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There are many aspects of the HVACR industry where one can explore and be successful. This showcase features successful individuals at various stages of their HVACR career. Their stories highlight their unique journeys into and through a life in the trades.
Andrea Russell
HVACR Student, George Brown College
As of 2024 Andrea was in her second of a three-year HVACR advanced diploma program at George Brown College in Toronto. This was a career change for Andrea as she had a background in business administration with experience in project management of construction projects, business analytics, and workforce development and training.
“I’ve always had a flare for solving difficult technical and logistical problems…” she says. “What interests me most about HVACR is the high level of technical research and problem solving required. I also like how dynamic it is, encompassing aspects of many different trades from pipefitting and sheet metal work, to electrical and controls.” Andrea also found the physical aspects of the job appealing.
“…I had to challenge (as a women) my own internalized biases about my base of knowledge and mechanical aptitude… I quickly realized that these ideas were false and that I could excel.”
After writing her G.2, Andrea plans to “secure a spot in the 313A apprenticeship program.”
Frank Shan
Vice President/Operations Manager, Air Track, Ontario
Frank entered his HVACR journey in 1994 as a refrigeration technician for an equipment manufacturer. “It was an exciting time for me. It gave me the chance to showcase my electronic skills...” There he found his colleagues eager to trade their mechanical knowledge with him. Frank’s mentor at Air Wise provided him with guidance to further develop his skills. That’s where Frank got more into the commercial and industrial side of HVACR. It included application and equipment design, R&D, project management and engineering.
Frank joined Air Track in 2009 where he managed a service team. It was now Franks turn to provide training and support to his team. Fifteen years later, Frank has risen to the role of President. “I derive great satisfaction from assisting our clients in resolving their problems… My passion for this industry remains unwavering…”
Lonny Thompson
Territory Manager, Johnstone Supply
Lonny was perhaps a rare case in that by 16 he had already started his journey in HVACR and by 17 (2007) was offered an apprenticeship. Lonny eventually got his 313A refrigeration and gas licenses. The next several years involved obtaining experience in both the residential and commercial sectors. Fast forward 11 years. “But then, I knew…there were going to be some territory manager job openings. I wanted to do a job where I could use my skills in other ways and get the chance to talk and be with more people, which is what I also like to do.”
“I definitely think starting out on the tools accelerated my career in HVAC distribution because it gave me the fundamentals of HVAC.” Lonny says it helps to find a company that will invest in your career and to enter any role willing to learn and do the work. “Everyone’s looking for somebody who’s a hard worker and has a good attitude.”
Liz Sandwith
MAP Coordinator, MAP Strategic Workforce Services, New Brunswick
Liz Sandwith, RSE, is the first woman in New Brunswick to receive a Red Seal endorsement in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning. “I wanted a cool job.” Along with a great sense of humour, Liz is a trailblazer for all women in the trades. Liz started her journey later in life attending NBCC so she could learn while she continued to earn a living.
Liz began her apprenticeship with Black & McDonald & UA Local 325 in Moncton, NB, and earned her Red Seal endorsement in 2018. “I loved the relationship with our contracts and customers, the wide range of tasks…and the interesting places we got to go”.
While Liz has branched her career path in the trades into the role of Program Coordinator for the New Brunswick Mentor Apprentice Program (NBMAP), her two sons are just getting on to the tools as apprentices in the same trade. Liz now delivers Mentor skills training to new apprentices and other mentors. “I always knew I wanted to use my Red Seal as a starting point to a career beyond the tools…” She now gets to help apprentices develop and mentors pass on their skills and knowledge to a new generation.
Liz gives back to the industry with a list of committee and board involvements longer than a spool of copper pipe, along with further leadership development and mentoring credentials from the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum. “I am so proud of my trade and the opportunities that is has given me…”
Brandi Ferenc
313A/G1 Journeyperson
Brandi Ferenc is an exceptionally accomplished professional in the HVACR sector with numerous awards, licenses, career experiences and accomplishments. She is highly sought after as a speaker, panelist and mentor to her peers and students.
After earning a business advertising diploma and working within the hospitality industry for a decade, Brandi’s next move was a bold decision and full 360 to pursue a career in the skilled trades. But HVACR was not her first trade. A pre-apprenticeship program in carpentry in Conestoga’s Women in Skilled Trades ignited the trades passion in her.
In 2004, Brandi obtained her G3 gas license then moved into a 306A plumbing apprenticeship.
Being the first female to compete in Skills Ontario’s gas fitter category, Brandi won bronze in 2007. That win paved the way for a 313A apprenticeship as a Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Mechanic
In 2013 Brandi began teaching and currently does so at Georgian College. She believes a female instructor in a skilled trades program challenges a long-felt and misguided mindset amongst her young male students. A change that will hopefully contribute to a cultural evolution within the skilled trades industry.
In 2022 Brandi took her expertise and mentoring to the next level with the launch of Fair-Trades Toolbox to address the cultural barriers that exist for women working in the skilled trades by using a solutions-based approach to support employers and their teams while they navigate integrating women onto their male dominated teams.