May 3, 2021 – Trane® – Trane Technologies has established new operations in Las Vegas, Nev., to serve the regional commercial market, effective May 1, 2021.
Trane optimizes indoor environments with a broad portfolio of energy efficient heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, energy management and contracting services, aftermarket parts support and connected building solutions. Trane’s expansion in Las Vegas builds on a series of transitions to company-owned operations in the U.S. this year, including the greater Dayton, Ohio; Tampa, Fla.; and Louisville, Ky., markets.
Trane will expand its workforce in Las Vegas as part of the new operation and plans to hire additional engineers, energy services specialists and technicians throughout 2021. Trane associates will partner with local engineers, contractors, commercial building owners and facility directors to provide energy management and HVAC systems, services and aftermarket parts solutions.
Additionally, Trane’s national remote monitoring and intelligent services center supports 24/7 service for commercial buildings around the country to help ensure they are operating at peak performance.
In February 2021 Trane introduced Wellsphere™, a holistic approach to building wellness that cultivates healthier indoor spaces by enhancing air quality, lighting and acoustics.
Wellsphere brings Trane’s experience and expertise to take a holistic approach to optimizing a building’s indoor environmental quality (IEQ). This approach offers a multi-disciplinary collective of experts and an innovative portfolio of products and services to put the well-being of people first.
“Trane is excited to expand our operations in this vibrant market,” said Erick Johnson, area general manager for Trane in Las Vegas. “We have long served the
Trane has operated in Nevada for more than 20 years, including through the company’s commercial sales office in Reno.
“Trane has a lot to bring to the Las Vegas market; our commitments to customers and communities extend well beyond HVAC solutions,” said Adam Wittwer, regional general manager for Trane. “Through our 2030 Sustainability Commitments, we will reduce our customers’ carbon emissions by one gigaton; achieve carbon-neutral operations; and significantly invest in education and workforce development, housing and comfort, and food and wellness programs that create happy and healthy communities and opportunity for all. We look forward to uplifting the Las Vegas community through this work.”
To succeed in the Gigaton Challenge, Trane Technologies in innovating clean technologies, advancing system level energy-efficiency, reducing global food loss and transitioning to next-generation refrigerants.
Trane Technologies' initiatives will include building sustainability solutions for commercial building owners and managers.
"Sustainability is right in the Trane wheelhouse of energy efficiency," Johnson, said, "which includes the 'Gigaton Challenge." But something else that's important to the Southwest is water efficiency."
"After the Ingersoll Rand split, we were able to focus 100 percent on the 'Gigaton Challenge,' and on building better buildings for people. I think that has given the company a better line of focus, a singular focus," Johnson said.
"Trane wants to focus on business sustainability, and we need to do that in a way that is good for the customer, to provide this sustainable efficient system for the building, but obviously while keeping our eye on the ball; that is, the initial cost and total lifecycle cost of the system. But first and foremost is the safety of the building: indoor air quality, specifically in a market like Las Vegas, where millions of square feet and millions of tourists visit. You want safe buildings for these people to come to."
We asked about Trane's stated commitment to housing, comfort, and food and wellness programs, something that's not often included in news about corporate sustainability programs.
"It is very important for Trane to take an active role in the markets we are in," Johnson said. "We live here and work here. We're part of the community. That ties in to employee engagement. They live and work here too, and we want to tie into the market and give back."
"It is very important for Trane to take an active role in the markets we are in," Johnson said. "We live here and work here. We're part of the community. That ties in to employee engagement. They live and work here too, and we want to tie into the market and give back." - Erick Johnson
Melissa Banks, regional marketing lead for Trane, expressed praise for Johnson's accomplishments since early 2020, when the split with Ingersoll-Rand was finalized, and the pandemic started.
"Erick has been a great leader in opening this office in this expanding market. Las Vegas was one of the first to respond to the pandemic, and get people back to some sense of normalcy safely. We're proud to help customers in this community return to some sense of normalcy safely, for tenants indoors, but also helping the environment around them," Banks said. "Helping to cool buildings without using a lot of the precious water resources, and doing so while saving money, in a fast and evolving market. Within our region, we have a pretty large footprint already. We're just trying to extend how many people we're serving, and find how we can help our customers with all of the established relationships, be supportive with more team members and offer more solutions to help them be more efficient with those experts, where we already have a footprint."
Team Building
Johnson's first 30 days in the Las Vegas office have been devoted to assembling the team. "We have a diverse team, a team of go-getters, who are excited and happy and fully-engaged to help build this out of the ground. We'll have 21 or 22 managerial and field technician employees by June 1, and then we will assess where we need more, less or better, and go from there. I sat down with finance and human resources and the entire Pacific Southwest team and drew up an organizational chart that will address the market initially and obviously assess and build from there."
Are clients expressing needs you didn't expect? I've met eight to 12 customers. A lot of this is just preliminary. They want Trane equipment, what is my background, etc. Thirty days into it but every market is unique but also can be very similar as well.
Johnson said Las Vegas is an ideal operational base for this initiative.
"Business-wise and strategically if you look on a map, you will see a triangle of our larger customers that we have extremely good relationships with. That's Los Angeles, Southern California, Phoenix and Las Vegas. If they all have offices there it makes good business sense for us to do so as well, to better serve the customers. There's that natural area there in which the customers operate. It's a natural fit for us, to better help serve them."
For all building automation, parts, service and HVAC equipment needs, please contact the Las Vegas Trane team through the Las Vegas Trane webpage.
Terry McIver interviewed Erick Johnson on May 13. Trane Technologies provided supporting materials.