Jim has a long and storied career in the HVAC Industry. That career began back in 1971 when he went to work for an HVAC contractor before moving on to work for an HVAC distributor in 1977. That is where he became involved with selling the first digital combustion analyzers. 

There he discovered there was a profound lack of knowledge, including his own, on interpreting combustion readings and overall mechanical operation of industrial, commercial and residential systems. 

Since then, he has dedicated himself to increasing this knowledge by spending thousands of hours in the field with customers collecting data. Eventually those customers ask him to write down what he’d to share with them. They also wanted him to TEACH them by conducting training classes.

Jim developed the first combustion testing protocols and field diagnostics using a digital combustion analyzer. 100% of the combustion taught at NCI is based on hands-on field experience and actual results. Jim continue to research new information and seek out additional accomplishments and feedback from the field.

Rob worked in his family-owned HVAC business in central California for a number of years where he developed a passion for airflow testing and balancing. He co-founded National Comfort Institute with CEO, Dominick Guarino in the early 1990’s and leads NCI’s technical training and curriculum development team. NCI’s training mission is driven by the fact that the performance of an HVAC system can be effectively measured and diagnosed under live operating conditions in the field.

NCI training enables contractors to measure, rate, diagnose and improve a system’s rating or score. This drives the constant evolution of NCI curriculum, training methods and programs and enables contractors to dismiss their competitors as they deliver the best performing HVAC system in the country. Rob’s continuing role is to set the direction for the company’s training programs, continually improve NCI’s measurement methods, forms and procedures, and explore new technologies to help improve the quality, speed and effectiveness of our methods and training technologies.

Tom was born into his family’s HVAC and Plumbing business that his father, Robert, started in 1964 in Cambridge, MN. Tom became full time GM of the business in 1984. He and his brother Mark bought the business in 1998. 

In 2008, Tom heard about Jim Davis who was teaching a revolutionary class about Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Combustion. Tom and his top two technicians jumped into his 1998 Dodge custom van and headed for Louisville KY where Jim Davis was teaching. 

“I became a Jim Davis disciple,”” Tom proclaims! “I always believed that training my guys better than our competition was always my advantage. Now I had the truth!”

He became a member of National Comfort Institute (NCI) and over the next eight years, Tom attended CO training 13 more times. He is now an instructor teaching CO & Combustion certification classes throughout the Midwest.

In 2010 Plumbing-Heating-Cooling-Contractors association chose Tom’s company, TM Johnson Bros., Inc., as their National Contractor of the Year. Then in 2014 the company was named NCI’s Contractor of the Year. Tom has won several other national and state awards and is a contributing author to several trade publications. 

John Puryear has a diverse background in the HVAC industry that dates back to 1973 when he helped his family’s landlord replace an oil floor furnace with a forced air oil furnace with ductwork. He joined NCI in February, 2011 as an instructor. 

John met Rob Falke in 2000 and says “that my life changed forever.” He became one of the first 50 members of NCI’s membership program. He attended NCI’s second “Boot Camp” in 2003 and from what he learned there, developed an implementation process that he used with the first contractor he went to work for. Since then John has joined NCI as a full-time technical instructor.

Jeff Sturgeon has more than 30 years of residential and commercial HVAC and refrigeration field experience. He is based in Southern California and works with hundreds of contractors and their field personnel to help insure successful implementation of Southern California Edison’s Workforce Education & Training programs.

Jeff got his start in the HVAC industry by attending UTI (Universal Technical Institute) in Phoenix, Arizona. Throughout his career, Jeff installed and serviced residential, light commercial, commercial, and industrial HVAC/R systems. He also worked for an HVAC controls manufacturer, where he was responsible for engineering, designing, building and installing control panels for a variety of applications.

Jeff has earned many HVAC certifications from manufacturers and organizations such as NCI, NATE and IHACI. Over the past decade, he has been actively involved in numerous Southern California Edison Energy Efficiency programs, including the Residential and Commercial Quality Installation and Quality Maintenance program where he was responsible for the design, installation, service and commissioning of over 1500 HVAC systems.

In 1993, Paul Wieboldt founded Tradesman Heating and Air Conditioning Services in Waco, Texas. In 1999, they had the honor of installing geothermal systems in the Crawford, Texas ranch home of President and Mrs. George W. Bush. That same year he founded Tradewinds Appropriate Technologies. Tradewinds performs HVAC system design, diagnostic services and residential and commercial test and balancing services.

Paul is a licensed HVAC contractor, NATE certified technician and NCI certified residential and light commercial air balancing and diagnostic specialist. Paul also holds an NBC TAB supervisor commercial certification. Since 2005, Paul has trained hundreds of HVAC contractors on behalf of National Comfort Institute in all of its residential and commercial certification classes.