In order for a company to be considered successful, it must continue to grow. Along with said growth, the men and women working for it need to develop in order to meet the company’s increasing standards and expectations consistently.
Magnolia Heating and Cooling was established in 1951 by three different owners. The current owner has been operating the business since 2002, which started off with five employees, a name, and the phone number 800-2GET-AIR. A lot has changed in the HVAC industry over the last 20 years.
Now in 2022, Magnolia employs 27 hardworking, dedicated people. Finding the best people with a passion for HVAC has been a challenge through the years, and this year has been the most challenging one yet. The current goal of the owners is to hire young people and give them a great start in life by working in the HVAC trade. We believe the HVAC trade is a present necessity and will continue to be so far into the future.
This year, Magnolia needed to add additional staff. We’ve seen a growing demand for HVAC services as more people are working from home. The California summer can be hard to tolerate without quality air conditioning. In the spring of 2022, a few of our employees left the state. Planning for the upcoming summer season, the management team needed staff. In total, Magnolia needed to add two lead installers, three install helpers, two maintenance technicians, and two service technicians, and fill two administrative roles. We placed ads and began recruiting in April.
The employee shortage presented a serious problem. We had many no-shows for interviews. Many candidates couldn’t pass the screening process due to a variety of reasons: a bad driving record, no license, a positive drug test, being underage for our driving policy, etc.
Magnolia’s goal is always to hire the best and the brightest. Our hiring process is very important to us and takes time and resources. We understand that being an HVAC technician is a difficult job in harsh conditions; new employees may quit on the first day. One of the ways people learn is by making frequent mistakes, but in HVAC, this is not an option.
As of August 2022, we have most of the vacant positions staffed. Our goal for the future is to continue leading and inspiring the next generation of blue-collar workers and administrators. We are excited this year; we are a business partner with the Riverside Unified School District, where Magnolia has volunteered our staff’s time and talents. We’ve also been busy creating an introductory HVAC curriculum to be presented to the construction students at Roman High. Our first visit to the classroom is August 19th, where we will have handout material to share on our first topic (which you can see the outline below): the history of HVAC.
Class Outline for Topics of Discussion
Learning Objective: familiarize students with HVAC systems, their purposes and functions.
Goal for Class: understand the importance of proper design, application, installation, and maintenance of HVAC systems. Understand HCAV significance in the construction industry and homeowners alike.
Outline
- History of Air Conditioning
- Energy Sources That Power Air Conditioning and Heating Systems
- Why Do We Need Air Conditioning?
- What Does an Air Conditioning System Do?
- Major Types of Air Conditioning and Heating Systems
- How Does Air Conditioning Cool Your Home?
- How Does a Furnace Heat Your Home?
- What Are The Major Components of Air Conditioning?
- Major Issues Facing The Air Conditioning Industry Today
- The Future of Air Conditioning and Heating
- Careers in Servicing and HVAC
