Employee Exclusive: Get to Know Anthony Musso
1. What changes have you seen, going from working for Therma to becoming part of A.O. Reed?
I started with Therma in 2018 as a field foreman in service. Therma had just opened the branch in Lake Forrest, California. I was able to be a part of the growth from two service technicians to the current 32 service technicians and 18 retrofit technicians.
Therma had also grown the construction side, which we did not have in Southern California, with the help of (Director of Construction) Raymond Romaine. In 2019, Therma purchased our current location in Irwindale, California, and with that, our fabrication abilities came to life, led by (Director of Sheet Metal Fabrication) Darrel Shaffer. As a team, we grew together into what we have today.
When I got the news at the end of 2023 that Therma So Cal was rebranding to A.O. Reed, I was nervous and unsure, having spent the past five years building the business and team. Over the last year of being at A.O. Reed, I have learned a lot. I was put into a new position as Director of Service and had large shoes to fill. The transition was rough in the beginning, mainly just because of the unknowns. Over the last year, we have been able to get the support needed for the transition. We have grown together. We are A.O. Reed LA!
2. How has your experience as a service technician and foreman prepared you for your current role?
I feel that my experiences as a service technician and then foreman in the field prepared me to understand the needs of the business. I know what it takes to complete most tasks the field technicians are facing on a day-to-day basis. With that, I can help organize the field technicians, and I feel I have a better understanding of how to work with the field and operations.
The knowledge I have from the field helps with dispatching technicians and giving some insight into how the techs may be feeling when given an assignment. I try to help our admin team as much as possible. We have a great administrative team here; most have been with us for many years and have lots of experience with our business. I work closely with the sales team and help with service contracts and projects. I give input on hours and tasking when needed. They have all helped me become the leader I am today.
When I was in the field, I always looked at the service managers and thought, “I can do that and do it better!” Once I became a service manager, it was not anything like I thought it to be. For one, it is much harder! But with time and having great people surrounding me, together we were able to make our service department a desired place to work. This could not have been achieved without the entire team. I am grateful to all the people I get to work with every day.
3. With all there is to do in Southern California, what are your hobbies or interests outside of work?
I have been married for 19 years and have four kids—two boys and two girls, aged from 16 to 5. So, my biggest interest is my family. They have always helped me be a better person. All the work I put in is for them. My oldest son is a varsity baseball player in his junior year of high school. As a family, we spend most of our free time at the baseball field watching him accomplish his dreams. He has the aspiration to become a pro baseball player or a chiller mechanic (with the help of his dad). My other kids do stuff, too, but right now it’s baseball. Anyone reading this who knows me knows how much baseball we have.
4. What do you like most about working for the Legence family?
The people! I have never worked for a company in my 19 years of being in the trade that has a group of people as great as this. From our top leadership down to our tradesmen we have one of the best groups of individuals I’ve ever seen. The teamwork and collaboration across the country is amazing.
5. What types of exciting things are you working on at A.O. Reed?
Right now, my focus is on the business and continuously growing our service department, putting the right people in the right positions. We have an amazing sales team that continues to put our customers first and support our field team with new maintenance contracts and projects. We wouldn’t be successful without our Ops team. The Ops team works hard to keep the field busy, whether it is dispatching the field team or inputting the data needed for our contracts, and they make the service team flow.
When I was a field technician, seeing the interactions of the Ops and field, I always got the feeling of “us versus them.” I never want that to be the feeling at A.O. Reed or Legence. We work hard as a team to not create that feeling. It takes the entire team's collaboration to make it all work and work well.
