NEWS AND HAPPENINGS WITH VIP

Take a look at some of the newsworthy items for the VIP program.

UA VIP Success Story: Eric Ratliff

When Eric Ratliff joined the Navy, it was to go out and "see the world." Before, he had been working in a grocery store right out of high school and felt that if he joined the Navy, he could always go to college later.  He went into the Navy as an aviation electronics technician. He said, “I was on the USS Enterprise, and then when my ship got decommissioned, I did a security billet for the last four years in Newport News, VA.” Eric’s ship, the USS Enterprise, was the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Eric continued, “I saw a flyer for the VIP HVACR [heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration] Service Technician program on the ship. I knew I wanted to get out of the Navy, but I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. The trades were really appealing to me, because I like to work with my hands, and I like fixing things. I knew this was a growing field and would always be needed.”

Eric approached his chain of command, and the support team at the Navy’s Fleet and Family Services helped him prepare his paperwork for the program. Once he was accepted, Eric was surprised at how much information he learned. He loved the HVACR training module trailer that had all of the latest equipment installed in it. The mobile training trailer, along with classroom training, was used through the entire program for hands on experience. “The program was fairly new for the Navy at the time,” he said. “I was in the second HVACR VIP class in Norfolk.”

“I learned so much,” he continued, “and found it all really interesting. When I got close to completing the program, I knew I wanted to go home to Austin, and I was really lucky to have an opportunity to join the apprenticeship at Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 286 in Austin. While I was still in the program, I had a phone interview with Johnson Controls and was hired right away. That was such a huge weight off my shoulders. As soon as I arrived in Austin, I was given my own work truck that was stocked with all of the latest tools and a gas card. I take the truck home each night.”

UA VIP Success Story: Eric Ratliff

Eric said that most days he is assigned to work with a journeyman, but he does go on some calls by himself. He likes the work a lot. He likes that “he is doing something different and at a different location every day and always with a great crew.” He said, “I’ve been on a lot of different jobs. I can’t say I’ve learned everything, because there’s a lot to learn, but I do learn something new every day.” He described a typical work week as a week where he will receive an email, text, or a phone call on Monday morning or Sunday night mapping out the next day or the entire week’s schedule. “A typical day starts at 7 or 7:30,” he said, “and we are done by 4 or 4:30. Some days are easier than others. Sometimes you might run into a problem that will take a little bit longer. Most of the time it’s a 40-hour week. If we have a client who can’t have us in there working during work hours, we will work on off hours or weekends, but those are typically scheduled ahead of time unless there’s a problem.”

Eric continued, “The journeymen service technicians I work with are willing to teach me everything they know. They are all very patient. I love working for Johnson Controls. I love the environment. They are big on safety. The safety culture is that all of their technicians return home to their families safely at the end of each day. That culture is really important to me. I have the confidence that they would never put me in a situation that was dangerous. I also get to learn the whole spectrum of HVACR work with Johnson Controls from big water-cooled chillers all the way down to split systems and package units. We do commercial and light commercial work—hospitals, schools, office buildings, that sort of thing. I like working on big, water-cooled chillers that can cool a large area. Giant machines are fun to work on. Some accounts are just maintenance accounts. Once I get more experience, I could have my own clients for maintenance work.”

“I made such a good decision,” Eric said. “I recently purchased a house. I have a two-year-old daughter, Kinsley, and my wife, Amanda, is due with our second child on Christmas Day. We have our personal cars too, but I only take mine out on the weekends. The union culture is such a smooth transition from the military. It’s a culture we all understand. The healthcare with the union is great for families. I recommend this program to everyone I know. I already have several buddies in the pro- gram. I try to help everyone by recommending it. I feel confident that I’ll be working for Johnson Controls until I retire.”

United Association VIP Success Story: Eric Ratliff

This United Association Veterans In Piping Success Story was originally printed in the CareerOps: Career Opportunities in Piping for Transitioning Veterans Spring/Summer 2018 edition. 

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