Faces of Comfort Systems: Meet Brett McKown
When Comfort Systems hires a technician, we don’t make snap decisions or throw a uniform on the first person we see. In addition to the usual background check and drug screening to make sure we’re hiring upstanding citizens, we also look for knowledgeable leaders and customer service professionals. This month’s “Faces of Comfort Systems” is the whole package. Meet technician, Brett McKown.
How long have you worked for Comfort Systems?
I’ve worked at Comfort Systems for almost 16 months alongside some of the best guys in the area. My on-site education has expanded and Comfort Systems has given me the ability to walk up to any type of serviceable heating and cooling component with confidence.
What led you to this job?
I started bending sheet metal for the family shop when I was 15. On weekends, I’d come in with my brother and bend small things like s-locks and drives. Every month he’d show me something new. After four years, I made 90% or more of the metal the company was installing. After one of our service techs had a near-fatal car accident, I took over the new service calls. Many hours on Google and phone calls with good family friends in the industry led me to the tech I am today.
What kind of work have you done in the past?
I’ve sold doors, door-to-door. That was a blast. I bused tables for a friend’s restaurant. I left my family shop to join the Sheet Metal Union as a five-year journeyman. After realizing it wasn’t for me, I applied at Comfort Systems.
What do you like best about working for Comfort Systems?
The co-workers here are great! Working alongside these guys in the field is the best. The office workers are all great. Our dispatcher is like our mother. She really gets to know us and helps us in every way she can.
What do you do in your spare time?
When I get some spare time, our little family is pretty active. We see family quite often. We take care of many animals – around 60 or so. When the weather is nicer we’ll be camping, fishing, and spending time outdoors.
Random Question Time!
If you could have a beer with anyone dead or alive who would it be?
I would love to have a beer with my uncle Deric. Two months after I left the family business, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Wichita hospitals gave him very few months to live. He taught me a lot about life and work during my ten years at Zoom Metal. I remember asking him to go out and have a beer or dinner. We never got the chance.
If you won the lottery, what would be your most extravagant purchase?
Animals. I would purchase a farm and a large quantity of animals would live there with us. From reptiles to cows. We really truly love animals and would surround ourselves with them if we could.
Big Plans in 2016 – Brett’s Big Fat Formal Wedding
Married to his high school sweetheart (Kristina) for two years, Brett is planning a larger formal wedding later this year. A shoe-in for the bridal party? Brett’s adorable four-year-old daughter, Izzy, whom he describes as, “Every bit of everything we could have ever wanted.”