ABOUT ME

ABOUT ME

I didn’t grow up planning a career in HVAC.
I grew up learning how to work.

I’m from Medina, New York—a small town outside of Buffalo where you learn early that nothing is handed to you and everything is earned. In 1990, I packed up my car alone and moved to South Florida, and within months of landing in the Boca Raton area, my life changed in away I never could’ve planned.

A childhood friend—who had moved south years earlier—was working in HVAC as a maintenance tech. One random day we reconnected, caught up, and he said something simple that changed everything: “You should talk to my boss. He might need a helper.”

So I did.

And yes—I started exactly where most people don’t brag about starting:
as a helper, slinging pookie on ductwork, cleaning up job sites, running parts, and doing whatever needed to be done. For six months, I was everybody’s go-to “do boy.” I didn’t complain. I watched. I listened. I absorbed everything. I knew if I stuck with the trade, it would pay off.

After six months, the owner started letting me run PM calls. From there, I began teaching myself diagnostics in the field, the hard way—without formal tech training to lean on. Summers were brutal. Techs were overloaded. Calls ran late into the evening. I was thrown into service simply because there was no one else. I learned through trial, error, and responsibility. Some calls went great. Others didn’t. Every one of them made me better.

Eventually, an opportunity came up to attend a four-year night tech program. Three nights a week. 6PM–10PM. No shortcuts. In 1996, I graduated from North Tech in Riviera Beach, Florida—and immediately took the next step when my fourth-year instructor offered me a role at his company, a commercial refrigeration contractor.

I spent nearly four years there sharpening my skills, until 1999, when I made one of the biggest decisions of my life:

I went after my Florida HVAC license.

I passed in October of 1999, left my job, and started my own company.

For the next 18 years, I lived every side of contracting—growth, recessions, wins, losses, stress, pride, payroll, late nights, and hard conversations. At our peak, I led a team of nearly 30 hardworking men and women. We survived downturns. We celebrated big wins. We earned everything.

In 2017, my wife and I made the decision to sell the company and move to the manufacturing side of the industry. I joined Trane Technologies (Ingersoll Rand at the time) as an Account Manager, where I spent five years helping contractors grow profitable, sustainable businesses. In fact, after selling the family business, we ALL went to work for Trane. See article below. My background as a contractor wasn’t theory, it was lived experience, and dealers trusted that.

Trane Technologies- Get to Know the Castricone's.

From there, I stepped outside my comfort zone into sales leadership for a smart controls manufacturer, expanding my view far beyond South Florida. Eventually, I took on the role of SVP for a smart condensate management company, helping the business grow at a national level.

Today, I have 35 years in HVAC—as a helper, technician, business owner, manufacturer rep, sales leader, and executive. I’ve seen this industry through every lens.

And one thing has never changed.

People in HVAC want to collaborate.
They want to share ideas.
They want a trusted place for news, real reviews, straight advice, and honest conversations.

That place hasn’t existed—until now.

I built HVAC Mafia for the techs, contractors, CSRs, owners, and operators who keep this industry moving. No fluff. No corporate spin. Just a real platform, built by someone who’s lived it, for people who live it every day.

Personal & Legacy

At the end of the day, everything I do comes back to family and the trade that made our life possible.

My wife Jennifer and I have three children and one grandchild, and HVAC isn’t just my profession, it’s woven into our family. Jennifer works in the industry alongside me, and our oldest child has followed us into the trade, continuing a path built on hard work, accountability, and pride. We’ve lived long hours, the tough seasons, and the big wins together. HVAC didn’t just support our family, it shaped it.

That’s why I take this industry personally.

After 35 years in HVAC, I can honestly say this trade gave me everything I have. It taught me responsibility when I was young, resilience when times were hard, and leadership when others depended on me. From helper to technician, owner to executive, HVAC has been the constant thread through every chapter of my life.

HVAC Mafia is my way of giving back.

It’s built for the people who are in the trucks, on the rooftops, behind the desks, and on the phones—doing the work that keeps the world comfortable. It’s a place to share real experience, protect the integrity of the trade, and help the next generation see what’s possible when you commit to the craft.

This is my legacy.
Passing on a great trade the right way.
Leaving the industry better than I found it.
Building something that outlives me.

If HVAC runs in your blood, you’re already family.

HVAC Mafia.
Built by the trade.
Built for the next generation.