In the Air - HRAI Industry News

Years ago, you could find a teenage Lonny Thompson installing walk-in condenser coils at his summer job with Comfort Zone Services. Today, he's plying his HVACR skills and experience as a sales manager for Johnstone Supply's busy London branch.  

“I started in HVAC when I was 16, and my career kind of went from there,” he tells HRAI.  

Moving from the tools to a distribution sales role has been rewarding for Thompson. The transition also reflects one of the many career paths talent can take in the HVAC field. And for Thompson, that path became clearer when he was offered an apprenticeship with Comfort Zone Services the next summer.  

"This was around 2007, and it was hard to get an apprenticeship at that time," he recalls. "But the owner asked if I wanted to come back next summer and start full-time after I was done high school, and I said, 'Sure … absolutely.'" 

From there, Thompson's future in the trades began to take shape. Over the next few years, he obtained his 313A refrigeration licence and gas licence. He then spent several years working across the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, learning the fundamentals of the job. 

Fast-forward about 11 years from that point, he continues, and Thompson was hooked on the trade: "But then, I knew Johnstone Supply was coming into Canada and that there were going to be some territory manager jobs openings. That seemed like the kind of thing 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."  

It wasn’t long before Thompson found himself “behind the desk” at Johnstone. And after jumping at several leadership opportunities soon after, he found himself in the role he enjoys today. 

"Johnstone has been really good to me," he says. "On the second week I started, I told them I wanted to be a territory manager. They said, 'If you're that guy, then yeah, we will make sure that's what you do, and they've kept their promises." 

That's not to say making the transition from the tools to the sales desk was easy. Thompson admits he felt nervous taking an initial pay cut and being tasked with building up his sales book. Fortunately, he says, his employers were there to have his back: "It always helps when you find a company that will support you and teach you the skills. I wasn't a salesperson when I came into Johnstone Supply, but they sent me to leadership training and gave me all the skills and help I needed to succeed." 

“It was a solid team effort for sure,” he adds. 

It’s been three years since Thompson became a territory manager. The role is an ideal fit, he says, and one that makes full use of his time in the field: “I definitely think starting out on the tools accelerated my career in HVAC distribution because it gave me the fundamentals of HVAC. Now, when I’m having conversations with clients, their scenario is more than likely one I’ve run into in the past, so I can have real conversations and suggest different solutions that worked for me.” 

Asked to share advice with other up-and-coming talent, Thompson 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. And once you get a job, the key is to just saturate yourself in the industry. Go to the training, go to the meetings, and just put yourself out there."