Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
Bringing together local businesses and neighbor of the Tri-Cities region. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Skip Mauney helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around The Tri-Cities.
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Good Neighbor Podcast: Tri-Cities
EP# 134: Building Legacy in HVAC: Jason Fields' Story with Fields Right HVAC
What makes Jason Fields with Fields Right HVAC a good neighbor?
Meet Jason Fields, the dedicated heart and hands behind Fields Right HVAC, a cornerstone in the Tri-Cities community known for its unwavering commitment to comfort and quality. Jason takes us on a journey from his childhood days of illuminating his father's repair work with just a flashlight, to earning multiple degrees in HVAC science. Fields Right HVAC, a family-owned business, thrives on the legacy of expertise passed down from Jason's father, Adam Fields, a seasoned professional in the industry. Whether it's a cozy residential project or a demanding commercial site, Jason shares how the balance of their commitments and their family's dedication has turned Fields-Right into a trusted household name.
Discover the passion fueling this family business as Jason talks about how they tackle everything from ice machines to 20-ton commercial chillers. With 70% of their work in residential heating and cooling, and the remainder in commercial sectors like nursing homes and restaurants, Fields-Right HVAC has learned to juggle diverse needs while maintaining their standard of excellence. Jason’s personal story of growth within the HVAC world, his educational journey to grasp the intricate science behind it, and his hands-on experience from a young age make this episode a captivating insight into the world of heating and air services. Tune in to hear how commitment, education, and a bit of family tradition create a business that's as reliable and efficient as the systems they work on.
To learn more about Fields Right HVAC go to:
https://www.facebook.com/FieldsRight/
Fields Right HVAC
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Skip Monty.
Speaker 2:Well, hello everyone and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast of the Tri-Cities. We've got a very special guest with us here today. That, I think, is the kind of person you want to have their phone number at four o'clock in the morning when you wake up and the heat pump's not working or the AC's not working and it's extremely hot or extremely cold outside. So if you're looking for somebody that can help you with that, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, mr Jason Fields of Fields-Wright HVAC Jason, welcome to the show. Fields-rite HVAC Jason. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3:Hey, it's nice to be here.
Speaker 2:Well, we're glad to have you and, like I said, it's always good to have a phone number to call when you need heat or cold, and so I'm pretty excited to hear about all about you and your business, as I'm sure our listeners are. So, if you don't mind, why don't you kick us off by telling us all about Feels Right, heating and Air?
Speaker 3:Yeah, by all means. Like you said, we're located out of the Tri-Cities and stuff. We're actually located out of Gate City, virginia, but our office is over on Carter's Valley, over on the Tennessee side. But we're a family owned and operated heating and air company. We service anything from an ice machine all the way up to like a 20 ton chiller on some commercial sites. We service all of the tri-cities all the way up from you know, down towards Morristown, all the way up to Abingdon, and then Southwest Virginia for residential and commercial clients and then Southwest Virginia for residential and commercial clients. We probably do about 70, 30. So about 70% of our work is on the residential side trying to take care of like homes and apartment complexes, and then probably about 30% is in the restaurant and nursing home fields and then we got a preschool and stuff that we take care of. Anything on that side.
Speaker 3:We're owned by myself and then my father, adam Fields. He's been in the field doing hitting air for near on 20 some years now and then I've been running calls ever since I was old enough to hold a flashlight. I was out running calls with him before or either before school, early in the mornings when he'd get up or after school, when I was really probably supposed to be doing homework just crunch it all in before you'd have tests and stuff. Try just trying to get people heating stuff back on. I can remember many times running up to Castlewood and stuff with dad running a call and then coming all the way back to Gate City to finish up a robotics meeting or something after high school and just trying to crunch it all in before you got to get some sleep.
Speaker 2:Wow, well, I can imagine that and you kind of touched on. I was going to ask how you got into the business, but it sounds like it's a family affair and you pretty much your whole life, except for, you know, maybe, single digit childhood.
Speaker 3:Well, like I say, as soon as I was old enough to hold a flashlight I was out running calls. I was out with him and stuff, trying to do everything and just learning along the way About. When I got into high school, I you know everybody's you know screaming you need to start finding a career path and where you're going to go with stuff. I kind of already knew what I wanted to do. So I went up to um mountain empire community college and um got a couple of degrees, cause I wanted to kind of learn the science. But you know, always been out there in the field doing stuff but kind of wanted to learn the full science of why the heat pump works, the way that does does. So went up there and then you know back from kind of where the business and stuff went from. There I had to. I had with my degree path. I had to get a commercial or industrial experience, or I wouldn't be able to graduate with both of my associates degrees industrial experience or I wouldn't be able to graduate with both of my associates degrees. So I ended up leaving or, while I was in college, going to a local you know we'll leave their name and stuff out of it, but a local commercial industrial company that did a lot of work and stuff around here, spent probably about three years there out of college and um met some of you know some of the guys that have really expanded a lot of my knowledge and stuff, which um dad um also worked at um Eastman um doing industrial heating and air. But um I spent a lot of my time um learning from you know some guys that I'll name drop John Reese and Matt Keys and stuff on some industrial and commercial equipment and then doing a lot of that sheet metal work and actually ended up doing some projects on building a few schools in the region that have been built recently.
Speaker 3:But, like I say, from there and stuff um working there. Um we spent towards the end I was predominantly in the service department for them, with billing and then customer relationships on there and kind of some things that I wasn't necessarily proud of when I was going out to somebody's. You know, when I went out to somebody's house or somebody's business on some stuff that I necessarily didn't necessarily sit well with me, so talked with my wife and stuff about it and we went back and forth and then talk to dad, who you know has been doing this on the side for years, um, and decided that, um, we was going to try it. So I left from there, um, about four years ago, to start up Fields Route, heating and Cooling, uming, and do this every day to try and take care of people and do do it in a way that helps me and my family and stuff sleep a little bit better at night and try to care more about taking care of people while at the same time making a living.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely. Well, what are some myths or misconceptions in the HVAC industry?
Speaker 3:Right now going on as we're talking today, is the A2L transition. So we're going through. In the industry the EPA has laid out mandates for a refrigerant changeover. I'm sure most people have heard about Freon R22. Several years ago the EPA made the manufacturer of it illegal in the United States. That they're ramping down manufacturer of it. Well, the refrigerant we changed to was 410A. I don't know if a lot of people have seen the pink jugs in a lot of commercials. Now the EPA has said that that has a global warming potential. So that is going to be phased out. So we're moving over to a propane-based refrigerant.
Speaker 3:The biggest misconceptions that's going on about those and is you know, biggest problem was started with rumors between homeowners and different companies and technicians that can use sales tactics and stuff here and there with the A2L transition. A lot of it is a fear-based mongering that the new refrigerants are dangerous and or the refrigerants that you like, a 410A equipment is going to become illegal to fix or repair. None of that's really true on there. Oh, wow, good to know. If anybody comes out and tells you that it's illegal to repair a piece of equipment, that's not true. We've been dealing with a lot of that over the last year. It might be expensive to repair it where it's older, but just like a car, you can do about anything to repair it. It's not illegal to fix. It's just you might not want to pay for it, um, because you gotta. You gotta judge on that on each situation, but there is no that it's illegal to repair older equipment yeah, I've heard that.
Speaker 3:Actually, I heard that about r22 as well, uh, yeah, they did the same thing when we switched over from r22. Now they're switching over from 410. Several companies and stuff can see it as a money making opportunity oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, and it's expensive to to convert, right, I mean yeah, yeah it is it's expensive to convert and then to get, mean, yeah, it is, and it's expensive to convert and then to get new equipment. It is usually expensive. You got to do it by a case by case basis and you kind of got to see what's the most beneficial spot for the person that you're dealing with at that time. Not every case scenario. It's better to get a new unit all the time. I mean this stuff's expensive. There's no lie to it. It's expensive and not everybody has it. I mean it's hard the way the economy is.
Speaker 2:Right, absolutely, absolutely Well, jason, outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:I'll be honest with you. Right now, outside of work, I've got a daughter that's getting ready to turn one, actually tomorrow. Congratulations Mostly for the last year and stuff. It's been getting off of work and I'm either coming home or any day that I can take off me, my wife and her will go on a trip or go down to Gatlinburg or something like that, anything that I can miss the least amount of time as possible because somebody in the house has to work. But I want to miss the least amount of time as possible because somebody in the house has to work, but I want to miss the least amount of time possible, absolutely Good answer.
Speaker 2:Good answer. Pamela comes first. That's a good answer. So if you could think of one thing, Jason, that you would like our listeners to remember about Fields Right HVAC, what would that be?
Speaker 3:Well, we are a for-profit company. We are here to make money and to make a living on as we come out and do work at your house. That being said, we're not out here to gouge anybody. There's a lot of that that goes on. It's not not the just Tri-Cities, just the industry-wide. There's a lot of that that goes on because a lot of people don't know on this stuff. You know your trust the expert when they come out to your house is a lot of it, because a lot of people don't know how this equipment works. But, um, we, we try our best to meet in the middle between a fair price between us and our customers.
Speaker 2:Very good, very good thing to remember. And if someone says hey, you know, commercial or residential heat pump goes out, they're freezing to death, how, how do they learn more about you and your company?
Speaker 3:Well, they can always call us at the main line, so that's 4, 2863-6053. Or they can visit us, find our website on Facebook or visit us straight on Facebook. We'll answer a Facebook message or message. You can set up appointments straight from our website. Or, just like I said, just give us a call and Piper will get you scheduled.
Speaker 2:Awesome, very good, very good. Piper's, your wife right.
Speaker 3:Very good, piper's your wife, right? Yes, she is, she's my wife, but we couldn't run without her.
Speaker 2:She does a lot of keeping on the back end of stuff. I'm very blessed to have her Absolutely. I get that Absolutely Well, jason.
Speaker 3:I know you're a busy guy and I really appreciate you taking the time out to be on our show and we wish you and Piper and your daughter happy birthday to her. But wish you and your family and your dad feels right HVAC all the best.
Speaker 2:Moving forward, hey we appreciate it very much. Yeah, we appreciate you giving us time absolutely, and maybe we can have you back sometime hey, by all means, we'd love to be there all right.
Speaker 1:Thanks so much, jason thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptry-citiescom. That's gnptry-citiescom, or call 423-719-5873.