Alex Meaney’s job doesn’t include the gritty hands-on work that immediately comes to mind when thinking about building homes. Much of his career in HVAC has been spent at a computer or on the phone. But lately, as owner of Mean HVAC Consulting and Design, Alex spends less time in front of a screen and more time traveling the country teaching HVAC contractors how to use software that will help them design and install better HVAC systems for their clients’ homes.

Alex says that he was “tricked” into the HVAC field when he showed up for a job interview at Wrightsoft, an HVAC-design software company. The role was completely different than he expected, but he was persuaded to do the interview anyway. The rest is history.

“[Founder] Bill Wright asked me if I knew how much heat it took to raise one pound of water one degree—which is 1 Btu, but I didn’t know that,” Alex said. “I had enough science experience to ask him the specific heat of water, and he said, ‘Close enough.’”

A temp position became a full-time role in sales, then marketing, followed by tech support, where Alex received his “education” asking Wrightsoft engineers for the answers to all the customer questions that came his way—after which he ultimately became Wrightsoft’s trainer.

After 20 years at Wrightsoft, Alex started his own company, teaching HVAC design using software to complete Manual, J, S, and D calculations, creating videos and articles on other HVAC topics, and providing consultations on specific HVAC systems. He has taught more than 10,000 HVAC practitioners in more than 700 classes, and has ACCA instructor certification (EPIC) in addition to other building science accreditations. One of the secrets to Alex’s success is that when contractors tell him things, he believes them. “A lot of people on the bookish side of things will dismiss what they’re told by people in the field,” Alex said.

“It makes me proud when somebody takes my class and it opens their eyes to the fact that this stuff actually works.”

Instead, Alex sees it as his job to believe what contractors are saying, and to work with them to apply proven principles to their real-world situations to make the path to solving problems a little bit easier.

Keep Craft Alive is our campaign celebrating those who have chosen to passionately pursue a career in design, building, and remodeling. Find out more and show your support by ­visiting KeepCraftAlive.org, and use #KeepCraftAlive to share your passion for the cause.

Photo: Danielle Tait Photography

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