“Shawn Brown taught me a lot about troubleshooting HVAC systems when I joined McElroy’s,” said residential HVAC supervisor Blake Schwartz. “He said to start at the beginning, open your mind, and don’t make assumptions about what’s wrong. Find the meaning in what you’re seeing, and ask why things are doing what they are. Shawn was super helpful, and his shared experience made me a much better technician.” We’re honoring Shawn Brown, McElroy’s commercial HVAC service technician, for his 10^th anniversary with McElroy’s on July 20, 2025. We appreciate Shawn’s patient and methodical way of solving HVAC challenges for our commercial customers!

Early Years

Shawn has had tools in his hands since he was young. “In middle school, I went to live full time with my dad, Willard, in Topeka” said Shawn. “We were into dirt track racing, and I was the crew chief at age 13. Dad wanted me to wrench on our racer for several years before I got to drive. I started racing at 16. Those were great years, and dad is still my best friend.” After graduating from Topeka High School, Shawn moved to Onaga and started working for Jimmy K’s Repairs – a heating/air, plumbing and appliance company owned by his stepfather. “I enjoyed the HVAC service side the most. After about four years, business slowed down and Jim wanted me to take over. I decided to expand my knowledge by going to trade school instead.”

WTI and McElroy’s

Shawn attended Wichita Technical Institute (WTI) to study HVAC, and his work experience put him well ahead of his classmates. “After three months, the advanced-classes teacher offered me a job to assist him,” Shawn said. “I went to class in the morning, and in the evening I worked as a teaching assistant.” When Shawn earned his certificate, his overall experience opened a lot of job possibilities. Keith Watkins, now McElroy’s vice president, and leader of the commercial HVAC service team, interviewed Shawn and made him an offer on the spot. “McElroy’s is a well-established, highly respected company, so I was glad to sign up then and there. I joined the union and got to work!”

Helping Homeowners

At that time, the McElroy’s HVAC service team handled residential and commercial customers all in the same division. Shawn’s experience with Jimmy K’s was mostly servicing residential systems, so that became his emphasis for McElroy’s. “I enjoyed interacting with homeowners on service calls. A lot of them like to visit with you, and you get to know them like old friends and family,” Shawn said. “When they’re comfortable with you, they’ll request you when they call in for service. That always felt good.”

Parting and Return

After a little more than eight years, Shawn was recruited by another mechanical-systems service company. “They were very convincing with an offer that seemed like a smart move at the time,” Shawn said. “It didn’t take long to find out they were not going to keep their promises. I’d made a bad decision, but I stayed with it for about two years.” Then Shawn reached out to Keith Watkins at McElroy's to see if there was a spot on his growing team of commercial HVAC service techs, now separate from residential. Keith welcomed him back, and Shawn was glad to return to McElroy’s.

Accountable

“Shawn is a good guy. He’s very pleasant, and he always means well,” said Keith. “Customers like Shawn because they know he has their best interests at heart. He’s going to find a way to get their system back up and running. I appreciate that Shawn doesn’t need much help. He always does his best to figure out a challenge before he calls in and asks smart questions. Shawn’s a true team player who holds himself accountable for everything he does.”

Bigger, More Complex

“Commercial HVAC service differs from residential mostly by the scale and variety of equipment. That means more complex challenges, too,” Shawn said. “I work a lot at manufacturing plants, and hospitals. I service giant dehumidifiers, specialized exhaust systems, production-related systems and air handlers that are big enough to walk into. The comfort systems in health care facilities have to work just right so patients and staff have the healthy environment they need. When something quits working, there’s a lot of pressure to get it running again quickly. Sometimes I get creative to come up with a fast short-term solution to meet the immediate need. After that, I’ll do the permanent fix as quickly as I can.”

Go-Getter

“Shawn is a great technician with a lot of knowledge, but more importantly he’s a real go-getter,” said Brent Gordon, a McElroy’s commercial HVAC service supervisor. “I’ve known Shawn since we were both at WTI and were hired by McElroy’s on the same day. Shawn is always on task – keeping busy with focused attention to detail. He’s an overall stand-up guy with a great attitude. Shawn’s teammates and our customers all know that he’s going to do the job right. I’m glad he’s been with us for as long as he has.”

Free Time

In his free time, Shawn keeps active as a softball first baseman. “During the season, I play in a regular league two nights a week. I’m also in a tournament league on the weekends,” Shawn said. Shawn has two sons who he enjoys playing catch with, 19-year-old Michael who is a Washburn University sophomore, and 15-year-old Kylar who will be a sophomore at Topeka High. Shawn is engaged to Heaven Fitzgerald who works for the Kansas Department of Revenue. Her daughter, Kylie is 21 and lives in Overland Park.

Thank You!

“McElroy’s is a great place to work as an HVAC service technician,” Shawn said. “The structure, dispatchers and management make everything flow better. McElroy’s welcomed me back with open arms, and has always done right be me. They’re loyal through and through.” The McElroy’s team is glad that Shawn Brown came back on board. We appreciate his well-established HVAC diagnostic and service skills! We know he’ll always find a way to get our customers’ important heating, air and refrigeration systems up and running again. Thank you for everything you do, Shawn!