Who Is This For
Who We Support
Bridging the Gap in HVACR In an industry that is evolving faster than ever, the gap between basic knowledge and field mastery is widening. Don Gillis provides specialized, real-world training tailored to every level of the HVACR ecosystem. Whether you are in the field, behind the counter, or manufacturing the equipment, our programs are designed to build confidence, reduce errors, and drive performance.
1. HVAC Contractors
The Focus: Real Skills for Real Jobs.
Textbooks don’t sweat on a rooftop. This training is built by someone who’s been in the field, for people who work in the field. We get into the systems you’re actually seeing out there — not just theory.
Troubleshooting That Makes Sense: From a locked-out mini-split to a geothermal system throwing codes nobody recognizes, we work through diagnostics the way an experienced tech would — step by step, no guessing.
Back to Basics, Done Right: Airflow, refrigeration cycles, electrical — the fundamentals that get sloppy over time. Sharpening those up is what separates a good tech from a great one.
Staying Ahead of the Equipment: New technology hits the field before most techs are trained on it. We cover what’s coming so it’s not a surprise when you’re staring at it on a job site.
2. Tech Support Mastery
The Focus: Real Skills for Real Jobs.
Textbooks don’t sweat on a rooftop. This training is built by someone who’s been in the field, for people who work in the field. We get into the systems you’re actually seeing out there — not just theory.
Troubleshooting That Makes Sense: From a locked-out mini-split to a geothermal system throwing codes nobody recognizes, we work through diagnostics the way an experienced tech would — step by step, no guessing.
Back to Basics, Done Right: Airflow, refrigeration cycles, electrical — the fundamentals that get sloppy over time. Sharpening those up is what separates a good tech from a great one.
Staying Ahead of the Equipment: New technology hits the field before most techs are trained on it. We cover what’s coming so it’s not a surprise when you’re staring at it on a job site.
3. OEM Partner Alliance
The Focus: Field Adoption and Brand Reputation.
Your equipment is only as good as the people installing and servicing it. We partner with manufacturers to ensure their latest technologies are successfully integrated into the market.
Customized Curriculum: We develop training specific to your proprietary systems—whether it’s new refrigerant transitions or advanced electronics.
Market Education: Help your customers understand the why behind your engineering, leading to fewer warranty claims and better equipment performance.
National Reach: Leveraging 33 years of industry connections to deliver training that resonates with the workforce
4. Train the Trainer Events
The Focus: Building Trainers From Within Your Own Company.
Voted one of the Top 25 Most Influential HVAC Educators in 2024 by industry peers, this is who your trainers learn from — and then take that back to your team.
Our Train the Trainer events are designed for the people inside your company who deliver the training. We work with groups of 8-10 in an intensive in-person format — no webinars, no videos — where your trainers walk away with everything they need to teach your crews the right way.
The Format: A focused two-day course where we cover the material together, then your trainers actually deliver it back. You leave knowing it stuck.
The Tools: Your trainers walk out with the structure, the content, and the confidence to run their own sessions — not just once, but every time they bring someone new on.
The Follow-Through: In-person follow-up where I watch your trainers deliver the material. If something needs sharpening, we fix it right there.
5. Counter Sales & Distributor Teams
The Focus: Technical Literacy and Customer Trust.
The counter is where the job either goes smoothly or goes sideways. We train your counter staff to know the parts beyond just the SKU — what they do, how they work together, and what questions to ask so the tech gets the right part the first time.
Product Knowledge: Understanding what a part actually does inside a system — from capacitors to controls — builds the kind of credibility that keeps contractors coming back.
Line Item Awareness: We teach counter staff to naturally suggest related parts the tech likely needs anyway — a capacitor with a contactor, a filter drier with a TXV. No hard sell, just good counter sense that saves the customer a second trip.
Soft Skills: Knowing how to have that conversation the right way — helpful, not pushy — is what turns a one-part sale into a trusted relationship.
