Vanessa Hackett

I didn't go to college initially as a first-generation college student attempt, so at 18 I started in a trade that felt more fitting for me, which was HVAC. I began as a laborer in sheet metal and went through sheet metal training to obtain my license, attending a technical trade school to get certified in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning for both residential and commercial work, earning my EPA certification. I became a lead HVAC technician, obtained my master sheet metal license, and led a 5- to 6-person installation crew for residential work. As I continued developing my skills, I got my construction supervisor license and started dealing with procurement for the small business I worked for, winning city bids. Later I owned my own HVAC service company, doing preventative maintenance, servicing, sales, and installation work. I joined forces with my family business with my brother who owns an HVAC company. I seized the opportunity to address disparities in the HVAC trade regarding costs for homeowners, especially after COVID when costs went up and there was a lot of gouging from HVAC companies who didn't see the value of preventative maintenance. I tailored my business toward focusing on respiratory health, preventative maintenance, and educating homeowners and business owners so their systems could last longer than 10 to 15 years without costing thousands of dollars for upkeeping. I always wanted to own a big service company and put out service technicians, and the opportunity presented itself to become an adjunct instructor at Franklin Cummins Tech. I did that for about a year, then became an interim program director to implement and strategize to grow and develop the program. Now I am the program chair for HVACR Technology at Franklin Cummins Tech, running a program of 132 students and creating multifaceted HVACR technicians to really grow with the technology that is presenting itself right now.