Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesus M Feliciano.
Hi Jesus M, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I first started on the Food Equipment Service Trade as a welder. I was offered a job to work as a stainless steel welder and get the chance to learn about service and repair of commercial kitchen equipment. A year later I became a member of another company named KRS in NYC. Here I went from a tech to a field service manger by the time I left six years later. During that transition I worked with Day and Nite as a senior tech and moved to the state of Florida with the hope of escalating on the hierarchy ranks. Unfortunately I saw and experience things done that I could not have been part of. I went on and got hired as a senior tech by GARS and here is where I transition from a tech to service manager and then branch manager. Unfortunately during the course of the Corona Virus and due to in house conflict I tried to avoid, I had no choice but to leave the company I so loved and cared about. This is when I started Innovative Technical Service One.
I started the company more out of desperation than with a business plan. I partnered with a guy that had a great chain connection but who at the end ran off with all our hard earned money. I knew that one day God would come for him so I restarted with nothing but skills. By this time I was well versed in Refrigeration and HVAC thanks to the guys on GARS. So I started doing straight service until I had a decent cash flow to get parts and better tools.
It has been 5 years and although they have had their ups and downs, God gave me the grace of making it work. We are a company that focus on commercial kitchen equipment, HVAC, Refrigeration and Gas Appliances of all denominations. We have a 7 people staff. Six vans and a goal to grow and spread to different areas. We have worked from commercial new constructions to servicing Hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets. Our tech go through extensive training and constant testing. We train them under CFESA, NCI, NATE, ACCA, NFPA and other institutes like Cruz Institute in Kissimmee Fl.
We may not be as known as other company but our reputation have been remarkably good. Granted we to make mistakes to which we give face to and do all we can to learn from as we make it better. I must say that this journey have thought me so much and also that I still have so much more to learn.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have had many challenges including the one I call “ the E-Myth” syndrome. As I grow on this new area of entrepreneurship I have come across many books that have help us grow. But none like the E-Myth By Michael Gerber. I really thought this book was talking directly about me. Of my lack of Business knowledge and how my kindness was destroying what I was working so hard to build.
Some of the major challenges I face have been continue cashflow. Increase of overheads and random business direction. Mind you I am a good tech with great skills but new to being a boss with many hats and responsibilities. Nevertheless we have been analyzing and implementing new Venus that may help us over come these obstacles. That is without being overly expensive to the average consumer.
Another challenge I faced was self confidence. As a new entrepreneur it’s tricky to truly jump blindly to the many hats that must be met in this field. And some of them may deal with Human Resources and other aspect of employment that we as technicians were not accustomed to. So as I dived in I had many doubts on my own abilities and the challenges that inward undertaking. Jobs were foreseen as too big or risky, techs were too much of a challenge to train, bills were rapidly sticking up and the list at that time went on. My wife Olga and I had many discussions as to the rout the company should take. We even discussed many time closing it. However I was persistent and as a child was thought that the only limit in life to over come is yourself. This I pushed on and with the help of other leaders in the same industry and their guidance I overcame the third and fourth year.
Today we find ourselves in an upscale with some little kinks to fix but with a brighter future.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Innovative Technical Service One LLC?
The name of the business came from various sources and meanings. For one the name Innovative; I never wanted to be like any other company. I wanted to bring professional service with a new look and approach. One that screams “we are fresh, we are up to date, we are the next generation.” So we took various companies approaches and marketing strategist and innovated their ideas and concepts until we found one that suited us properly. One that said these guys are a new approach of experienced technicians revolving the industry. Hence the name Innovative Technical Services. The One is our outlining that only we do what we do the way we do it. So the birth of our slogan, “ITS 1 for a reason.”
Because we dedicated to separate ourselves from other companies, we decided to worked not only in residential AC but on every kind of Air Conditioning system there is. We even worked on some units that blew our minds off when we first touched it. We worked with refrigeration rack systems both standard and parallel. We worked with ventilation systems like Accurex and CaptiveAire units. We worked with all sort of low voltage communication systems. We went as far as to learn about water heater system and steam generators for cooking equipments. We worked with every single commercial cooking equipment and some robotic units like the MIKE Machine, and automated fryers. We worked with all sort of pizza ovens. We do installation of all these equipment as well. We worked on walk in coolers and freezers. From installation to removals and repairs. We are very versatile to the point that the techs that come to work for ITS1 become a rare and unique species. These are some of the aspects that set us apart.
My proudest moment is when our clients praise us for the hard work we have done. Nothing fill us the way that does. Seeing their faces lit up as they test their equipment. Sensing that atmosphere of great satisfaction. That is what we all strive for. For ITS1 is not just about the money, it’s about this. About doing a great job and being able to come home and relax.
We even accept our bad. Without our mistakes we cannot find room to improve. So as valuable that success is, so are the failures we encounter. This is the very essence I teach my guys. We are constantly learning new technologies and techniques that help us improve the way we service your equipments. As time goes and techs grow in ITS1 they too undergo training on all the equipments we encounter. They even have the chance to become CFESA, NATE, and NCI certified techs. There are no limits to how far I will go in order to create a unique team.
Do know that if we are ever at one of your restaurants, buildings or establishments we will treat the place as our own. We will not overlook any single detail that will scream failure. We will bring you a service seldomly seen now days.
We care for our partners and clients. We go out of our ways to get the job done right and safely.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
There are many apps that I mandate technicians to have on their phones. From PT charts to Industrial apps. Apps such as the Copeland, Tecumseh and Embraco apps. All sort of measuring and help apps. I even encourage the techs to ask AI if they are ever stuck in a job. That’s one of our secrets. Lol. The information out there that help us become greater at what we do is something that is “innovative” and that is us.
Books I recommend are pretty much any book about refrigeration systems and cooking equipments. For new entrepreneurs I recommend all Michael Gerber books as well as traction and the psychology of Business.
Do not limit yourselves if success is your main goal. Allow no one to tell you this cannot be done. Those limitations are the root digging deep towards failure.
Pricing:
- Our pricing is competitive and set for everyone’s budget.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.its1.xyz
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/its_1llc
- LinkedIn: https://LinkedIn.com/in/jesus-feliciano-270a4048
- Other: https://TikTok.com/@its1llc
Image Credits
All credits goes to the ITS1 team and their affiliates
Olga Putuntica CFO
Antonio Cruz Certificate Holder and Adviser
Juan Molina Project Manager and Adviser
Ariel Perez Field Supervisor
Fabian Laperal Hotside/Coldside Technician
Billy Cuevas HVAC Technician
Dagoberto Leon Junior Technician, Installer
Jorge Frometa Trainee/helper
Angel Rivera Junior Technician
