COURT HOUSE – At 40, Craig Migliaccio considers himself the “old guy” when it comes to social media, so he was both surprised and honored to be named the Influencer of the Year by HVAC Tactical for his technical training materials.
Migliaccio, who first started using videos to help train his students at Cape May County Technical School in 2016, now uses Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, photos, videos, LinkedIn, and YouTube to show HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) technicians the step-by-step process for repairs.
Focused on serving this niche market, he has 368,000 YouTube subscribers, garnered 33,000 subscribers in six months on TikTok and had 1.5 million views of his videos in the last month.
“When I started in this business,” said the Court House resident, “I was told to walk outside to clear my head when I ran into a problem that I couldn’t fix. Now, the younger technicians of today are immediately looking up the answers to their problems and following a step-by-step process. They are studying at home.”
“People laugh when you say that you got certified over YouTube, but it’s not funny anymore,” he added. “Yes, you still need the hands-on experiences, but not everyone learns from the theory that is in books. Our materials are written in layman’s language, giving technicians the processes they need to do repairs.”
Migliaccio is founder and trainer with AC Service Tech LLC, of Court House.
Migliaccio said the award he received was significant because he was recognized by his peers, who are among the “best in the HVAC industry. These are the people writing the standards, the influencers. The trades need to be highlighted, and young people need to see the trades celebrated, especially with the labor shortage.”
“I want to make technicians hungry to work and be able to support their futures and their families,” he continued. “When over 50% of a building encompasses HVACR, it’s important that technicians become more proficient and valuable. I want to lift up the trades and those in the trades by providing the knowledge and skills they need.”
Migliaccio has a team of local people helping him produce the materials, including one 17-year-old “prodigy,” who has authored three books, and a high schooler who is interning with him, doing video production. The Covid pandemic didn’t slow down his business, instead, it increased and provided additional opportunities.
“The HVAC Tactical awards were great because I got to talk with the best people in HAVCR,” Migliaccio said. “Sometimes, when I hear what the materials mean to the technician, it makes me want to cry because they can’t find the information elsewhere, and what we do means a lot. I want to provide materials for those who want to seek knowledge to grow, and be valuable and able to support their families. It’s as simple as that.”
Thoughts? Questions? Contact the author, Karen Knight, at kknight@cmcherald.com.
