IT Manager · Ross & Witmer (HVAC)

Built and ran the entire IT stack for a 125-user, 3-location HVAC business across an 11.5-year tenure. Network through identity through endpoints through ITSM. The same role also kept me in the trade through HVAC technical consulting on the operations side of the business.

Network and infrastructure

• Designed the network end to end: routers, switches, firewalls, and access points. Site-to-site VPNs connecting all 3 office locations with consistent firewall rules and content filtering.
• Active Directory + Entra ID hybrid environment with Azure AD Connect synchronizing on-premises identity to the cloud.
• Windows Server administration across the estate: Group Policy, file/print, monitoring, backup and DR.
• Office 365 rollout and ongoing administration: Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive. Configured Zoom meeting and phone systems alongside Teams for unified communications.

Acowin rollout and field digital transformation

Selected and rolled out Acowin (third-party HVAC service management platform) as the replacement for a legacy Unix-based service management system. Owned vendor selection, schema mapping from the Unix backend into Acowin's Visual FoxPro DBF datastore, end-user training for dispatchers / technicians / office staff, and ongoing administration through the remainder of my tenure.

Alongside the system swap, took field service from paper to iPads. Before: technicians wrote paper work orders, phoned the office whenever they needed to charge a customer's credit card, and returned to the office at the end of each week with stacks of paper for office staff to re-key. After: iPads in the field, in-field credit card processing, real-time work-order capture into Acowin, dispatchers with a live view of field work.

Ongoing Acowin operations included user provisioning, schema and code-file maintenance, backup and recovery of the FoxPro DBF data, mobile device provisioning for techs, and integration with Office 365 calendar and email plus the company's reporting workflows.

Custom apps and monitoring

• Developed mobile and web applications to support technicians and salesmen in the field.
• Built network and server monitoring with automated alerting; designed custom dashboards and digital signage for real-time company metrics on the office floor.
• Implemented a Learning Management System for staff training.

HVAC technical-consultant work

The mechanical-contractor side of my background kept being useful at R&W. I stayed in the trade in a technical-consultant capacity throughout my tenure:

• Heating and cooling load calculations and duct calcs in Wrightsoft per ACCA and ASHRAE standards. Determined requirements for fresh air, combustion, humidification, and dehumidification.
• Mechanical layouts and blueprints in AutoCAD.
• Building performance using blower door, duct blaster, and thermal imaging.
• Energy Star accreditation for the company; oversight of Energy Star projects.
• Authored and ran the internal EPA 608 and NATE certification training and testing program for the company's technicians.
• Consulted with architects and contractors on HVAC applications to balance performance, comfort, and aesthetics.

Why this tenure mattered

• Full-stack ownership: from network design to application development to user support. No platform team to lean on.
• Long-tenure stability: 11.5 years of compounding domain knowledge in an HVAC business with real seasonal swings.
• Continuous learning: implemented Active Directory, Office 365 rollout, Azure AD hybrid, the Acowin migration, mobile and web app dev, all in flight while supporting 125 users.
• Bridge between the trade and IT: kept the technical consultancy on the HVAC side alive while running the IT department.