Meet Clay Runshe, a.k.a. our resident “mad scientist” and Project Sales Representative. Clay brings a unique perspective to his role. His dedication to serviceability, attention to detail, and commitment to customer satisfaction have made him an important member of the VASEY team since joining us in 2016.
Clay’s HVAC journey traces back to the late 1960s when he worked in his father’s HVAC business. From fabricating sheet metal to installing residential HVAC systems and servicing commercial refrigeration systems, Clay honed his skills and gained invaluable insights into the trade. His firsthand experience servicing equipment included encountering poorly designed systems. These design flaws taught him the importance of prioritizing serviceability in his own projects.
Drawing from his own knuckle-cutting, frustrating experiences as a service technician, Clay has cultivated a unique mindset in his approach to design. With an engineering degree from Purdue University, he understands the significance of creating complex systems that are both efficient and easy to service. One of Clay’s philosophies is to empower the service team to become heroes in the eyes of VASEY customers.
A key reason Clay appreciates VASEY – being challenged to solve unique applications and deviating from what a “normal” HVAC company does. Clay is convinced that his success is a direct result of the support he’s received from management, the projects team and service department. A perfect example of going beyond the norm is his custom design and development of HVAC/Clean Rooms for mobile laboratories across the United States.
Clay was raised in Edinburg Indiana, went to Southwestern High School in a class of less than 60 kids! He moved to Indianapolis after graduation with an engineering degree from Purdue and has lived within 10 to 15 miles of I-465 ever since. He and his wife Debbie have two adult children, five grandchildren, and five dogs. In his free time, Clay used to race sailboats and ride horses.
Clay shared a funny story about how he gained the nick name, MacGyver. His daughter and her husband were having a cookout for their grandson’s birthday when her father-in-law turned on the gas barbeque grill. He turned the gas line on too high. The connecting rubber hose melted shut, and the grill no longer worked.
Clay jumped into “MacGyver” mode, cut out the melted section of tubing and used a Bic pen casing to slip both pieces together and reconnect the hose so the grill once again worked. When his daughter’s best friend arrived, his daughter recounted the story in detail. Her friend asked jokingly, “So did he do the MacGyver trick and fix it with a Bic pen?” To which his daughter replied humorously, “Yes! And he did exactly that – using his trusty Bic pen!”
Thanks for all you do, Clay – stretching us to become a better company and more importantly, a better team.
