Russell & Abbott Heating and Cooling of Maryville has added 13 new staff members in the last six months.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, the employee-owned HVAC company has seen explosive growth in all aspects of the business, prompting leadership to increase staffing levels in installation, service, sales, dispatch and administration.
President Chris Hurley said adding staff has helped the company meet the challenges of increased demand as residents are working from home this summer. He said new staff members were selected based on industry experience, work ethic, customer service skills and education.
Meet the newcomers:
- Bart Black, comfort advisor coordinator, hails from Nebraska and now lives in Louisville. He brings more than 30 years in retail customer service and 15 years of management experience to his role at Russell & Abbott.
- Shannon Bryant, marketing manager, has 15 years of journalism and marketing experience, writing for Shopper-News and Knox TN Today. Shannon holds a bachelor’s degree from Maryville College.
- Sam Hartness, service manager, is a Knoxville native with many years of experience in the construction trades, management and customer service.
- Tim Holler, service technician, has five years of HVAC experience. He holds EPA Universal and EPA Vehicle certifications and attended Fortis Institute Vocational School.
- Adam Kelly, service technician, is a U.S. Army veteran who served six years of active duty with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. After he left the service, he completed HVAC school and went to work in the industry, garnering many years of experience before joining Russell & Abbott.
- Anson Langley, installation support specialist, holds a diploma in HVAC and refrigeration from Tennessee College of Applied Technology and is EPA Universal certified.
- Bruce Meck, service coordinator, attended Seminole State College of Florida. His career spans many disciplines and a variety of industries, including management, marketing and sales.
- Melissa Meck, business operations administrator, graduated from Carter High School and holds certifications in Quickbooks and XERO. She has several years of experience in accounting, bookkeeping and management.
- Megan Peredo, maintenance coordinator, holds two associate degrees in sociology and has a career spanning healthcare and clerical work.
- Mark Renfro, installation support specialist, holds a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University. He has several years of experience in audio/visual technology, both installation and on tour.
- Cole Robertson, service technician, is an Alcoa High School graduate with an HVAC certification from Georgia Northwestern and an EPA Universal certification. He has eight years of experience in the HVAC industry.
- Mike Sanz, comfort advisor, has extensive experience in customer service and sales. In his career, Mike has worked with a wholesale HVAC distributor and with The Maryville Daily Times. He holds a bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State University.
- Stephen Valentine, service technician, is a graduate of Christian Academy of Knoxville and Belhaven College. He has two years of experience as an HVAC technician. He is EPA Universal certified and has specialized classes on ductless mini-split systems.