HVAC Learning At It's Best
With Learning Solutions, we put knowledge at your fingertips. That means access to in-house experts who know the HVAC industry inside and out. It also means a team of professionals committed to ensuring that Lennox dealers always remain one step ahead of the competition in terms of business training, installation, sales, customer service and overall technical training.
By leveraging dozens of Lennox coaches, over 400 online courses, and videos available 24/7/365, Learning Solutions is here to ensure that you, your team and your business are always prepared for what’s next.
Meet the Learning Solutions Team
Dave Nichols
Sales & Business Training Manager
40+ Years of HVAC Experience
Dave Nichols is responsible for the Sales and Business training Lennox delivers to our Dealers throughout
North America. Dave began his career in HVAC in 1973 with Trane in Toronto, Canada. After leaving the
industry for a time he joined Lennox in 1996. In addition, Dave has been involved in adult learning,
training development and delivery for over 30 years. During his 40+ years in the HVAC industry, Dave has
worked in finance as well as training and has run several Heating and Air-conditioning companies. He has
experience with, in home sales and managed retail salespeople. Dave has provided support to many
contractors in a consulting capacity helping them grow their business and increase profitability. Outside
of the industry, Dave owned/operated a home renovation business, was President of a Professional
Association, worked for a manufacturer of firefighting equipment, a paper manufacturer, customs broker,
and a computer distributor.
Doug Smiley
Technical Training Manager
20+ Years of HVAC Experience
Doug Smiley currently serves as the Technical Training Manager for Lennox Residential. The technical team
is responsible for content and curriculum development of HVAC technical training for contractors and
dealers. Doug has been in the HVAC technical training world for the past 13 years. His collective HVAC
career spans 21 years and includes every position from installer to service tech roles, management and
leadership roles at the dealer level, and educational and training development roles for the manufacturer.
HVAC Sales and Business Instructors
Rick Houchens
Instructor
- “First in Class” General Manager of award-winning HVAC service center for national HVAC provider Service Experts, Inc.
- Member of the Regional Leadership Team for national HVAC provider Service Experts, Inc.
- 2-time winner of Contractor Success Group – “Center of the Year”
- 4-time winner of Service Experts “President’s Club.”
- Proven expertise in Business Operations Leadership, P&L Management, World Class Customer Service
Brian Kremmel
Instructor
- Consistently rated by numerous audiences and trainees as a “best experience”
- Trained, consulted, and helped build numerous growth cultures with contractors and retail teams throughout North America.
- Owner of a large heating, cooling, and plumbing company with consistent grown revenue of 20% per year for nearly 5 years
- Runs 250 or more leads per year to keep his in home sales skills relevant and sharp
Steven Litt
Instructor
- Experience writing HR development manuals and running management training programs
- Expert in Operations and Sales Management
- Started a performance contracting company
- Currently the director of a private postsecondary HVAC/Plumbing trade school
Mike Treas
Instructor
- 30 years of sales and sales management experience
- Experience in the HVAC industry as a Sales Manager and Comfort Advisor for one of the largest and well-respected residential heating and air conditioning contractors
- Partnered with 150+ contracting companies conducting training and consulting in the areas of sales, sales management, business management, customer service and technician training
- Expert in developing a selling culture for businesses
Brigham Dickinson
Instructor
- Founder and President of Power Selling Pros, a home services company, that assists companies with enhancing their customer experience and increasing job bookings
- Authored three compelling books - "Pattern for Excellence: Engage Your Team to WOW More Customers," "Patterned After Excellence: Pursuing Truth in Work & Life," and "Something to Give: A Journey to Becoming a Leader Worth Following"
- Created the trademarked framework "Pattern for Excellence" which allows businesses to understand and incorporate best practices, fundamentally changing the way they interact with customers
- Encourages businesses to strive for exceptional performance and cultivate a culture of engagement, ultimately leading to improved profitability and customer satisfaction
Ryan Black
Instructor
- Managed and owned a family-run Plumbing, HVAC, and Electrical company for more than 11 years
- Demonstrated success and proficiency in financial analysis, budgeting, sales development, growth prioritization, and process optimization
- Cultivated and nurtured a strong company culture through training and development programs, emphasizing relationship-building and goal setting
- Successfully navigated the exit transition by overseeing the business acquisition with a nationally recognized private equity group
Stephen Dale
Instructor
- Over 20 years of experience as an operations manager in the Home Services Industry
- National speaker, trainer, and success coach specializing in the trades, empowering various organizations, business owners, and companies through classes and workshops
- Diversified empirical knowledge acquired from renowned operations like Nexstar Network, Service Nation Alliance, Business Development Resources, Anthony Robbins Corporation, and Airtime 500
- Earned a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University
HVAC Technical Instructors
Tom Cates
Instructor
- 36 years of HVAC experience
- 15 years of training and curriculum development
- Licensed Gas Technician
- Instructional Design and Training Needs Analysis Certification from Langevin Learning Services
- Certified for mechanical design with The Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAIC)
- Member of The Canadian Standards Association (CSA F300 and CSA F326)
George Clayton
Instructor
- 25 years of HVAC experience
- Graduated from University of Arlington in Texas
- Graduated from Lincoln Technical Institute (HVAC-R)
- Instructional Design and Training Needs Analysis Certification from Langevin Learning Services
- Universal EPA Certified
- N.A.T.E. Certified
- HVAC Certified
Chris Fogarty
Instructor
- 30 years of HVAC experience
- Full Texas Stave HVAC License
- Universal EPA Certified
- A2L refrigerant certification
- N.A.T.E. Certified
Eric Grubbs
Instructor
- 23 years of HVAC experience
- Graduated from Community College of the Air Force
- HVAC Instructional Designer for Trane
- Universal EPA Certified
- Owned and Operated a Heating & Air Company
Joel Laureano
Instructor
- 22 years of HVAC experience
- Doctorate in Divinity & Education
- Universal EPA Certified
- Licensed Technician, Residential/Commercial Systems
- Instructional HVAC Designer for the Air Force
- Bilingual educator (English & Spanish)
Zak Majdali
Instructor
- 24 years of HVAC experience
- Graduated from ITT Technical Institute
- HVAC-R Certified
- Universal EPA Certified
- N.A.T.E. Certified
Invest in Your Skills
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Joe Jones
Learning Solutions Director & ON AIR Podcast Host
Lennox Learning Solutions’ world-class instructor-led courses have over a 96% satisfaction rating from students and include skills training, sales training, and business excellence courses. In addition, my team refreshes our flagship courses to ensure we keep up with the HVAC industry. Also, select courses are now available entirely in Spanish.
My team has developed flagship technical, sales, and business courses to help our Dealers and their team succeed in HVAC. Our talented instructors don’t just coach to best practices but take our students to the next level in their careers. As a result, thousands of individuals with varying HVAC knowledge have completed a technical or sales course through Learning Solutions and become top-performing technicians or comfort advisors.
Our team believes the path to your desired business goals begins with a well-designed learning plan. Whether it’s maintaining your current market status, becoming more efficient and profitable, or growing to become a dominant market leader. Learning Solutions is the exclusive partner to help Lennox dealers develop their plans forward.
We look forward to seeing you in class!
Best,
P.S Listen & subscribe to our ON AIR podcast, it was created for HVAC professionals by HVAC professionals.
Get NATE credit for your Learning Solutions training hours.
And we’ll send the hours you earn directly to NATE on your behalf.
It’s simple. Register your NATE I.D. with us, make sure you’re logged into your lennoxpros.com page, click here, and follow the instructions on the page.