Spotlight on … Ismael Ayala

Ismael “Ish” Ayala is a relative newcomer to the team at Bloomfield Cooling, Heating & Electric, joining us in November 2023 as a technician. Before that, he had worked for about four years with other HVAC companies in the North Jersey area.

Ish has always enjoyed working with his hands and after high school, he researched a few fields that offered truly hands-on careers. HVAC programs stood out to him and he graduated from Eastwick College in 2019 with a degree in HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration)

Of his work as an HVAC technician, Ish said he also likes turning around bad situations into good ones, like helping customers figure out their next steps when their system is nearing the end of its lifespan. He pointed out that many homeowners don’t understand the inner workings of their HVAC system and that it’s up to him to steer customers in the best direction.

“Homeowners want to trust their HVAC contractor. When the question of ‘repair or replace’ comes up, I always give an honest recommendation. And the smiles I get when I repair a unit to restore heat or air conditioning when something breaks down makes it all worthwhile.”

Ish also enjoys a good challenge when he’s on a service call and the relationships he develops with happy customers after fixing their system. He noted one job in which a call came in about the heat cycling on and off incorrectly. Ish saw that the problem was improper condensation drainage. When the drain would not clear he went further and took apart the furnace to diagnose the core issue. That’s when he saw a motor that worked the drainage pump was installed in the wrong position. He fixed the drain, reset the motor properly and within 90 minutes, he had solved a problem that as it turns out, had been plaguing the homeowner for a few years.

What he likes about working at Bloomfield Cooling, Heating & Electric is the company’s customer-first approach and the emphasis on training and development for the technicians.

“We’re not about selling people something they don’t need; the managers always tell us to be 100% fair with our customers. I also like that everyone here wants to help you and see you succeed. For example, I’ve gotten advanced training here on systems that I don’t usually work on so that whenever I go out on a job, I have the knowledge and skills I need to do my job well.”