Employee Spotlight! Pete Topalsky
Welcome to the New Year! We're excited to see what 2026 has in store for Abt, our customers and our employees as well. This year we'll be spotlighting some departments you may not know we have, like HVAC, and our HVAC expert Pete Topalsky. First, did you know that Abt has an HVAC department? Pete has been part of it for over seven years, and even helped build the training area where new team members learn everything they can about air conditioners, boilers, mini-splits and more. Before they even climb in an Abt truck, they're training in a space that Pete helped build from the ground up: Abt University.
Starting in HVAC at Abt
When Employee Spotlight Pete Topalsky stands in Abt's HVAC training center at Abt University, it's a tender moment. "I built this table and installed these units," he says in an area he helped bring to life. This is a space that new employees from trade schools now begin in, and it harkens back to when Pete first started here. "I used to see the store every day from I-294 on the way to work at my old job, but I first started here seven and a half years ago in HVAC." He went through the training process, then became a helper alongside an expert as they took calls and visited customer homes, and he learned everything there is to know about HVAC at Abt.
After serving as a helper alongside other HVAC team members, Pete was ready to run his own routes and have his own Abt truck, all so that he could tackle installations, repairs, seasonal maintenance and more. As one of the older veterans on the HVAC team, our Employee Spotlight is the one who's doing a lot of the teaching now.
Out On The Road
As an HVAC technician, Pete doesn't spend much time here at the store. "We leave in the morning to do the installs, then stay as late as we need to until a job is finished. Some installations are multi-day tasks, too. A regular furnace or air conditioner for a single house should be a single-day job." That being said, not every home is the same, and some require more custom work and extra maintenance—and Pete may have to go back out the next day.
With a slow period right after the holidays, this is the right time of year to upgrade or schedule maintenance for your heating system—before it has the potential to break. It's still Chicagoland here, and cold fronts will be coming through for months. Pete suggests that clients be prepared for maintenance and potential replacements. Our advice? Ten years after installation is a good time to look at the health of an HVAC system or HVAC products. If you find out that you'll need to replace a heating issue, you may as well replace your air conditioning at the same time. "Every house is different. Every job is different, and it's not like installing a refrigerator." And that's why you need an expert to install, fix or diagnose issues.
What's New in HVAC?
Abt's HVAC department can handle nearly any task, and Pete notes that "everything we sell, we need to be able to maintain." And we sell a lot, going beyond the classic air conditioner and boiler to more modern choices, like PTAC heat pumps and mini-split systems. These are both fueled by electricity instead of natural gas like some HVAC products, and they're becoming more and more popular. If you've never heard of a heat pump, Pete has a quick run-down. "Heat pumps take heat from outside and push it into your house, doing the opposite of what an air conditioner does, and energy-efficiently." But at this time of year, the most popular thing folks need installed or repaired are boilers.
What Makes Everything Worth It
When we asked Pete what he loves most about his job, he mentioned that his team has some of the hardest-working people he could find. "All the people that work here, everyone is ready to help if you need anything. And each day is a different challenge." Even better, Chicagoland is a huge area, and he loves discovering new towns, neighborhoods, and places every day. "But the main reason is seeing all the happy customers when you install a new furnace or air conditioner, especially if they've had no heat or cooling for a few days." In truth, it's all about helping people, and that's something he can accomplish on a roving HVAC Abt truck.
Lastly, we wanted to know what Pete's favorite memory was of his time here at Abt. It turns out that his best times at Abt are when he's off the clock. "Every time we come to the store, my kids want to come too. They don't want to go shopping anywhere else—just Abt. 'Yay, we're going to Daddy's store!'" And as someone who spends most of his working hours away from his store, it's probably nice to see the latest and greatest products and attractions we've got out on the sales floor. Our Employee Spotlight is a customer sometimes, too, and his family loves having fun at Abt.
Abt Service, For HVAC
The next time you have an HVAC issue, don't forget about Pete and the rest of his team here at Abt. Whether you need help with a new home, repairing an existing system or replacing an older unit, you can come to Abt for help. And the same expectations you'd have of any Abt experience apply—we prioritize service above all, and it's just part of why Pete values helping customers and solving home problems with every job he works on.
