Weldon Long, EGIA Foundation Trustee and New York Times bestselling author, introduced the EGIA Foundation to an enthusiastic crowd of industry leaders and businesses at the EPIC2018 Conference. Speaking to a crowd of over 400+, Weldon posed the question, “How concerned are you at the lack of qualified labor within the industry?” To which 68% responded “Extremely Concerned.”

“The EGIA Foundation is taking the lead in addressing one of the most serious threats to the industry: the labor storage” said Long. “Focused on promoting HVAC as a first-choice career through a unique coalition of industry stakeholders, this organization is devoted to building the workforce through initiatives including public outreach, mentorship programs, scholarships and employment opportunities. Through this work, the EGIA Foundation is ensuring the industry can meet labor demands well into the future.”

It is undeniable that the HVAC Industry is experiencing a considerable deficit of interested and suitable workers. By their own admission, 64% of high school students believe that HVAC is not a career that would make a parent proud. Unfortunately, often unjustly so, these careers are viewed as substandard or undervalued.

Yet, HVAC is a necessity. Without it, our lives and livelihoods would by seriously impacted. The EGIA Foundation was created to change the rampant negative perceptions in the general public as well as, supporting new and existing HVAC professionals through guidance, mentoring, and job recruitment resources.

It’s time to take on the challenge of reversing the misconceptions created by those outside the industry and develop a sustaining workforce made of each successive up-and-coming generation. Let’s bridge the HVAC employment gap together and start generating tomorrow’s workforce today.

Weldon Long walks the walk. . . . At EPIC2018, Weldon donated his time and his new book, Consistency Selling, to raise almost $10,000 worth of much needed funding for the EGIA Foundation. Those who donated at EPIC2018, received a copy of Consistency Selling personally signed by Long and the EGIA Foundation Industry Study, Bridging the HVAC Employment Gap.