The Value of Apprenticeship
ACS Services, LLC fosters craftsmanship through mentoring
Automation and Critical Systems—that’s what ACS Services, LLC (ACS) is all about. ACS offers heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment; building automation, security and monitoring systems; and critical environment power and cooling equipment services. The firm’s goal is to ensure large-scale, business-essential systems are not disrupted.
In other words, ACS ensures data centers and large commercial server rooms are functional all the time, because for its clients, failure is not an option.
ACS President Todd Finnegan grew up in a blue-collar household. “My father was a union electrician for 39 years, and my grandfather was a steamfitter. I grew up talking about pipe and wire.” It seemed then a natural fit for Finnegan to form his own “pipe and wire” company. In 2011, he established ACS in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. As a licensed Master Plumber, Master HVAC Technician and Master Electrician, he set out to offer a unique perspective on what it takes to be successful in the business—and a singular focus on customer service is at the core. “When we’re standing in front of a customer, they should feel that they are the one and only. Whether it’s a client with a $250-a-year or $250,000-a-year contract, they are equally important,” Finnegan says.
Mission Critical is Serious Business
Many of ACS’ clients require critical power, or uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems, to support the IT functions of their businesses. These requirements are often seen in buildings that service vital, yet diverse populations—office campuses, schools, hospitals and data centers. For example, the servers in a data center environment have immense power requirements that need to be “cleaned” before use to help protect against voltage spikes. ACS provides service and support to these UPS and battery systems, which ensure that their customers’ IT functions do not go off line should a power failure occur. UPS and battery service are mission critical for many, if not all, ACS clients.
“Our clients have a tremendous amount at stake,” Finnegan says. “We work on all of the equipment that supports the uninterrupted operation of our customers’ servers that are transacting millions of dollars of business per minute. We’re not just maintaining the equipment that provides the power to the servers, we also ensure the HVAC equipment stays functioning so the servers don’t overheat and shut down.”
Finnegan takes his job seriously and insists that his technicians act accordingly. “When clients have an emergency, we drop everything to be there within two to four hours. If a data center goes offline, my clients lose customers and maybe their job. It’s a high stakes business, and top-notch customer service isn’t a ‘nice to have’—it’s a must have in our line of work.” A recent service engagement for the ACS team was at the Plymouth Meeting Executive Campus in Pennsylvania, working on four, 90,000-plus square foot office buildings. “My technicians take care of the building automation systems and all the HVAC equipment on the roofs. It’s not always that we do both, but it’s not atypical either. Our clients like the ‘one-stop shop’ approach to the automation and mechanical side for their building’s HVAC equipment,” he says. Making sure the campus and buildings are fully operational means maintaining “business as usual” for a multitude of clients and stakeholders throughout the campus.
HVAC Maintenance: Not Glamourous, but Vital
A key area where ACS has found success is in providing HVAC system service. This includes repairing or replacing units—and is how the company first started and one of the most important things they do. “We teach our technicians how to be the Zen Masters of changing filters, tightening belts and cleaning coils,” Finnegan says. “Service is at the core of our business. We’re performing a very vital function on expensive equipment for people who have a lot on the line. Changing filters is not sexy, but to us, it’s everything. It’s a real obligation, but also a real privilege to do this for our clients.”
On the flip side, maintaining equipment (or lack thereof) can have serious implications. “One data center customer was having a lot of problems with cooling capacity—they feared if one AC unit went down, they’d lose the data center. They didn’t have the footprint to add additional units, so their hands were tied.”
After ACS inspected the equipment, the firm discovered that it hadn’t been properly serviced for years. It was filthy. “When you are at full cooling capacity, biting your nails and hoping your equipment doesn’t falter or the server doesn’t go down, it is a very tense situation,” Finnegan says. “In this instance, once we cleaned the equipment, the client realized an immediate benefit of not only additional capacity, but also greater energy efficiency. I use this as a great example of why you should never underestimate the importance of proper maintenance. A thorough cleaning was all that was needed.”
Encouraging the Waning Art of Craftsmanship
Currently, ACS employs 10 field technicians and is hiring for two additional positions. Finnegan typically hires high school graduates and places them into a four-year apprenticeship program. During that time, the company will pay will pay for them to go to school, for the truck they drive, for their computer and cellphone and for gas, tolls, etc. However, Finnegan demands commitment—apprentices must not be late or absent from class, must score an 85 or above on all curriculum and work at least 40 hours per week.
“I like to hire young people because I think there are tremendous opportunities in the skilled trades. There’s a large need, and over the next 10 years, it’s only going to grow,” he says. “I enjoy emphasizing to young people that the skills they are learning are important—and they should take great pride in those skills.”
Finnegan also tries to foster a sense of “team” with his employees and focuses on morale because he believes an unrelenting commitment to quality sets ACS apart from competitors. But it can take its toll on staff. “Money won’t keep someone working hard every day if you are an awful person. The real value is in offering an advisory relationship and always being available to my people. Working as hard as we do in an intense environment, you have to get close to those you rely on—you become more than just co-workers.”
“These guys know that I’m always available to them, and they can talk to me about anything.” The apprentices at ACS are not only learning a valuable trade, they’re learning life lessons about integrity, pride and the importance of mentorship.
Apprenticeship is only one part of ACS’ training program. Staff also receive factory certifications on how to service specific equipment, like Stulz and Liebert, two of the most recognized data center HVAC manufacturers. “Because our staff is trained in these specific brands, they obtain the necessary certifications that allow them to service under-warranty units, providing value to our clients,” Finnegan says.
Safety First
Although ACS provides training and education, the company’s success is built on a culture that promotes safety. “I tell my guys, there’s no such thing as a great company if it’s not safe. There are a lot of risk factors in what they do. Safety starts from day one; in my company, you’ll see no first-year apprentices working on a job by themselves.”
Staff members are often up on roofs in the middle of winter, reaching inside electrical cabinets containing 480 volts of power or climbing inside an air handler to change belts on a 100-horsepower motor. For Finnegan, noncompliance with safety procedures means people lose their jobs before they lose their life. “If you start with a culture of safety, then instances of ’near misses’ are greatly reduced.”
Keeping the Blue-Collar Legacy
Finnegan’s wife, Lisa, works in the business providing accounting and is the face or the company to bankers, accountants, lawyers and insurance advisers. She adds great administrative value to the company. In addition, their son, Connor, is following in his father’s, grandfather’s and great-grandfather’s footsteps. He started at ACS right after high school and was the company’s first apprentice. “I love that my son works here,” Finnegan says, proudly. “He’s a credit to the industry. He shows great pride in what he does and has an insatiable appetite for learning and growing.”
Finnegan is leaving a legacy that encourages craftsmanship and asks the next generation of skilled technicians to display pride and excellence in all they do. He believes you should “sweat” the small stuff in their line of work. This is a legacy that would make any father (or great-grandfather) proud.