P1 Group Associate Profile on St. Joseph Service Technician Aaron White
“The Expertise of Many, The Power of One” is the philosophy behind P1 Group, and St. Joseph Pipefitter Journeyman Aaron White is one associate who has truly embraced this concept during his employment.
Aaron started his career as an electrician and was hired at P1 shortly after the opening of the St. Joseph, MO, division in 2012.
While the office was trying to get up and running, Aaron was temporarily assigned to Saint Luke’s Hospital to help in the maintenance department, but after a few short months, he was brought back to St. Joseph to work in electrical construction.
Aaron had been considering taking HVAC classes at the local technical school so he could work on his equipment at home. When he mentioned that to service manager Adam Collier, Adam suggested he make the switch to the P1 Group service department.
“I wasn’t sure what it was all going to entail, but I wanted to do it bad enough that I left the electrical trade and started a new apprenticeship,” Aaron said.
Even though Aaron left electrical construction behind, he doesn’t regret where he started. During his time as an electrician he worked for different contractors in town, from big industrial to smaller mom and pop shops, so he was able to see wide range of electrical systems, including high- and low- voltage and controls.
“That background has helped me tremendously with the working knowledge of electricity, and provided a good basis to move into HVAC,” Aaron said.
The service trade requires a broad spectrum of expertise, and smaller markets like St. Joseph need versatile technicians who know the basics for a lot of different equipment.
“Since switching over to the service side, the list of equipment I have been exposed to seems to be never ending,” he said.
“Even though I may not be a master of one area, I feel like I know the fundamentals for a lot of different things. Having experience with such a variety of systems has made me a well-rounded technician which allows me to provide service to a wide range of customers.”
Aaron says he never feels like he is out on a limb when he does have to work on specialized equipment because he has the support of additional specialized technicians not far away in the Lenexa division.
“Working for P1, I’ve noticed there are so many different people with so many different skill sets that are willing to work through a problem with you. From a technical aspect it is nice to know that I have that kind of support,” said Aaron.
Having that support has given Aaron the confidence to tackle any challenge that presents itself and this quality brings high praise from St. Joseph Division General Manager, Heather Richards-St. Clair.
“Because of his desire to learn, Aaron has developed a tremendous skill set but he also has those intangibles like work ethic, leadership, and customer service. Aaron has all the qualities that make a great service technician and we feel fortunate to have him as part of our team,” Heather said.
Even in Aaron’s short time in HVAC, he has acquired a vast amount of expertise, making him one of the many assets behind “The Expertise of Many, The Power of One.”
SIDE NOTE:
When he isn’t working, Aaron enjoys spending time with his family and watching his kids participate in their sports, thankful they were able to get a short ball season in this summer. They also enjoy hunting, fishing, and hunting frogs. He and his youngest son Greyson have been working on a tree stand and plan to put it to work for the upcoming deer season.
Left: Aaron's kids, Kalon, 14; Brylee, 15; Greyson, 7; Quincy, 9; Center: Aaron with wife Brianna; Right: Gone fishin' with Greyson
