ACR Journal

ACR industry June | July 2020 30 Volume 6 No.4 WOMEN IN ACR In this issue we meet Carley Fountain, Company Secretary at Castle Climate Control in Northampton. What was your first job? My very first job was a waitress in a local pub, which proved to be the start of a chain of events which lead to my position now. As an enthusiastic 16-year- old I walked in and asked for a job. I started at the bottom and worked my way up during my six years of employment to assistant manager. It was at the very beginning of my working life that I developed a number of essential transferable skills such as customer services, team management, stock management and organisational skills which have proved vital in my current day to day working life. What does your current role involve? My role is very versatile, as I need to adapt to the day-to-day needs of the small, family-run business. From all behind the scenes duties such as all aspects of the accounts, sourcing suppliers, recruiting new sta and managing all media pages to being the face of the business by attending networking meetings, corporate events and meeting new customers. Part of my job involves dealing with new enquiries, particularly domestic service and maintenance for air source heat pumps. We often have new customers who haven’t had a service on their heating system and require follow-up visits for repairs. Therefore I’m required to source the best price for the part/s required and liaise with the customer to ensure they have no downtime with their heating and hot water. What attracted you to the industry? I fell into the industry really! Working in a pub as a waitress and barmaid meant that I met a number of dierent people. It was from there I met a local business owner who oered me a job within the maintenance department seven years ago. I learnt a lot from my role and developed a good knowledge of air conditioning and air source heat pump systems. I helped run a team of up to eight engineers and organising their daily visits, following up recommendations and liaising with suppliers to get quotes for repairs. I enjoyed the variety of the job and was really keen to further my knowledge and understanding of the industry. During this employment I went on to meet my now husband, Karl, and in 2015 we made the decision to set up our own business. Karl has many years’ experience installing air conditioning from small splits to large VRF systems and over 10 years’ experience installing and maintaining heat pumps. His vast knowledge and hands-on skills and ability to adapt and move with the times complements my administration and business management skills. What excites/interests you about the industry? I like that it quickly evolves. Manufacturers are always developing new systems and materials which are not only better for the environment but