things a lot easier. Um, now, , I don't even think about the pressures of CO2 as like a, a cautionary thing.
• 0:27
  Like I just know, yeah, this is running 1300 pounds. Let's not put my hands there, maybe. And I pretty much go from there and just try to keep things as simple as possible. Not just try to. Go down a rabbit hole, like you were saying, and make things more complicated than what they are, because a lot of times, a lot of the issues that I see on CO2 equipment, it's not necessarily like crazy.
• 0:28
  It's just kind of simple. If you just look at it from particular angles.
• 0:29
  Trevor: Right. And I know exactly what you mean. It's not any different than any supermarket refrigeration issues you're working on already today. It just CO2 is the refrigerant in that system versus. You know, Oh, and I think this is a lot of the times what I used to think of when I first started out, it's the biggest problem, but most issues in a supermarket refrigeration system are, uh, not complex, you know, right.
• 0:30
  Patrick: So there's like a, a method that I use. It's called a kiss. It's, um, keep it simple. Stupid. It's kind of what I've heard over the years from my, from my older guys is just the. Try to keep things simple before you start going into the most complex possible issue that it could be.
• 0:31
  Trevor: Because the chance that I've talked to so many technicians from around the world and some of them tell along the same lines, you know, you're, you know, it's, it's always a big problem, you know, because when the customer calls is the biggest rush, or sometimes when dish tell you it's the biggest problem in the world.
• 0:32
  Uh, so you're, you're, you're mentally, Preparing for this big problem, but it's, you know, dirty honeycombs or it's a plug drain with four froze up three or four cases. Now that whole lineup froze up because they didn't call you on Tuesday and then it comes on Friday.
• 0:33
  Patrick: Yeah, for sure. Yeah. That's, that's definitely prevalent and mostly like conventional racks, um, with our CO2 racks, um, sometimes when they, when they think the world's falling, the sky's falling, sometimes you get there and it actually is, but, but it's still nothing to get.
• 0:34
  Too concerned about most of the time. It's got to go with a level head. I think that's like the biggest thing is just go in and call them cool and collected and just try to keep it simple and not go in thinking, Oh no, it's blowing a charge. I'm running 1500 pressure. My fans aren't running. This is the worst possible scenario.
• 0:35
  It might not be that way.
• 0:36
  Trevor: That could be the gas coolers plugged, you know, go look like, you know, already blew a fuse and the condenser fans aren't running again, you know, The, the big thing is a simple
• 0:37
  Patrick: relay or contacted that we've seen, we've been seeing for, you know, 20 years, there's a lot of similar components and, you know, CO2 equipment that you see in conventional equipment.
• 0:38
  It's just maybe some more of them and maybe some more redundancy. So yeah.
• 0:39
  Trevor: And that's, that's a big thing, like 90% of CO2 issues when you get a call for them. And I've talked to so many people, been doing it for 20 years. It's like no different than the supermarket calls that you get today. It's only that it's CO2, you know, once again, it's a contact or a fuse, a relay, like you said.
• 0:40
  A
• 0:41
  Patrick: safety switch or a lot of it is, you know, stuff that we've been seeing and talking about for a while. I think there's a few components obviously that are, that are particular to CO2 and their equipments, but, um, I don't know, not so bad.
• 0:42
  Trevor: Yeah. So what are some of the things, cause you've been doing service for a long time.
• 0:43
  What are some of the things that, uh, you help your team with and other technicians out there when they're getting into the supermarket industry on some of the tips that you give them?
• 0:44
  Patrick: A lot of the things that I try to tell guys is, um, it's okay to make mistakes and, um, but the, the key is to learn from them and to perhaps not keep on making the same mistake over and over again.
• 0:45
  Always ask questions. Um, Guys will ask a question and they'll say, I have a stupid question for you. So I stop them and say, no, you don't, because I don't, I don't really think as many stupid questions out there. So like, just, just ask questions and just stay calm, really, especially in this industry with market refrigeration, you know, it's never usually calm around you, but if you can stay calm yourself, it'll help you get through it a little easier.
• 0:46
  Trevor: Oh, I totally agree with that because that's where I, when I first started my journey in supermarket refrigeration, I didn't have anyone that was really coaching me through on call. They're like, you just give me a call. If you have a problem, here's the keys you're out on your own. You know what I mean?
• 0:47
  And you know, you, you, you, you, you. It took me a lot longer to learn that way. Like lots of people say you get thrown into the wolves the best way to work, but it's not, I don't think it's the fastest way to learn. And I don't think it's the best way to learn either. It's I think, uh, learning the stuff, someone, you know, slowly growing that knowledge, getting thrown into the wolves once in a while is okay, but not Your full time job.
• 0:48
  And that's what I felt like for many years until I got, I made enough mistakes to know, not to make those mistakes anymore to be like, okay, now I don't need validation. Now I don't need to call someone. And it does take years to learn supermarket refrigeration, but you can learn a lot faster and in a lot of stress free way.
• 0:49
  When you're put in a situation with people who care and will want to help you.
• 0:50
  Patrick: Yeah, it definitely helps when you're surrounded by a group of guys that are well to help you learn, become better. Because when it comes down to it, you know, most of us contractors, we work as a team amongst ourselves. And if everyone on the team is better, it kind of makes everyone's else life better because all of us want to go home at four o'clock.
• 0:51
  We all want to be on a reasonable time. And I think if a group of guys can work together and help each other learn, develop and progress, like. It just, it just shows everyone's work and everyone ends up, you know, happier because of it. So kind of just like a good team, a good group of guys working together, trying to get better is, is a pretty good way to do it.
• 0:52
  Trevor: A hundred percent. I totally agree with that. And I work with a lot of companies and organization where I see the guys work together and try to help grow versus some other companies where they're just like, Not in it for themselves, but just don't care. And I think that's what it is. And, and if the, they don't fix the problem, they're just someone else can deal with it, you know what I mean?
• 0:53
  And that's the issue there.
• 0:54
  Patrick: Yes. That's a big problem is when you got, you know, select few who, you know, aren't really passionate about what they do, don't really care what they do. And especially if they, they don't care if they make mistakes. Like that, that's a, that's a big one for me. Like I said, it's okay to make mistakes, but, um, you have to try to, you know, resolve it and then make sure that I miss it doesn't happen again.
• 0:55
  And if, if guys are just going around and not, um, or like keeping the blinders on, so to speak, and in a, uh, in a location and just doing very particular things and not trying to look at the bigger picture, that, that really doesn't
• 0:56
  Trevor: help either. I think accountability is a big thing in our industry. And if you can be accountable for yourself, you'll grow a lot faster.
• 0:57
  And I, I know for sure if you spend the time on. I'm learning this stuff, you know, invest in after hours, just like you, you come into some of the refrigeration mentor courses. It's not, you know, during work hours, you're outside investing in yourself. And, but this is how you grow and you can fast track your knowledge today, faster than ever before.
• 0:58
  I know 25 years ago, I talked to some tech school. We had pagers. I even had a pager, you know what I mean? Or my, yeah, you know what I mean? Where when I needed to get a document, someone had to fax it, you know what I mean? Back in the day, rough or go to a pay phone to make a phone call. Today, it's so much easier to learn uh, any skill.
• 0:59
  But you got to put the work in just like you do day in day out and outside of work What are your thoughts on investing in yourself after hours? Um,
• 1:00
  Patrick: i'm pretty high on that. Um, And kind of goes into the the group with trying to find different resources to keep on learning new things. Um, I've never been one to just clock out and then stay clocked out.
• 1:01
  Um, I can go home and research if things I saw throughout the day, you know, different valve components, configurations, racks, systems, um, refrigerants, and just learn a little more about them on questions that I thought to myself throughout the day. So, like I said, that way, you know, next time you're a little more prepared, you have a little more knowledge base of it.
• 1:02
  Um, if you have to call somebody after hours or go online or, you know, Or stuff like that and find those resources that provide some information with some questions that you're asking yourself. I think that's, I think that's huge.
• 1:03
  Trevor: Yeah, I just finished, uh, another CO2 program there this week.
• 1:04
  And after the program, I started reading through some of the CO2 manuals again that are in the program, right? I use different manufacturers from around the world. And I was going through this European document yesterday. And man, there was just, just reading over it again. You know what I mean? Somebody else, the way they wrote it, the way they do supermarket refrigeration, just a little bit different.
• 1:05
  It's the same stuff. It doesn't matter if it's in Europe or if it's in Australia, or if it's in, in Canada here or in the U S uh, it's, it's refrigeration, but just seeing it the way someone else writes it up and it's like, Man, more things were clicking, even though I've been doing CO2 for 10 years now, I'm like, man, that makes so much more sense saying it this way, um, than I read it from other manufacturer manuals.
• 1:06
  I think that's key to success as well.
• 1:07
  Patrick: Yeah, for sure, because You know, all of us do things differently, and then, you know, manufacturers do things differently, there's different recommendations, but like you were saying, it's the same concept and the same base, it's just different workarounds to get there, and, and seeing those viewpoints, those strategies, and those thoughts on the same, um, topic allow for an individual to, like, take all of them under an umbrella, uh E And take, you know, points from all of them combined and go about it that way.
• 1:08
  So definitely seeing different perspectives of things is, is a good way to keep on learning. And not just one person tells you one thing and then you just stick with that. Like their, their person, their, their word is, is law. Um, if you start doing that and staying on a straight line, is where you might get in some troubles.
• 1:09
  Try to get different, different thoughts and opinions and resources on different things and formulate your own path, I guess.
• 1:10
  Trevor: I love that. Yeah. That, that, and that's a big thing because so many refrigeration, you can do it definitely different ways, but there are just more efficient and effective ways versus other ways.
• 1:11
  You know, and then, you know, for example, there was, uh, somebody, I did a TikTok video on evacuation, um, and then charging a system where you purge, uh, your hoses. That's what I was taught. You purge the line so you don't get any air in it. But now that's not the way to do it in some countries. You can't do that.
• 1:12
  You have to evacuate up to the cylinder. And this is, this is, this is not done here in Canada and the U S at this point, but it will be at some point. So a guy called me out on it. He's like, that's the wrong way to do it. And then I went and I, I've talked to four or five different people in different countries and asked them.
• 1:13
  And I talked to my friend, Brian, he does skills Canada. And he said, yeah, last few years, I was at skills in, uh, I think it was Russia, maybe Germany, UK, wherever he was, all the different places. He said, maybe it was France or that one's the one coming up. He said, yeah, that's, that's That's the way that guys have to do it in competition.
• 1:14
  You got to pull evacuation up to the cap. No de minimis, right? No more de minimis. Yeah. So, so it's, and just learning that, you know, this is not going to happen in third world countries. You know, they're just learned. They don't even have the tools sometimes to do that. You know what I mean? So you got to know where you're at and, but it's just understanding this stuff and how to help teach people different ways to do it.
• 1:15
  And they can come up with their own, uh, own process, but you always have to follow the rules, regulations on laws in your country.
• 1:16
  Patrick: For sure, yeah, like those things are like the fundamentals and the foundation, once you get that, you know, that laid and set, then you can start doing things your own different way, as long as you're still following, you know, proper procedures and stuff like that, for
• 1:17
  Trevor: sure.
• 1:18
  At the end of the day, we all want to go home safe, you know, and immediate, because this is a highly skilled and highly dangerous trait, you know, we drive. You know, 10 hours a day driving is dangerous. You know what I mean? I
• 1:19
  Patrick: drive
• 1:20
  Trevor: like four
• 1:21
  Patrick: to
• 1:22
  Trevor: 6, 000 miles a month, so I definitely relate there. You know what I mean?
• 1:23
  So, and we don't think about that cause we do that every day, day in and day out, but that is, you know, that's more dangerous than a lot of other things. People just driving 30 minutes versus. 30 hours, you know, so yeah, for sure. And we got to be safe in what we do. We work with high voltage. We work with chemicals and refrigerants, and it's so important.
• 1:24
  And this is what I try to teach to a lot of people, even if you've been doing it. For 10 or 12 years, that's when it's probably worse than the first couple of years, because you're, you start to get complacent and this is when I told our guys kind of get hurt in a way they don't put their, the lock and lockout and tag outs on, you know what I mean?
• 1:25
  Okay, I just turned it off, but someone comes in and flicks that breaker because another breaker trip that could cause, uh, cause a world of, uh, hurt. What are some of the safety things that you try to always follow job procedures when you're going out to a site? I spend a lot
• 1:26
  Patrick: of my time thinking about driving safety like you mentioned there because I said I drive like four to six thousand miles a month and there's only so much I could control in that regard because you got everything around you so like I have my own, uh, my own dashcam in my vehicle just, you know, for my own accountability and then it may sound mundane but like just, just go slow, just try to be as safe as you can.
• 1:27
  As for on the job, um, just like the proper PPE is really important because you never know, um, if this valve that always works, always closes, Is, is going to do that. So, um, I, I'd like you said, I'd, I want to go out with all my fingers and all my, all my extremities and stuff like that. I don't want to get burns, scrapes and stuff like that.
• 1:28
  I know a lot of tough guys don't want to wear gloves and stuff like that. But, um, I've seen frostbite enough from refrigerant burn that, um, I'm not going to take that chance.
• 1:29
  Trevor: Yeah. And even with the gloves on, you still can get burns through. Yeah. You know what I mean? So I've seen that. So it's, and it's, once again, getting complacent, all the screws so small, it doesn't fit, it falls down, but that's the time that you have the glove off and you touch the contactor and just, you know, get a shot, the glove could have protect you a little bit, you know, from it.
• 1:30
  Patrick: Yeah. And then a lot of things is, um, I learned pretty, like my first week on the job, I, I, uh, isolated a compressor for somebody, we were doing a job. And, um, he, uh, after I turned it off, he went on his own and took his meter and verified stuff. I'm like, why are you doing that? I just turned that off. And he said he doesn't trust anyone but himself.
• 1:31
  And I didn't really take offense to that because I do the same now. Um, I try to verify everything myself that I'm putting my hands on and putting, you know, myself in jeopardy for, whether it be, um, hoisting, compressors, moving heavy stuff, um, electrical safety, if you're working in a group or with another person.
• 1:32
  I like to make sure myself personally that I'm, I'm good and this is going to work and best for me and not necessarily trust someone, your boss or whoever it may be that they, that they
• 1:33
  Trevor: did, you know, everything exactly right. I have one time I know, I think I was a third year maybe. And, uh, I was with my manager at the time.
• 1:34
  Feel, I think it was a field manager and we were doing something with the condenser and he was like, yeah, I isolated the condenser. It's off, locked it out. So I took out my snips to cut the wires. Cause we were cutting something out and I got a shock. Five 75. Yeah. And man, it, it stung. And yeah, and I called him after a minute.
• 1:35
  I'm like, I thought you shut it off. And he was, He was thought it was it was labeled up and everything he went wasn't it? And I didn't check because I didn't have that experience to check ever since then I've always checked It doesn't even matter if it's me shutting it off You know what? I mean, I go and verify because what can happen I've seen this happen before on a system wired up where two different Contactors are, and two different, uh, sorry, power sources of voltage into the same compressor.
• 1:36
  So it kills one or two legs, but not the other leg. And it comes from a different source. So you shut off two legs, but not that other one. And this happens out there.
• 1:37
  Patrick: Yeah, I do see compressors actually configured that way where there's two different contactors supplied power to it. Uh, start part winding or something like that.
• 1:38
  Trevor: Start
• 1:39
  Patrick: winding. Yeah, so definitely, like, in that regard, definitely want to make sure that, you know, your safety is the most important thing you're dealing with there and that you're completely isolating your power for sure. So
• 1:40
  Trevor: Patrick, you, you know, you love. Refrigeration. You love learning it. You love being out there in the field.
• 1:41
  What keeps you so involved? What, what, why are you still so passionate about supermarket refrigeration? Cause they're so, cause you know, this, you know, CO2, you know, supermarkets. So you can go out and actually do really anything out there. Because if you understand, uh, and are an expert like yourself at supermarket refrigeration, we can go do HVAC.
• 1:42
  It'll take us a little bit to learn like some of the airflow and static pressure stuff, but we can learn really anything. Cause we're diving into controls. We got electrical, we got, we got, you know, um, service related things. So we know all that stuff keeps you in the supermarket industry. So
• 1:43
  Patrick: I love, I love doing this because I always like to find a new challenge.
• 1:44
  Um, I'll never say that I, um, I've done it all, know it all and stuff like that, because there's always something out there that I don't know. I haven't seen, I haven't done. And, and so far I'm able to find those and, you know, start something new within, you know, within our job, like, um, just like the XCO2 was, um, that was usually reserved for like more experienced guys.
• 1:45
  All of a sudden I started just pushing my way in there and say, I'm doing this. Whether or not I'm necessarily ready. Yeah, I'm going to do it. And then before you know it, it's like, Oh, wow, I can do this. So I try to do that with, you know, in many different ways as possible and just to keep on learning and, and keep on just doing more things and new things and, and having fun.
• 1:46
  That's the, the, the best thing for me is I'm, I'm still having fun and, um, this stuff's real, really fun for me. So that, that's, that's pretty cool.
• 1:47
  Trevor: I was with one of my coaches, uh, two weeks ago and he said, Trevor, I'm looking at, you know, When I was in the field, cause he was a technician for a, for a long time, you know, I had a lot of passion.
• 1:48
  I cared, I had loyalty and integrity and everything that I did. And still today in my business. But he, he says the, the people that are coming into his company, they don't seem passionate. They don't really, they don't really care that it's a, you know, this is just a job for them. It's a career. Do you have any Thoughts on people coming into the industry.
• 1:49
  It doesn't have to be young people too. It could be even older people coming into the industry about the passion and integrity and loyalty into the supermarket industry.
• 1:50
  Patrick: So I see a lot of different guys in different life stages, enter this trade, whether like you're saying, you know, you know, thirties, forties, 17 years old.
• 1:51
  We kind of see like a whole mix of that. And, um, unfortunately some guys don't necessarily have that passion and are kind of just here for the paycheck and stuff like that, and want to be on for 30, every day. But, um, I think like the key is, is for everyone, regardless of what, what life stage you're in, when you're going into market refrigeration is that this is a different animal.
• 1:52
  Um, it's, it's just, it's just different. There's a lot more responsibilities, um, and accountability that you need to have, I think, to really prosper. And if you can like take that and flourish with, flourish within it and, and strive with it, um, it makes for a pretty lucrative career, a fun career, rewarding career.
• 1:53
  Um, It's a really great opportunity if you can make sure you hold yourself accountable and, um, strive to keep on getting better and avoid getting complacent and stuff like that.
• 1:54
  Trevor: Yeah, I totally agree with that because this, honestly, when I started out though, for me, it was the money, honestly, because I was, and people like told me one time, you can make 50 an hour.
• 1:55
  So I was, I was like, focus on how do I get to that goal of 50 an hour. And I worked towards it took me five years, you know what I mean? But I pushed and pushed and did what I had to do, get my pay raises to 50 an hour. But then I started over the years, I really started to enjoy it. After I learned it because the first four or five years, it was, I was just throwing, I feel like I learned from a lot of the guys and they were great, but it wasn't like I had any coach or mentors, you know what I mean?
• 1:56
  And yeah, it was until I really felt confident. I didn't need validation. I could go troubleshoot myself. And in talking with other experts who, Who either struggled the same way or was able to, or was on the same path. It's like, I love refrigeration now. Cause it's complex problems that changed all the time.
• 1:57
  It's different situations. Like you said earlier, I like that. It's different all the time. It's not the same call day in, day out, it's different challenges, different people meeting. Um, and I really think that's helped me excel in my love for refrigeration.
• 1:58
  Patrick: Yeah, for sure. Um, that's definitely how I feel as well.
• 1:59
  And, um, I think it's, I think it's great. Um, like I said, I like, I like the challenge and if you can try to find yourself a challenge, a new hill to conquer, a new task to conquer. Whatever, like something like that, um, it's like self rewarding. So like, even outside of, you know, the lucrative financial stuff like that, like it makes, like, it makes me feel good knowing that, like, I'm getting pretty good at this stuff.
• 2:00
  So
• 2:01
  Trevor: yeah, it's pretty rewarding. Yeah. The big thing is, is that we don't, especially when we started out, we don't understand, and I didn't, well, I didn't, maybe you did, but I didn't understand how valuable refrigeration is to the planet. You know what I mean? Like we got food, we can go open our fridge and we got food in there and that is cold and it lasts a lot longer.
• 2:02
  We help medicine stay longer. So it helps sick people. You know what I mean? We, there's just so many things that refrigeration helped the planet that most people. And even me, before I got into refrigerant, just didn't understand, just took advantage of it because people every day, right now, thousands of millions and millions are walking into grocery stores or walking into pharmacies and buying things.
• 2:03
  That magic help preserve and save. Yeah. Like magic. Uh, and, and this is what we're doing. We are helping the world continue to evolve. Yeah,
• 2:04
  Patrick: for sure. Um, when I talk to some people and they ask what I do, I say, you know, commercial federation or supermarket federation. They like don't really understand and I have to explain to them how their food is cold when they get to the grocery store.
• 2:05
  Um, so it's kind of getting dumbed down, dumbed down to I keep ice cream cold. That's kind of like the basic way I tell people they don't really understand. And I just gonna show like you were saying, um, a lot of people must don't necessarily know what makes the wheels turn in our industry, in this aspect of the industry.
• 2:06
  Trevor: Yeah. And when you get really good at, uh, cause there's lots of people, when you're a great commercial HVAC technician, you know, you can, you can travel, you can make lots of good coin, but I know for sure, if you are really good at supermarket refrigeration, you can get work anywhere in the world very quickly, very easily versus You know, say, um, entry level HVAC or, you know, like commercial HVAC or even like commercial refrigeration, you can get jobs anywhere, but when you get into complex supermarket refrigeration, that's, that's a huge game changer, um, I know people all around the world looking for expert technicians like yourself, uh, that will take them on, uh, Uh, right now because it's something that people aren't getting into a lot of people aren't getting into their refrigeration.
• 2:07
  So it's up to us to continue to promote and, uh, share the love of refrigeration.
• 2:08
  Patrick: Yeah. And it's, I think it's been a little difficult because a lot of like, not even younger people are entering the trade. Like we said, they're like people of any life stage. They don't necessarily know what to expect. And supermarket for duration with the, you know, the 24 hour shifts.
• 2:09
  Um, and the, the, how demanding it is and stuff like that. It's kind of like a cultural shock, especially kind of this day and age. And people just don't necessarily want to want to work that way, I guess. But, um, um, that's proven a little difficult for us is getting guys over that first hill because, you know, you're going to experience stuff like that.
• 2:10
  It's going to be tough. Um, days are going to be longer because you spend more time on service calls. So just like a cascading effect, but the better you get and, and stuff like that is it gets easier and it's stuff, stuff starts like normalize a little bit. And then if guys can just get past the first hard stage of this.
• 2:11
  I think it'd be worth it for them. And that's what we try to do is explain to them. Yeah, it's tough now, but you know, if we train you, you work hard, we can get to a point where it's really not so bad.
• 2:12
  Trevor: Oh yeah. And well, the thing is, if you want to make doctor wages. You can hear doctors work four days straight, you know, they're on call sleeping at the hospital, you know, so if you want to make money like a doctor, you can do that refrigeration.
• 2:13
  I know people here make it 200, 300, 000 as a technician. People say that's impossible. You can't make that, but you can, it's just long hours, a lot of hours and different. Uh, tactics in inside the, that company maybe that you own or you work at. Um, but you can make that money just like a doctor and it's, it's probably a quicker way.
• 2:14
  I, I, I know it's a quicker way to get to a hundred thousand as a refrigeration technician versus a doctor for sure.
• 2:15
  Patrick: Yeah. Um, no eight years of schooling and $300,000 in medical debt for sure. Which. Which is great about this industry because, you know, I went to a technical high school, then a college, and then got in the field, but there's plenty of guys who went to a regular high school, and then they, they knew a guy, and they got into the market configuration, no debt at all, no prior experience, and they built their way up.
• 2:16
  And, you know, now they're successful. So that's, what's cool about this industry is different backgrounds. You come from different backgrounds, different experiences. And if you put in the hard work and are dedicated, you can, you can make it
• 2:17
  Trevor: work. Yeah, for sure. And I think that is the, the big thing is, is having someone to explain that to you.
• 2:18
  I think some people that come into the industry, they don't know that it's, it's a supermarket anyway. They don't know that there's 12, 13, 14 hour days, 20 hours a day. I've done it. You know what I mean? I've had that for months straight too, especially doing on construction, just pounding out the hours. Um, uh, not saying it was right or wrong.
• 2:19
  You know what I mean? Um, because over definitely over 12 hours, you start your, your mind, your, your body, you start to go downhill. You know what I mean? That's just the way it is. And there's some companies that, you know, they have enough people to be able to change guys out, but there's some other companies that just you, you know what I mean?
• 2:20
  There's no one to bail you out, but that's like any, any, you know, Uh, type of skill trade as well. Right? So I really think if you're prepared, like you said earlier, and you understand what you're getting yourself into, you can make a very good living in this industry, uh, and become very wealthy too, if you're smart with your money, the problem, one of the things that I've seen when I started come up, especially working in different places where people made a lot of money, it's just going out and buying a big truck, putting yourself in more debt, buying a boat, buying a four wheel, all the things that you really like.
• 2:21
  But if you don't have that money saved up yet, you're putting yourself in debt. You know what I mean? Now you're chasing, you're always chasing, chasing the work. The, I need those 16 hours now just to pay my debt versus I can work my 55 hours and all my bills are covered. Plus I'm saving.
• 2:22
  Patrick: Yeah. That's, um, that's something that I'm pretty conscious of is you have to think for the future because we know how demanding this, this trade is, you know, physically, mentally.
• 2:23
  Um, I don't want to be having to do this. Um, 16 hours a day at any point in my life, but especially not when I'm, you know, in my fifties. So I think financial literacy is important. Where I'm from, there's not a lot of that in Pennsylvania, rural Pennsylvania. So, um, that's definitely something to be conscious of as well, for sure.
• 2:24
  Trevor: Yeah. So any technician that is out there listening to this right now, I'll give you one massive tip. If 40 hours a week or 45 hours a week that you work and you bank and you invest and save. Overtime that you make in supermarket refrigeration in five years, I promise you, you'll have a massive amount of money to buy a house, to buy a car, whatever you want, but that's the thing.
• 2:25
  Nobody saved. Everyone thinks that overtime is their money. They should be thinking about that's my investment. You know what I mean? That, that should be investment money, because if you live off your 40 hours and all the overtime, like I talked to somebody the other day, uh, they said they got already got 2000 hours.
• 2:26
  You know what I mean? That's a regular year's work for somebody. So if you, the rest of the year, if you saved all that money, you lived off what you can live off, uh, you know, your 40 hours, you are going to have so much money, especially in this trade. Cause you can get as many hours as you want. Oh, yeah. Um,
• 2:27
  Patrick: you can get as many hours as you want.
• 2:28
  Um, I know that cause, um, I was pretty much what I, what I've been doing is just getting as much hours as I can. Last year I had 1200 hours of overtime and it wasn't because I needed it. Um, it's because I wanted those experiences and, um, you know, that time spent, I learned, I've learned so much in the last two years, working thousands plus hours of overtime a year.
• 2:29
  Um, not so much for the money aspect, aspect of it, but just so there's like, valuable learning experiences, there's, you know, there's nights on call where it's just you and, you and the equipment and you got to figure it out. Um, it was so far, it's been like, one of my better ways of learning is just finding those experiences, seeking them out and, you know, adding, adding that to our repertoires when it's just, when it's just you and you gotta get it figured out.
• 2:30
  Trevor: That's one of the things I talk about in my program that I tell the technicians and these students that it's like, if you really want to learn, take more on calls. You know, you get your regular on calls, you're on schedule maybe once a month, once a quarter, once every six months, whatever, it doesn't matter.
• 2:31
  But if you take on call, you go and say, Hey, Patrick, I know it's your on call next week, but do you mind if I take that for you? You be my backup. I'm, you know, I'm still nude on call. You be my backup. You're more happy to take a call at two o'clock in the morning from that person than them just calling you at two o'clock in the morning and they're on call.
• 2:32
  You know what I mean? And this is, this is the way I see some people coming through the refrigeration mentor program. Then they're starting to do this. They're like, it's more work for me. You know, I'm getting more hours and I'm still a little stressed out because I'm out to the But when I talk to these technicians who are giving me their on calls, First of all, they're happy because they don't want to do that on calls, but they're more happy to help them when they're on call say, listen, yeah, I know here, here's the problem.
• 2:33
  Here's what it is. What did you get this information already? I got this information. Okay. Look here, here, and here it's hands down. That's going to help you learn faster. You, you are out on call. You're taking more calls. You're getting more reps in as a, you know, as a newer technician or even an experienced technician.
• 2:34
  Because I. For me, like I said earlier, I only got really good at service after five or six years in the industry, maybe even seven years till I feel like I didn't have to call for validation and stuff. Um, and I think on call can definitely help with that.
• 2:35
  Patrick: Yeah, that's actually about where I am now. Cause I'm probably at your seven mark total.
• 2:36
  And it wasn't until three years ago, like I said, where I started really getting into the meat and potatoes of the industry, where I was doing exactly what we were saying, I was taking everyone's on call by my second week here. Yeah. Um, almost knowing nothing of the, of the equipment I was going to see.
• 2:37
  And it was just so I can, just so I could see it, learn how to work on it, learn a little more about it. Um, I saw a lot to learn and a lot to get better at. But, um, I'm just going to keep on working on it and allowing myself to, the opportunity to get better at it for sure.
• 2:38
  Trevor: What are one or two tips you can give for someone getting into the industry?
• 2:39
  Just say they're in maybe two or three years. They're doing market refrigeration. What are a couple of tips that maybe helped them along the way?
• 2:40
  Patrick: I think, um, to maintain personal accountability is a big one. Um, not to blame anyone, not to blame anyone else for any deficiencies you may have or, um, the situation that you're in.
• 2:41
  Um, you're, you're responsible for your own progression to an extent, of course. But, um, a lot of this, a lot of this industry is in our own hands, I think. Um, it is what you make it. So, um, gotta be like, Try to find a passion in the trade. Um, any, this trade, like any aspect of it is get passionate about it and try to be your best, not necessarily the best, but your best, which is something you can control, you can always do your best.
• 2:42
  Trevor: I totally agree with that and try to be better tomorrow than today. And that's what I've been doing for years now. And just continue and trying to, to grow my knowledge. How do I, how can I be better? How can I help other people be better? And I liked the way you put that, you know, how to be your best, because this is what companies are looking for.
• 2:43
  They're looking for people who are accountable, who, uh, are responsible for their actions. And, and, and I'm willing to make mistakes. I talked to so many business owners. They don't mind if people make mistakes, like you said earlier, but as long as they learn from it, own up to the mistake, you know what I mean?
• 2:44
  And let's be like, okay, I did this because any good refrigeration technician can go behind any technician, other technician might take them a little while, but they can figure out what they did hands down. You get. And so when you can be accountable, like you said. Personal responsibility. I love that. I think that's, that'll, that'll go huge in your life, let alone a refrigeration career.
• 2:45
  Patrick: Yeah, for sure.
• 2:46
  Trevor: Patrick, I want to thank you so much for taking the time. We'll have to do this again. I'd love to dive in deeper on some of the technical knowledge that you have, but I really appreciate you taking the time. How can people, uh, find out more about you or reach out to you if they ever have any questions that they would love to learn more about?
• 2:47
  Patrick: Yeah. Um, I'm just on LinkedIn where I post some of my daily, my daily service calls, stuff that I find interesting and stuff like that. Um, And just try to get some inputs you guys have on there and I'm willing to learn from guys on there and maybe get some advice in the meantime. So that's, that's pretty much where I am.
• 2:48
  Trevor: Awesome. Okay. Definitely reach out to Patrick, connect with him on LinkedIn. Really appreciate your time, Patrick, as always. And thank you for listening to everyone. You know, this is, this is a expert in the field who's continued to grow his knowledge to get better at American refrigeration, love chatting with you, Patrick, and we'll see you at the next refrigeration mentor podcast.
• 2:49
  Thank you, Trevor.