Greg Hatfield has announced his retirement after devoting 50 years to the HVACR industry in the Tampa Bay area.

A native of Ohio, Greg allowed a coin flip to chart the direction his life would take on a wintry day over 50 years ago. “After my honorable discharge from the Navy in late 1969, I took a job at a paper mill in Chillicothe. It only took six months of working there and shoveling snow to convince me that I needed a change. I flipped a coin, heads – Texas, tails – Florida. Tails it was so I headed to St. Petersburg! It did not take long in the Florida heat for me to realize that a career in air conditioning was a no-brainer. I enrolled in the Pinellas Technical College (PTEC) air conditioning program and have been in the trade in the Tampa Bay area ever since.”

Greg graduated from PTEC in 1971 and took a position in the Sears Air Conditioning Department in St. Petersburg the last year of school.

“Curiosity and college night school led me through a variety of AC related positions until I joined Victor Distributing as a salesman 31 years ago,” Greg continued. “Moving to Florida and the decision to work at Victor were the two major turning points in my career. Owners Jerry and Kevin Barnum have always encouraged my desire to learn and become involved in the industry, especially indoor air quality and supporting RACCA (the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association Tampa Bay) as their Associate Board member for 8 years and on the Code Committee for 24 years.”

“On top the friendship that developed over the last 25 years I cannot put into words how much I have learned working with Greg,” Victor Distributing President Kevin Barnum stated. “Greg Hatfield was a critical mentor in my career, not only with industry knowledge but also how to develop relationships with people as a young college graduate entering a family business. I will miss seeing a great friend on a regular basis but also mourn that the industry has retired a library of HVAC knowledge.”

“My advice to newcomers in the industry is to look beyond the sale; create a relationship and provide value to your customers,” Greg concluded. “Over my 50 years in this industry, I have been blessed with an abundance of friends and relationships. Thank you all for brightening each day and allowing me to be a part of your lives. My journey now is more new adventures with my wife Sheryl since she has already planned out 2021. Plus sleeping in and happy hour are also growing in popularity!”