In San Antonio, HVAC companies are heating up in more ways than one. Atlas AC Repair, a local business started in 2020, has tapped into the city’s Ready to Work program to slash training costs amidst rapid expansion. The family-owned venture has made a name for itself by bringing marketing efforts in-house, with co-founder Kenneth Carpenter’s YouTube explainers demystifying the often opaque HVAC industry. Their success story has taken a turn for the better, leveraging upfront, transparent pricing on their website—a move contrary to industry norms.
The Carpenters' approach is paying off, as their footprint grows across Texas cities including Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston. However, this growth has unveiled a new challenge: sourcing skilled technicians able to keep pace with constantly evolving AC systems. “We’ve had to institute a skills test as part of our interview process,” Terri Carpenter told San Antonio Report, citing the inadequacy of applicants' hands-on abilities despite their professed knowledge.
With the aim of elevating their workforce’s skills, Atlas AC has begun an insourcing movement for their training, receiving a boost from San Antonio's Ready to Work program. Last year, the city introduced this initiative intending to help local employers with the expenses of on-the-job training, and Atlas AC has been among the beneficiaries, securing an incumbent worker training grant to the tune of $5,000 per trainee for up to six employees. “Investing public dollars in small businesses like Atlas enables them to grow their workforce by equipping them with the skills they need in order to expand and grow their business,” Mike Ramsey, executive director of the city’s Workforce Development Office, explained the program's rationale.
The use of public funds, however, has not been without pushbacks from some City Council members, who expressed concern over larger businesses seemingly receiving an undue proportion of the training money. In a commitment to continue supporting work development, the City Council has approved $6 million for additional on-the-job and incumbent training subsidies for the fiscal year 2025.
As Atlas AC looks to the future, its vision extends to potentially standardizing an apprenticeship model that aligns with state licensure—a goal that is strikingly aligned with public aspirations. Tommy Carpenter, dealing with skepticism towards government intervention, nonetheless shares a hopeful perspective: “You can buy a house on that, right? You can raise a family on that. It’s not the greatest in the world, but it is pretty dang good.” he envisaged in a statement reported by the San Antonio Report.
