Three Trane techs made it into the HVAC National Championship Finals!

Congrats to Craig, Rusty and Auston!

Published:
October 23, 2023

Congratulations are in order, because the three Trane HVAC technicians we’ve been following have all made it to the ServiceTitan HVAC National Championship finals! The final round will take place on October 28 at the Tampa Convention Center and will air on TV on December 15. American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning and Trane Residential are sponsoring the competition.

Craig Childress, Rusty Barnes and Auston Pickard are three of the 15 HVAC professionals and 15 HVAC apprentices who will compete head-to-head for their share of more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. They all work for Trane Comfort Specialists—these are elite Trane dealers who are experts in servicing and maintaining Trane HVAC systems. They are committed to customer satisfaction and have earned our stamp of approval.

In case you missed them, check out the profiles the Trane service techs in the competition below, and don’t forget to tune in to CBS Sports on December 15 to watch the competition on TV and find out who wins the grand prize—$40,000 and bragging rights as the best HVAC technician in America.

Get to know…

Craig Childress got his start in plumbing before he switched to HVAC. He’s competing in both the HVAC and plumbing championships—our first Elite Trades crossover competitor! He used to work on Trane equipment but now is a lead worker in Boston University’s facilities department. Fun fact: Last year’s HVAC National Championship winner, Mack Shwert, was Craig’s apprentice early in his career!

Rusty Barnes the training and service manager for Trane dealer Bradham Brothers Heating, Cooling and Electrical in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he says he’s treated like family. For the first round of the competition, Rusty took the quiz every day for seven weeks!

Auston Pickard made it to last year’s HVAC National Championship finals but didn’t secure one of the top three spots. This year, he knows what he will do differently to come out on top: practice, practice, practice. Fun fact: He entered last year’s competition without even realizing it!