Frank Vaughn of Church Hill and his father, Michael of Kingsport, (from left) opened a new heating and air conditioning business in Kingsport in December after receiving 18 months of training in HVAC-Refrigeration at the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton. The two changed careers after Michael became a displaced worker when Quebecor closed its plant in Kingsport.
The new business, Pro-Air, Heating-Cooling and Construction, is located at 1717 Pendleton Street, Kingsport, TN 37660, telephone 423-378-0393.
Pro-Air provides service 24 hours a day, seven days a week to customers in Sullivan and Hawkins counties, including the cities of Kingsport, Bristol, Rogersville and Bean Station. Pro-Air takes major credit cards and has financing available through Southern Finance for customers needing to finance their heating and air conditioning systems, according to Michael.
The Vaughns said rising fuel prices at the pump almost caused them to change their plans, especially for Frank, who drove more than 100 miles per day from his residence to attend class 30 hours per week at the Technology Center located at 1500 Arney Street in Elizabethton.
In an effort to reduce student travel costs, TTC-Elizabethton reduced from five to four the number of school days per week. "That greatly reduced the financial strain. We were having difficulty paying $4 per gallon to travel to school five days per week," Frank said.
The Vaughn's business plans got a kick start after Michael's employer, Quebecor, closed its plant in Kingsport, forcing Michael to seek employment elsewhere.
Michael, who had 30 years experience as a machine and fork lift operator, visited the Tennessee Career Center in Kingsport, where he learned about the HVAC-Refrigeration training program at TTC-Elizabethton. Funds for the retraining of displaced workers are available under the Trade Readjustment Act.
When he decided on pursuing a new career in HVAC-Refrigeration, Michael asked Frank to join him in the training program. "I always wanted to work with my son to help him and his future. Eventually, I would like to get my daughter and grandchildren involved and make it a family thing," Michael said.
They chose HVAC training because most everyone has heating and air conditioning systems. "Everyone wants to be comfortable. The work is out there," Frank said
TTC-Elizabethton is an EPA Certified Testing Center. Michael and Frank are certified by EPA, Carrier Heating and Cooling, and also in the new air conditioning refrigerant.
When reflecting back on the road they have traveled the past 18 months, and identifying those who provided invaluable assistance along the way, Scott Simerly, HVAC instructor at TTC-Elizabethton, is at the top of the list, followed by AB&T, according to Michael.
"In addition to the staff at the Tennessee Career Center, we owe a lot to AB&T for their financial support, especially the tuition and gas money they provided. Amanda Jarrett and Melissa Davis, career specialists at AB&T, were especially helpful. The Federal Pell Grant and Tennessee Lottery also provided funds to enable us to attend TTC-Elizabethton," Michael said.
The Tennessee Small Business Development Center also played a key role in launching their new business. "We met with Robert Justice, director of the center in Johnson City, and also attended a seminar on "'next steps to be taken,'" Michael said.
According to their HVAC instructor, "Mike and Frank Vaughn have excelled in all aspects of the program. It's been fun having them here and they should do very well in the HVAC-Refrigeration industry," said Simerly.
Michael said the HVAC training program was more difficult than he first thought it was going to be. "Students help each other. Scott knows all about it.... we try to work it out ourselves. If we have to go to Scott, he is quick to show us the right way. With the help of the instructor, you learn a lot. For example, we got to install a unit (HVAC) after just four months of training," Michael said.
There are various exit points in the HVAC training program at TTC-Elizabethton. Certificate Awards are presented in HVAC Installer and Service Helper in four months; Domestic Unit Repairer, EPA Certification and Sheet Metal in eight months; Diploma Awards in HVAC Technical and Refrigeration Technician in 12 months and Commercial Refrigeration/Air Conditioning Technician in 20 months.
The tuition is $2,400 per year to enroll in all training programs at TTC-Elizabethton except Practical Nursing and Welding, which cost $2,700 per year. Financial assistance is available from the Tennessee Lottery and Federal Pell Grant, totaling $7,349 per year, to qualifying students.
For additional information, contact TTC-Elizabethton at 1-888-986-2368 (toll free).
Tennessee Technology Center ©
426 Highway 91 / Elizabethton, TN
423-543-0070