The power of proactive service: meet Zachary

Summer was winding down at a state university in South Carolina. Thousands of students were preparing to return to campus. Lecture halls would soon fill up. Across campus, the chillers responsible for keeping buildings cool were about to face peak demand.

To help ensure the campus was ready for the busy months ahead, Zachary Salazar, a Chiller Mechanic and one of more than 50,000 Johnson Controls frontline experts, carried out a routine check. He paid particular attention to vibration data from one of the campus' York chilled water pumps and, based on the results, scheduled predictive service during the quieter summer period. The work happened on his terms: planned, controlled and completed ahead of increased demand.

With students soon returning to campus, Zachary helped support reliable operations before one of the university's busiest times of the year.

Over nearly seven years with Johnson Controls, Zachary has learned that some of the most valuable work happens through routine service and maintenance. Whether he's working at a university campus, a healthcare facility or a pharmaceutical manufacturer, the goal remains the same: help customers avoid unexpected downtime.

Small details, big impact

That proactive approach proved valuable once again during a visit to another customer. This time, a pharmaceutical manufacturer. While collecting routine temperature and pressure readings on a chiller, Zachary noticed that operating conditions were outside the expected range. In a facility where the production process depends on chilled water, minimizing downtime is critical.

In the end, the cause turned out to be surprisingly simple. It was nothing more than a valve that required an adjustment. So, Zachary corrected the setting, secured it in place and restored normal operation. No repair or equipment replacement required, just an experienced technician who knew what to look for.

The university and pharmaceutical manufacturer may have faced different challenges, but the outcome was the same. In both cases, proactive service helped keep operations running smoothly. For Zachary, that's what the job is all about: identifying maintenance needs early and helping customers stay ahead of them.

"Chillers are very critical pieces of equipment to buildings, kind of like the heart of the HVAC systems or process manufacturing. That’s why customers really care about having experienced chiller mechanics they can rely on. In mission-critical industries, downtime is not an option," Zachary said.

Q&A with Zachary

Who do you support and in which industries?

“As a chiller mechanic, I work with all types of industries that use chilled water for either process or comfort cooling. Hospitals, universities, manufacturing plants, pharmaceutical facilities, commercial buildings and data centers coming to the area.”

What does your typical day at work look like?

“It changes day to day. I’m either responding to service calls or carrying out maintenance to minimize downtime and keep chillers running efficiently.”

If you could relive one day at Johnson Controls, which day would you choose?

“Any day I can successfully resolve an issue for a customer is a good day!”

No two days look exactly the same for Zachary. However, his goal remains constant: minimize downtime, maximize uptime and keep customers’ operations running smoothly. Zachary is one of thousands of Johnson Controls field experts who deliver that kind of reliability every day, prioritizing uptime where it really matters.