Some people are just made for this kind of work.
When they are on the job, everything clicks. They are in their element, doing what they do best, and it’s easy to see that there’s nowhere they’d rather be.
Doug Wallace is one of those people.
He’s a key member of our service division, and he brings more than four decades of experience to every job he does for us. Doug has been with us for just over a year, but he’s worked for a variety of mechanical and HVAC companies through the years, learning new skills and new equipment at each step along the way.
He brings those skills to Calvert Controls, but just as importantly, he brings an eagerness to teach our young technicians and share the knowledge that he’s gained throughout his career.
We’re fortunate to have him on our team, and we hope you’ll read our latest Calvert Controls Spotlight Q&A to get to know Doug better.
What got you interested in a career in this field?
My whole family is in sheet metal, and I tried it but did not like it. So my dad told me, “You like to get dirty and work on things, so why not try service?” I did and I fell in love with and still love it after 41 years.
I have been blessed that each company where I worked gave me the opportunity to learn more and bigger equipment.
I’ve worked at Air Unlimited (package, split units), Thermal Air (boilers, open drives, pneumatics), Carrier (small chillers, towers, VFD, pumps, water flow), Couts (bigger chillers, air side problems, waterside equipment, controls), Harris (boilers, controls) and Calvert Controls (big boilers).
What are your primary responsibilities on a daily basis?
As a journeyman, I’m helping to train anyone who wants to learn.
Can you share an example of a particularly memorable project or an instance where you were able to step in and make a big difference for a client in a difficult situation?
For Verizon, the office sent a couple of technicians to fix their chiller but they weren’t able to do it. They called me in, and I was able to not only fix the chiller but also train my fellow technician. So we got the job done, and Verizon saw that they could trust us and our reasons for the repairs we made.
What do you enjoy doing most outside of work?
I love walking my dog and spending time with our grandkid. I love going to church and serving Jesus in what he wants me to do.
I also love studying and learning about HVAC information.
What’s something that your co-workers would be surprised to learn about you?
I am a very shy person, and I can sometimes have a hard time talking to someone.
What do you love most about working at Calvert Controls?
Calvert has preventative maintenance and service calls that have different types of equipment. The variety of tasks helps keep things fresh in my mind, and I also enjoy teaching our apprentices about all the equipment and how to work on it.