Q: Can you tell us about your path to MacDonald-Miller and how you got started in the trades? 

I’ve always been mechanically inclined, but my professional path really took shape during trade school. I started working at the Yakima School District and got my first real taste of working on boilers, chillers, and commercial HVAC systems.

What ultimately led me to MacDonald-Miller was actually seeing their nice trucks and cool uniforms while I was working at one of the schools. I asked the technician how to join the team, applied, and started in February of 2024.

I’m now part of Local 55, which has been a great experience because of the broad perspective you get between service and construction.

Q: What does your day-to-day work look like, and what kind of projects are you involved in? 

The building types I work on are very broad because we cover a massive geographic area including Yakima, Quincy, and even Moscow, Idaho. The majority of my work is critical environments like data centers and healthcare. In these types of facilities, equipment demand is constant and essential, so we have to ensure everything from motor bearings to compressors is functioning perfectly.

I also get to work on specialized technology like VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) systems. For example, a teammate and I recently finished a major project for a medical facility in Moscow where the entire floor wasn’t functioning. We had to tear the system down, find the leak, and pressure test it to get them back up and running. Now, we are their preferred team for that specialized work.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job, and why do you enjoy working in service?

In the field as a service technician, you control your own destiny. If you are a go-getter and have the motivation to succeed, that drive is rewarded. For me personally, I love the satisfaction of problem-solving and being the professional who gets the call when a customer has systems down and need help. There is a real sense of accomplishment in being the person who can fix it.

I also really value the team culture at MacDonald-Miller. As an apprentice, I have access to an incredible network of journeymen who act as resources. I can pick up the phone, FaceTime a colleague, and they will walk me through a situation. Knowing that we are a stronger team because we help each other makes me excited to one day be that “popular guy on the totem pole” who others call for knowledge.

Q: How do you spend your time when you aren’t on a roof or in a mechanical room? 

I love being outdoors in the Northwest. I’ve been getting into wakeboarding and lake surfing lately. We usually head down to the Columbia River in the Vantage area because the water is calmer there. I also just got a 16-week-old Goldendoodle puppy; she’s a handful right now, but we’re training her to be a good boat dog.