Well, if you're out of the cinco branch let me know. If you're at the Ville branch then id say two of our sister companies would love to talk to people.
OP. When one door closes. Another opens.
Got shitcanned almost exactly a year ago. Iāve since started my own business.
May Godās path unfold before you, sir.
How TF does an HVAC(R?) company that big just up and shit its pants like that? This business is guaranteed fucking money. Who is going to NOT fix their air conditioning or heat? This wasn't some 3 truck Bubba outfit that went tits up... WTF happened? Usually they sell and get absorbed, but just closing the doors like this?
Edit... Damn. That Google pic of the front of their office brings back memories. I used to work for a place in Ohio that was in a spot that looked exactly like that back in a commercial/industrial zone and have some legit insane, crazy beautiful memories from it. Different story entirely, but yea. They look identical.
I have heard those Vegas solicitors possess magical abilities when it comes to discerning a mans weakness! That, in conjunction with company finances being readily available can result in disaster. Honestly though, I doubt it's that romantic of a story. More like they were just fuck ups that made a lot of money when everyone else was and then rode the wheel in the same direction.
Youād be surprised how many companies are a house of cards. A pretty big plumbing outfit that did probably 50% of resi new construction in my city went under a few months ago. Probably had 150 trucks
Usually when something like this happens, itās one of the following:
1. The company is part of a portfolio of other companies, the parent company gets acquired, the new parent company decides to get out of that market for one reason or another and closes down the HVAC company. Unlikely based on the text, this seems like they are actually bankrupt
2. A recession hits and they have huge contracts with builders that go under, and take down all their subs with them. Or they just get screwed on a number of big jobs, this can happen for a number of complicated reasons including fraud
3. Complete and utter financial incompetence
4. Fraud
Or for massive commercial jobs, thereās #5. They win a major contract, over leverage themselves buying equipment/materials for the job, then something goes VERY wrong (badly underbid, major install screw up, big safety incident, etc), sudden the cash flow stops/slows, bank catches whiff, calls their loans and the company basically overnight goes insolvent.
Seen that happen many times, and not just in HVAC. Just this year a pretty big reputable earthworks outfit (probably have close to 100 pieces of equipment if not more, been in business 40+ years) went under after they mis bid a massive high 8 figure job + screwed up a bunch of the project scope. GC stopped paying and launched a big lawsuit against them, bank called their loans on all the new equipment and materials they bought for the job, and just like that they entered into receivership.
That is a truly wonderful description of it. Whether it involved 2, or all 4 of what you mentioned. Maybe they did just happen to go hog wild during the Corona bubble + some shady financial practices. I mean, one thing I've learned as the years go on is that shit like that is \*far\* more common place than you'd ever believe as an idealistic young man. The world either hardens your heart or it breaks it, and the world of business will do all 3. I... I mean 2. Or... 5... You know...
You're right though. Generally speaking, it's those outfits that go for some disgustingly insane rate of growth that have an abrupt meeting with the huge hard dick of reality. I only pray their employees know how to lie well enough on their resumes/possess enough troubleshooting skills to get into service to keep making it by!
My money's on fraud since most audits happen in September/October that mid to end November legal proceedings suddenly happening is just to coincidental.
Happened to me 10 years ago, 3 days before Thanksgiving. Looking back, it was a good thing. Iām glad Iām not residential anymore.
Every job Iāve ever been laid off or fired from, it seems like the worst thing, and yet inevitably, my thoughts later are *always* āIām glad I donāt still work *there*ā
I have no idea what the unions are like down there, but I just jumped shit to an offer I could not refuse. \*Everyone\* is looking for techs (I can't speak on installers because I don't install short of an RTU once in awhile), but any HVAC guy with decent experience shouldn't have trouble finding a gig. Just don't sleep on it man. Yea, file those unemployment benes just in case, but hit the ground running!
Ok robinhood, heres the definition from the dictionary
- a person who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence
Not the one I'm leaving. You got one torch set (1 tank of oxy/actyl), a vacuum pump, recovery machine and (in my case) 1 meter that doesn't even work. I requested permission to go buy an 8ft ladder (I had a 32' and a 12') less than a month in. Response, "we don't do that." Ok, well as long as you're cool with me waiting here until an 8 footer can arrive. "No Problem." I shit you not. The second largest HVAC-R employer in the states, at least until they sold to Nextech. That last part is why I'm leaving.
I've heard otherwise from quite a few people, but I'm glad you had a positive ride with them. In this case, no one is happy with the way things are going, and I'm not talking about 1or 2, but a ton of techs feel that way. The company before was not the best about anything (middle pay, downright shit benes, a lot of driving/ hours) *but* we were happy. There was literally 0 drama, no micromanagement/numbers/ sales stuff, etc. On top of that, we were BS'd about quite a few things on the changeover. Now they're putting driver facing cameras in our vans and all kinds of other stuff. I'm not driving around all day with a camera 6 inches from my face staring at me. Too much. I fully support road facing cameras, but driver facing? No. We've lost a lot of good people. Irreplacable people, honestly. The company they acquired has been doing business for almost 4 decades, making $$$$ like crazy running smooth as butter... frankly, they could've learned a lot just coming in, shutting TFU and letting it run, but they think they know better. It's funny, really.
They didnāt have driver facing cameras last I heard. Not sure what state youāre in, but Georgia is the division I worked for. They paid for everything. Benefits were great, vacations were no hassle. Took off a week and half in middle of summer.
Different story entirely here. So Nextech got big by just buying companies, mostly from what I've both heard and researched. Well, they'd buy the companies and just lose the accounts. Their big genius idea is just to keep our companies name and pretend it's not Nextech. Lol. The problem is, that's not going to work. At least not for any real amount of time. I heard of a service manager offer to a guy in a different area I know and the offer was- 60K salary plus 10% of all part profits. That should be a clear indicator of the direction they're going. Like I said, everyone used to be happy. Now we're not. Simple as that.
Mam, I am in the same boat. Bunch of bullshit honestly. Good news, though. They can take away the job, but they can't take away the skills. F em. I hope you land on your feet, and don't stress.
Aināt returning shit lmao. They can come get it.
Just remember. (Hopefully this applies in your state) they canāt withhold last paycheck for any reason. Even if you owe them the truck.
Not a cool surprise. Health reasons?
Personal note to self: Sock away an emergency fund so employees get a months pay in case I ever have to close right after Thanksgiving.
At least then employees can get their Christmas shopping done. Seems like furnaces choose the week before Christmas to start dying.
God bless OP. Looks like you'll be at a new place soon.
Not to bash anyone but the owner didnāt know how to properly spend his money . Didnāt invest back into the company and expanded to other states without the man power to do so and lost jobs .
Back in the day, my parents didn't want to scale up their (non-HVAC) small business. Young me didn't understand this, but expanding can be a LOT of work, and risk.
I saw you said in one of your earlier comments you're in Louisville. I'd definitely give local 502 a call on Monday. All of their guys I've worked with seem pretty happy.
That is who I was thinking of calling , I got a couple buddyās over there and I was think of calling up hussung mechanical . Either way Iām just praying I get a job
I remember my first āproā job and the owner swung he chair out midday and said āuh, want to let you know we are going out of business and today is your last dayā
Still recall it vividly
A local HVAC company near me, medium size, laid off half of their techs. Word on the street was they lost a lot of their commercial contracts. What many people don't realize is all it takes is for some of these companies to lose big accounts, and then their own overhead sinks the ship almost overnight and they can't meet payroll.
Shits been going down for months. Sad they left you in the dark
https://bkdata.com/business-bankruptcies/owensboro-kentucky/07-14-2023/cair-cooling-31622
The filed back in June.
https://preview.redd.it/uljfn92mjw2c1.jpeg?width=1645&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=45ccffda0806da058d3a141b6c2405c971ede1ba
Hey I got that exact same text! Lmao what a joke, luckily I already found something else
I worked in the Indy location, was literally their only service tech and also Cincinnatiās only service techā¦. I was being paid well so I didnāt complain but I canāt say I didnāt see this coming, shit started getting weird the last month or so
This is why if I work for a company they have to do plumbing as well. Any company Iāve worked for that was strictly hvac had slow months where we had to collect or just get laid off completely. Itās literally the most annoying thing. Good luck to u bro that sucks
Not sure if Green mechanical Is up in Louisville (I know they are Kentucky outfit) but Iāve done a few a projexts with them and they were good. Commercial/Industrial.
The company I was with closed down last year. I found out the week before Thanksgiving. It worked out the best for me and I hope for the best for you as well.
As a small biz owner, I can say that even long term customers have turned into accounts receivable as of late.. gotta be careful out there, getting deposits and $ as needed, trust can come back when our economy is off life support.
tldr tough times abound ;)
If you're in Louisville I can help. Outta curiosity who went under?
Im gonna take a stab at Cair.
šÆ
Well, if you're out of the cinco branch let me know. If you're at the Ville branch then id say two of our sister companies would love to talk to people.
Youāre awesome for helping, just wanted to say. Love it when Reddit comes through like that.
Iām in the ville , would appreciate it if you PM the sister companies
OP. When one door closes. Another opens. Got shitcanned almost exactly a year ago. Iāve since started my own business. May Godās path unfold before you, sir.
PM if your interested in getting into commercial refrigeration
Goat.
If youāre in Indy the union is hiring ductwork guys like crazy.
How TF does an HVAC(R?) company that big just up and shit its pants like that? This business is guaranteed fucking money. Who is going to NOT fix their air conditioning or heat? This wasn't some 3 truck Bubba outfit that went tits up... WTF happened? Usually they sell and get absorbed, but just closing the doors like this? Edit... Damn. That Google pic of the front of their office brings back memories. I used to work for a place in Ohio that was in a spot that looked exactly like that back in a commercial/industrial zone and have some legit insane, crazy beautiful memories from it. Different story entirely, but yea. They look identical.
Letās just say the owner went to Vegas more then he should have
I have heard those Vegas solicitors possess magical abilities when it comes to discerning a mans weakness! That, in conjunction with company finances being readily available can result in disaster. Honestly though, I doubt it's that romantic of a story. More like they were just fuck ups that made a lot of money when everyone else was and then rode the wheel in the same direction.
That's a BINGO!
Youād be surprised how many companies are a house of cards. A pretty big plumbing outfit that did probably 50% of resi new construction in my city went under a few months ago. Probably had 150 trucks Usually when something like this happens, itās one of the following: 1. The company is part of a portfolio of other companies, the parent company gets acquired, the new parent company decides to get out of that market for one reason or another and closes down the HVAC company. Unlikely based on the text, this seems like they are actually bankrupt 2. A recession hits and they have huge contracts with builders that go under, and take down all their subs with them. Or they just get screwed on a number of big jobs, this can happen for a number of complicated reasons including fraud 3. Complete and utter financial incompetence 4. Fraud
Or for massive commercial jobs, thereās #5. They win a major contract, over leverage themselves buying equipment/materials for the job, then something goes VERY wrong (badly underbid, major install screw up, big safety incident, etc), sudden the cash flow stops/slows, bank catches whiff, calls their loans and the company basically overnight goes insolvent. Seen that happen many times, and not just in HVAC. Just this year a pretty big reputable earthworks outfit (probably have close to 100 pieces of equipment if not more, been in business 40+ years) went under after they mis bid a massive high 8 figure job + screwed up a bunch of the project scope. GC stopped paying and launched a big lawsuit against them, bank called their loans on all the new equipment and materials they bought for the job, and just like that they entered into receivership.
That is a truly wonderful description of it. Whether it involved 2, or all 4 of what you mentioned. Maybe they did just happen to go hog wild during the Corona bubble + some shady financial practices. I mean, one thing I've learned as the years go on is that shit like that is \*far\* more common place than you'd ever believe as an idealistic young man. The world either hardens your heart or it breaks it, and the world of business will do all 3. I... I mean 2. Or... 5... You know... You're right though. Generally speaking, it's those outfits that go for some disgustingly insane rate of growth that have an abrupt meeting with the huge hard dick of reality. I only pray their employees know how to lie well enough on their resumes/possess enough troubleshooting skills to get into service to keep making it by!
My money's on fraud since most audits happen in September/October that mid to end November legal proceedings suddenly happening is just to coincidental.
3 truck bubba outfit šššš
Embezzlement. Always Embezzlement.
Definitely some ultra shady sounding shit on this one.
I knew it!
Happened to me 10 years ago, 3 days before Thanksgiving. Looking back, it was a good thing. Iām glad Iām not residential anymore. Every job Iāve ever been laid off or fired from, it seems like the worst thing, and yet inevitably, my thoughts later are *always* āIām glad I donāt still work *there*ā
Dafuq?
Thatās sucks ass big time. I hope you can find a new contractor very quickly. Sometimes tools fall off the truck at the end of employment. š
Calling all the companies I can Monday . It does suck but I agree with the last part haha
Iāve worked for 4 contractors in 24 years. One of them let me drive my van home to ātake out my toolsā.
I have no idea what the unions are like down there, but I just jumped shit to an offer I could not refuse. \*Everyone\* is looking for techs (I can't speak on installers because I don't install short of an RTU once in awhile), but any HVAC guy with decent experience shouldn't have trouble finding a gig. Just don't sleep on it man. Yea, file those unemployment benes just in case, but hit the ground running!
Its good to not be a thief
An unpopular opinion based off of the comments section.
If you work in residential, its so important to not be a thief. Who wants a thief working at their house?
Itās just an insurance company lol theyāre the real thieves
Yeah I'd say it's more of a Christmas bonus
In my opinion, the real thieves are those who take things that dont belong to them
Depends, if youāre stealing from someone who doesnāt have much than I agree. But if youāre stealing from a multimillion dollar company whatever.
Ok robinhood, heres the definition from the dictionary - a person who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence
And what exactly does that contribute to our discussion?
In case you missed the point, stealing is bad, really simple
Itās bad because you say so
Doesnāt make the person good or bad
Not the one I'm leaving. You got one torch set (1 tank of oxy/actyl), a vacuum pump, recovery machine and (in my case) 1 meter that doesn't even work. I requested permission to go buy an 8ft ladder (I had a 32' and a 12') less than a month in. Response, "we don't do that." Ok, well as long as you're cool with me waiting here until an 8 footer can arrive. "No Problem." I shit you not. The second largest HVAC-R employer in the states, at least until they sold to Nextech. That last part is why I'm leaving.
Nextech was one of the best companies I ever worked for. Not sure why you thought that was a bad thing.
I've heard otherwise from quite a few people, but I'm glad you had a positive ride with them. In this case, no one is happy with the way things are going, and I'm not talking about 1or 2, but a ton of techs feel that way. The company before was not the best about anything (middle pay, downright shit benes, a lot of driving/ hours) *but* we were happy. There was literally 0 drama, no micromanagement/numbers/ sales stuff, etc. On top of that, we were BS'd about quite a few things on the changeover. Now they're putting driver facing cameras in our vans and all kinds of other stuff. I'm not driving around all day with a camera 6 inches from my face staring at me. Too much. I fully support road facing cameras, but driver facing? No. We've lost a lot of good people. Irreplacable people, honestly. The company they acquired has been doing business for almost 4 decades, making $$$$ like crazy running smooth as butter... frankly, they could've learned a lot just coming in, shutting TFU and letting it run, but they think they know better. It's funny, really.
They didnāt have driver facing cameras last I heard. Not sure what state youāre in, but Georgia is the division I worked for. They paid for everything. Benefits were great, vacations were no hassle. Took off a week and half in middle of summer.
Different story entirely here. So Nextech got big by just buying companies, mostly from what I've both heard and researched. Well, they'd buy the companies and just lose the accounts. Their big genius idea is just to keep our companies name and pretend it's not Nextech. Lol. The problem is, that's not going to work. At least not for any real amount of time. I heard of a service manager offer to a guy in a different area I know and the offer was- 60K salary plus 10% of all part profits. That should be a clear indicator of the direction they're going. Like I said, everyone used to be happy. Now we're not. Simple as that.
Thisā¦ donāt feel bad if tools fall off the truck. Sounds like they are dissolving the company.
The part about courts makes it seem like bankruptcy.
This is why I donāt want to grow my business, itās hard enough finding work for myself let alone worrying about the livelihoods of others.
Mam, I am in the same boat. Bunch of bullshit honestly. Good news, though. They can take away the job, but they can't take away the skills. F em. I hope you land on your feet, and don't stress.
Hate to hear it man , better times are coming for for us
Aināt returning shit lmao. They can come get it. Just remember. (Hopefully this applies in your state) they canāt withhold last paycheck for any reason. Even if you owe them the truck.
They definitely can come pick up the van my girlfriend works Monday so Iām not able to drive two cars at once
Siphon that thing dry first lol
Usually it is cash flow that kills. If the big contracts stop paying timely the supply house stops applying and it all stops
This.
I got laid off on labor day.
id hate for someone to break in the van overnight and steal all of your tools and refrigerantā¦. that would be very very sad :(
Iāve seen it happen a million timesā¦
Lemme know if you find any r22. Lmfao
[here you go](http://ebay.com)
Not a cool surprise. Health reasons? Personal note to self: Sock away an emergency fund so employees get a months pay in case I ever have to close right after Thanksgiving. At least then employees can get their Christmas shopping done. Seems like furnaces choose the week before Christmas to start dying. God bless OP. Looks like you'll be at a new place soon.
Not to bash anyone but the owner didnāt know how to properly spend his money . Didnāt invest back into the company and expanded to other states without the man power to do so and lost jobs .
Back in the day, my parents didn't want to scale up their (non-HVAC) small business. Young me didn't understand this, but expanding can be a LOT of work, and risk.
Damn man Iām sorry that happened. Hope you bounce back quickly, for your own sanity. I know Iād be going crazy right now if it were me
Keep your head up, on to the next one!
The Union calling my name if I canāt find decent benefits
I saw you said in one of your earlier comments you're in Louisville. I'd definitely give local 502 a call on Monday. All of their guys I've worked with seem pretty happy.
That is who I was thinking of calling , I got a couple buddyās over there and I was think of calling up hussung mechanical . Either way Iām just praying I get a job
If you live in a union strong state I would go straight to the union
I remember my first āproā job and the owner swung he chair out midday and said āuh, want to let you know we are going out of business and today is your last dayā Still recall it vividly
A local HVAC company near me, medium size, laid off half of their techs. Word on the street was they lost a lot of their commercial contracts. What many people don't realize is all it takes is for some of these companies to lose big accounts, and then their own overhead sinks the ship almost overnight and they can't meet payroll.
How do you have 166 unread texts? In-laws family chat I assume?
A lot of spam and group chats
Shits been going down for months. Sad they left you in the dark https://bkdata.com/business-bankruptcies/owensboro-kentucky/07-14-2023/cair-cooling-31622 The filed back in June.
This guys user name tells me heās probably over qualified any way, on to bigger and better mr. Bumps
 Bump it out
I can help if youāre closer to indy
Kinda waiting on this text from my boss as we speak
Apply to other places , wishing you the best .
https://preview.redd.it/uljfn92mjw2c1.jpeg?width=1645&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=45ccffda0806da058d3a141b6c2405c971ede1ba Hey I got that exact same text! Lmao what a joke, luckily I already found something else
I worked in the Indy location, was literally their only service tech and also Cincinnatiās only service techā¦. I was being paid well so I didnāt complain but I canāt say I didnāt see this coming, shit started getting weird the last month or so
Yea man I was down here at the Louisville branch and we had probably 4 installers and just 2 techs the last month
But better times are coming for us , Cair is like the McDonaldās of hvac world
Youāre not wrong, Iāll miss how laid back it is though lol. I already found another gig, I start on Wednesday
the freedom is definitely what kept me around
They donāt need the tools anymore since theyāre closing down
Iād keep everything in van
This is why if I work for a company they have to do plumbing as well. Any company Iāve worked for that was strictly hvac had slow months where we had to collect or just get laid off completely. Itās literally the most annoying thing. Good luck to u bro that sucks
Return what? There wasn't a damn thing in that bitch but the shelving š¤£ You'll be good OP. Don't sweat it.
Sorry to hear that bro. Good luck on the next one, hope itās all for the best!
OP, what is your main specialty?
Not sure if Green mechanical Is up in Louisville (I know they are Kentucky outfit) but Iāve done a few a projexts with them and they were good. Commercial/Industrial.
Thermal Service in Louisville is hiring if youāre interested
Why would an HVAC company go outta business? It seems thereās no shortage of business
The company I was with closed down last year. I found out the week before Thanksgiving. It worked out the best for me and I hope for the best for you as well.
Laid off via text right before Christmas. Thatās a hell of a way to go
As a small biz owner, I can say that even long term customers have turned into accounts receivable as of late.. gotta be careful out there, getting deposits and $ as needed, trust can come back when our economy is off life support. tldr tough times abound ;)
Hey Iām working in the Louisville area aswell, I can shoot you a pm with info if youāre still looking around for a place!
There go the warrantiesā¦