Meet Fitzroy Punch

Fitzroy “Fitz” Punch is our lead HVAC technician. He started at Bloomfield Cooling, Heating & Electric about eight years ago after many years at another HVAC contractor . . . and several years prior to that as a line cook at a hotel.

If you’re wondering what cooking in a commercial kitchen has to do with heating and air conditioning installations and service, it’s all about, in his words, “making it work.” And not being afraid to delve into something new.

Fitz comes from a large family of 11 siblings, who saw their father work from sunrise to sundown every day to feed the family. He learned from his father that you do what it takes to make it work—personally and professionally.

“I love cooking and was told at first I had no qualifications for the job I wanted, so I began as a dishwasher to get into that environment,” explained Fitz. “I began preparing meals for the staff during my off time and after the chef tasted my food, he told me to show up the next day to work on the cooking line.” He worked there for several years and still enjoys cooking today for family and friends.
However, he needed better pay to support his family. A friend told him about the HVAC program at Lincoln Tech in Union and once again, Fitz jumped into something new—and loved it. He worked hard, maintained a strong grade point average, and he has enjoyed his career as an HVAC technician for many years.

Changes at his former employer gave him a reason to look for a new job and lucky for us (and our customers), Fitz chose Bloomfield Cooling, Heating & Electric. “One of the first things I noticed when I interviewed here was that it didn’t feel like a regular interview. Everyone was so personable and made me feel so at home. I knew right away this was a company I really wanted to work for.”

Fitz does general heating and air conditioning work as well as generator installations and service. He says he loves his job and approaches every project with an open mind when it comes to troubleshooting.

He recalls how, while in his HVAC program, he struggled sometimes to understand the wiring diagrams and make sense of everything the instructors were teaching. Then one day when he was an assistant technician, he had to finish a repair job on a roof that he and the lead technician had begun the day before. The lead tech couldn’t make the job that second day and it was up to Fitz to complete the repairs.

He had his “light bulb moment” when suddenly, all those diagrams he’d studied came into focus for him. That’s when he understood that no matter what the issue is, once you have the basic knowledge and take the time to think it through, a good HVAC technician should be able to find the problem, come up with the correct diagnosis, and fix the equipment.

Fitz lives in Edison but is up well before dawn to prepare for his day. His first appointments are usually at 7:30 a.m. and he is proud to say, even with the morning commute, he has never once been late for his first service call. In addition to installations and repairs, he mentors all our new technicians. Some are fresh out of HVAC school and benefit from his on-the-job training. He also helps experienced techs get acclimated to how we approach our work.

“At Bloomfield Cooling, we have a certain way of doing things with a customer-first approach. With the younger technicians who are just out of school or with limited experience, I tell them to watch me and ask a lot of questions. I let the more experienced techs take the lead and observe how they do the job, and explain to them that although they know how to service a system, they need to understand how we do things here in order to succeed.”

For example, he said that regardless of what’s on the work order, it’s best to ask the customer what the problem is first. “Most of the time, they tell you exactly what’s wrong and lead you to the problem,” he said. “When technicians follow our approach to customer relations and the service project, they are able to diagnose the problem in a jiffy.”

He says despite his senior role, he still learns something every day from co-workers—and he hopes they are learning from him. Over the years, he estimates he has trained about 20 technicians.

“Bloomfield Cooling is a place where you can build a great career in HVAC work,” said Fitz. “My advice to new technicians is to never be afraid to admit when you’ve made a mistake, and always ask questions.”