Meet 2021 President Nick Watkins

We are always interested to learn more about our volunteer leaders. We caught up with newly elected 2021 President Nick Watkins with Abilene Air-Tech, Inc., to learn a little more about the contractor who will lead our organization this year.

TACCA: Tell us about the Watkins family.
NW: I am 38 years old and a second-generation HVAC contractor. I graduated from Texas Tech University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. This year will be 10 years of marriage to my lovely wife, Lindsey. We have two children, Lane who is seven and Aubrie will turn two in March.

TACCA: What is something interesting/fun/unique about you that most people wouldn’t expect to learn?
NW: I have had a pacemaker since I was 22. I played polo in college and love the sport as well as hunting, fishing, and all things outdoors.

TACCA: What started you on your pathway to become a licensed contractor?
NW: I worked for my dad in high school and even in the summers the first few years of college. It started out that he needed help and I needed money. The more I got into the trade I found I enjoyed the work and interaction with other people. I liked changing out the equipment and improving our clients comfort level. I thought about doing other stuff for a few years, but nothing allowed me to make the money I did, and by then I had lots of experience in the field, so I just kept doing HVAC. In a sense it is all I have ever known.

TACCA: Your company Abilene Air-Tech has been in business since 1986. How would you explain your success to other HVAC contractors?
NW: We have always tried to treat each customer the same whether they bought a basic system or a high efficiency one. Be truthful in all that you do, and it makes it easy to keep up with.

TACCA: What is unique about the Abilene area and how does that influence how your company serves the area?
NW: I grew up here and played in sports with many people who are my age now that are buying homes and they are calling us to take care of their needs. Many customers have used us for 20 plus years, but we are always looking to grow our clientele. We try to build lasting relationships with each customer and go the extra mile for them.

TACCA: As an HVAC contractor/owner, what are the biggest challenges that you face today that you never expected to encounter early on in your career?
NW: The biggest challenges we face are finding workers who have experience in the field. Many schools are starting up vocational programs again and hopefully we will see some better candidates in the next few years. COVID-19 has also changed the way that we operate business in the past year which no one could foresee.

TACCA: How are you positioning your company for growth and what are your thoughts about enticing the younger generation to choose a trade vs. college?
NW: We are changing our strategy to have all field employees work to become service technicians to promote a higher standard in all aspects of our work. I believe it will save money for my company as I will not have to roll out a “service truck” to bring systems online and can handle a greater load of service calls as a result. We are active in training our employees for various situations along with Liquified Petroleum Gas licensing through the Texas Railroad Commission for propane and dual fuel systems. “You’re only as strong as your weakest link,” has resonated with me through the years as an owner.

TACCA: Tell us about some of the ways that Abilene Air-Tech engages in the community.
NW: We partner with many different organizations here locally for charitable work. We participate in Heat the Towns and do work with Habitat for Humanity. Last year we had a “12 days of service” for families in need of repair or service work and one lucky family won a complete brand-new heating and cooling system. The families sent in entries describing the issues they were having, and we made site visits to determine who was in the most need and installed a new system for that family. With COVID-19 this year we felt that we could not safely do it again, although we would love to continue to be able to do that every year from now on.

TACCA: What makes TACCA membership valuable to you as a contractor?
NW: I have always believed my greatest value of TACCA membership is keeping up with the legislative stuff going on. Shannon Noble has worked tirelessly for TACCA and keeps us updated on legislation that will affect me and my company.

TACCA: What objectives do you hope to see TACCA accomplish in your year as President?
NW: I would like to grow membership in the organization and gain some ground on training and work programs for people interested in the field. This is important to me because I remember what TACCA membership used to be and I’ve watched the slow decline over the years. I see tremendous value of group strength and the most effective way to help the HVAC industry, which is the key purpose of the organization, is to band together and combine our efforts with purpose to accomplish our goals. TACCA can be that driving force, but the momentum must continue to be successful.

TACCA: Complete the sentence: My year as president will be successful if…
NW: My year as president will be successful if we can grow our membership numbers and we do everything in our power legislatively to protect our businesses and livelihood of the contractors across the great state of Texas.

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