Kao Saephanh: Adventures in HVAC
By James Florence, Diamond Certified Resource Reporter
ELK GROVE — Following high school, Kao Saephanh decided to jump headfirst into a wholly unfamiliar industry. While it was a little scary at first, he soon learned to embrace the adventure. “After high school, I decided to skip community college and go to trade school,” he recounts. “Initially, I wanted to become an auto mechanic, but the sales rep talked me into HVAC. He told me that HVAC techs got to travel to different cities and work in all sorts of different places rather than being stuck inside a garage all day. What he didn’t tell me was they also worked in 120-degree attics and crawl spaces, where there were spiders and dead animals! So, that took some getting used to.”
Hot attics and creepy crawl spaces aside, Kao is happy to report that his vocational venture paid off. “It worked out really well,” he affirms. “Following trade school, I was hired at a local HVAC company, where I added hands-on experience to the knowledge I’d acquired in the classroom. After working for a couple of companies over a five-year span, I decided to branch out and start my own business.”
Today, as owner of Climate Solutions, Kao says his favorite part of his job is the aspect that initially attracted him to the HVAC industry. “My favorite part is the traveling. One day I’m working in Sacramento, the next I might be in El Dorado Hills or San Jose. I also travel to different states for industry training. I really enjoy being on the move, seeing new places and meeting new people.”
A resident of Sacramento, Kao spends most of his time outside of work engaged in his favorite pastime. “My main hobby is fishing, and I do a lot of it,” he says. “Ocean fishing, river fishing, lake fishing…you name it. I have a small fishing boat that I take out most weekends. Ocean fishing is probably my favorite because you never know what you’re going to see out there. I’ve seen orcas, humpback whales and dolphins. I’ve also caught some really interesting things!”
Regarding a professional philosophy, Kao espouses the value of honesty and integrity. “My main philosophy is to always do right by people,” he explains. “Don’t try to do anything shady or hide anything, because everything that’s hidden eventually comes out anyway. At the end of the day, I want to be able to sleep at night. That’s how I like to live my life and run my business, and it has worked out great so far.”
When asked what he would do if he were to retire tomorrow, Kao says he’d become a full-time fisherman. “If I had the money for it, I would buy a really big fishing boat, park it in the Berkeley Marina and go fishing every day. I might just live on the boat.”
Ask Me Anything!
Q: What’s the craziest thing you’ve caught while fishing?
A: It’s a tie between an eight-foot-long sailfish and a five-foot-long barracuda.
Q: Are you an early bird or a night owl?
A: Both—I wake up early and stay up late.
Q: What’s your favorite local restaurant?
A: Miso Japanese Restaurant in Sacramento.
Q: Do you collect anything?
A: I collect fishing lures.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: Japan.
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