Building a Career with Goals and Grit

At our company, everyone gets an opportunity to dream big and thrive at work and home. With career growth supported through learning and development resources, we pave the way so that our people can boldly go.

Rob Seamann went straight into the U.S. Army after graduating from high school. After serving - and with a wife and two kids in tow - he had a goal to establish a steady career. At the time, his mother was working for Thermo King, a Trane Technologies business, which had a strong reputation in his community. She spoke highly about the company, and her passion sparked his interest. There was a job opening in manufacturing, a field that Rob believed offered stability, solid pay, and good benefits to help support a family. He applied and was hired as a crater, an assembly team member who puts finished products into wooden crates to be shipped to a customer. It was his entry into a long career in manufacturing.

Working his way to the top

After working as a crater, Rob joined the production line as an assembler, then moved to the Powder Coating department. It was here that he developed an interest in advancing his career in manufacturing. Using veteran benefits offered through the GI Bill for training in heating and air conditioning, Rob earned his associate degree, leading to new opportunities in the painting and testing departments.

Another door opened when he accepted a position as a team leader, prompting him to enroll in the company’s Team Leader Development Program to grow his leadership skills.

“The Leader Development Program was where I finally discovered my niche to pursue a supervisor position. I never dreamed that I would pursue a supervisor role, but the program made me want more for myself,” shared Rob. “Becoming a supervisor became a dream of mine.”

Rob took advantage of the company’s Tuition Reimbursement Program to go back to school and get the skills and qualifications needed to become a supervisor. Trane Technologies partnered with a local university, which allowed him to transfer credits from his associate degree and complete an 18-month accelerated program to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration.