Kustom Heating & Cooling Family

Chris

President/Owner

Why did you enter this field?
As a child I displayed mechanical aptitude, I had a desire to tinker, work on bikes and just about any mechanical moving item. That desire allowed me to enter the workforce as an automotive mechanic. In 1997, I was offered a job in the HVAC industry and haven’t looked back since.

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
After watching how my previous employers ran their businesses, I determined that starting my own business would be the best option for me. I gained experience, knowledge, and made notes of how not to run my own business someday. I started Kustom back in October 2000.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
My number one priority, and most enjoyable part of my day, is taking care of our customers and knowing that they have been well serviced and have had a great experience with Kustom. When I started this company in 2000, I had a vision of what I thought it could become someday. Nearly 20 years later, it is pretty amazing to see that vision becoming a reality; we have and we continue to grow. We have expanded our team of employees, built a new facility from the ground up, and maintained our loyal customer base!

What are your hobbies?
I enjoy taking weekend trips to Wisconsin with my family, spending time with my children, and working on cars. You might even find me on the local golf courses.

Todd

GM/Sales Manager

Why did you enter this field?
I have always enjoyed helping people in need. I enjoy the problem solving that comes with every job and being able to improve the operation of systems for our customers.

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
I have been in the HVAC industry since 2000. I started out as a shop hand when I was a junior in high school. I gradually worked my way to lead service technician, and now GM/Sales manager.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy interacting and educating our customers, and also helping them when they find themselves in need of our services.

What are your hobbies?
I enjoy playing competitive softball and playing with my 3 children.

Carl

Installation Sales Manager

Why did you enter this field?
From early on, I discovered that I enjoy working with my hands. Finding a career that allowed me to work with my hands and problem solve gives me a great sense of accomplishment.

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
At 19 years old, I started working for an HVAC company taking deliveries and helping around the shop. Eventually I was able to shadow a lead technician. After some time, I moved to the distribution side of the business pulling orders, working behind the counter, and inside sales. For the last 15 years I was the branch manager at that distribution center. I joined the team at Kustom in the summer of 2019.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
The everyday interactions with fellow employees and customers.

What are your hobbies?
I love to spend time with my family. My children keep me very busy when I’m not at work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Whit

Lead Installer

Brandon

Service & Maintenance Technician

Why did you enter this field?
I like to work with my hands and one day I was invited to the shop to check it out and I have been at Kustom ever since.

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
I have a degree in HVAC and have been with Kustom since 2014. I started out as the shop helper, have helped on many installs, and most recently, moved into maintenance and service.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
My coworkers- they are fun people to work with!

What are your hobbies?
I love playing golf and videogaming.

Eric

Service & Maintenance Technician

Why did you enter this field?
I enjoy problem solving and helping others! I also like to tinker with mechanical things and figure out how they function.

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
I have been in the field since 2015.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
It is always fun meeting our customers and also helping them when they need it or finding new solutions for their areas of concern.

What are your hobbies?
In my spare time I enjoy hiking with my dog.

Daniel

Service & Maintenance Technician

Why did you enter this field?
My uncle offered me a hands-on experience when I was only 15. Ever since then, I have been intrigued and loved this field! I enjoy working with my hands and solving problems for our customers.

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
I have been in the industry since I was 15.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy working on my own and always learning new things every day and I am always glad when I know I have helped our customers.

What are your hobbies?
I love to watch sports, go fishing with my friends, and listen to music.

Eddie

Service and Maintenance Technician

Why did you enter this field?
I have always love the mechanicals behind HVAC so I decided to take a basic course. After that, I was hooked!

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
I have been in the HVAC industry since 2016. Prior to that I completed a few courses at ECC and learned as much as I could before entering the field.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy figuring out the problem that a customer may be experiencing with their furnace/air condition and providing a reasonable solution to get the system working again.

What are your hobbies?
Besides spending time with my family, I enjoy playing guitar and chess. You can also find me making or building something.

Alex

Service Technician

Why did you enter this field?
I truly enjoy helping people and troubleshooting broken things. I had a friend recommend I look into HVAC and I haven’t looked back since.

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
I attended ECC’s HVAC program and started at Kustom shortly after that.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I like knowing that I’ve left something better than I found it. If it’s not possible to fix an issue that a customer is encountering then I am able to provide them options for how to move forward.

What are your hobbies?
Spending time with my fiancé and children at home and going out with friends once in awhile.

Juan

Service Technician

Why did you enter this field?
I entered the HVAC field because it’s a hands on job every day. I like that it requires problem solving and also offers me stability in my career choice as well as many opportunities to grow!

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
I have diverse knowledge in a few areas of the trades from working at other jobs. I settled on HVAC after attending schooling at a local professional school and have been fortunate to have been with Kustom for some time now.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
What I love most about my job is the ability to use both my problem solving skills as well as my technical skills. I find it very rewarding to diagnose issues customers may be having a providing a solution for that while also improving the comfort within their home.

What are your hobbies?
Outside of work I enjoy going for hikes, spending time near water, and being outside with my dog. I also enjoy playing and watching sports.

Josh

Installer

Why did you enter this field?
I entered this field to expand my skills within the trade and make a career for myself.

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
I have been with Kustom since the Spring of 2020 and have learned so much in the time that I have been here.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love to see the work on an install from start to finish, it is very satisfying.

What are your hobbies?
I enjoy fishing, skateboarding, and art.

Liz

Accounting Administrator & Marketing Development Coordinator

Why did you enter this field?
I have known about Kustom and watched it grow exponentially since its inception. I have always had a desire to work here and I am eager to show our community why Kustom is the best in the industry!

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
I have a Business Administration degree and have been engaging in different marketing capacities since 2007 including a local publishing house and for a non-profit in Northern Illinois. I started with Kustom in the spring of 2018.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I find that learning about the industry in general is very interesting and that discovering new ways to connect to our customers and our community is very exciting. No day is ever the same and that is exciting and challenging.

What are your hobbies?
I enjoy spending time with my family, watching my young children discover the world, cooking, and spending time outside.

Christine

Customer Support Representative

Why did you enter this field?
I enjoy helping people in need, problem solve. I always like to look for the positive!

State your experience and how long you have been working in the field.
I have been in customer service for a number of years, but have been with Kustom since the Spring of 2020.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy talking with our customers everyday. Each day and each call is different!

What are your hobbies?
I enjoy camping, knitting, and playing with my granddaughter. I raise chickens and have a vegetable garden each summer.