Meet Joanna

We recently connected with Joanna and have shared our conversation below.

Joanna, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.

It comes from having a love to help people. I remember a time before starting my first job at 16 and walking into a check cashing store with my mother and asking the clerk a question and being dismissed. She rushed through the transaction and made us feel as if we were “bothering” her. My first thought was she had a bad day but then learned from other friends and family that clerk always has the wrong attitude. I told myself that day I will be the complete opposite when I start my first job. That feeling of someone not wanting to help you never felt good.

The following week we returned to the store and went to a different clerk this time and immediately was greeted in a happy tone she asked us how our day is going. She answered all our questions. From that young age I felt the difference how a minor gesture of generosity felt and how the opposite made me feel. I always wanted to be like the second clerk who took the time to answer all our questions and just being kind.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I work for a heating energy company (Energo). I started December of 2022 as manager of Inspections and violations department then quickly promoted to Director of Inspections and compliance. Our team oversees and handles annual DOB boiler inspections, DEP boiler registrations, DEC Petroleum Bulk storage renewals, DEP Backflow testing, Local Law 152 gas piping inspections. We assist with resolving boiler/tank violations with the various city agencies (DOB, DEP, DEC, FDNY).

Prior to Energo I was at Petro another heating oil company and started there in 2007 and was there for about 15 years. My career started as a customer service representative at a fast-paced high call center environment. It’s basically where I really learned about the heating industry. We took all kinds of calls from emergency service request like no heat no hot water to taking fuel oil delivery orders and service contracts, setting up Maintenace calls like burner tune-ups and cleanings etc. I transitioned into compliance at Petro when the rep who was that position for over 20 years left. There was no one available after she left that knew about compliance she only had two weeks to train. I basically took on the role and learned while on the job. And that’s when I fell in love with compliance. I learned so much about DOB building codes, DEP boiler safety emissions. Most importantly I learned how crucial complying with city codes is to the safety of a building.

I learned about Energo in late 2022 through a previous co-worker. At the time I didn’t know much about the company, but I quickly did some research and then scheduled a call with Gus who is the current Senior Vice President at Energo. He explained to me they are looking to expand the compliance department at Energo and are looking for someone to oversee it, manage it, grow it. He was very passionate on the call, and that immediately grabbed my attention. I love helping people I love compliance like really love it especially knowing it keeps buildings safe. Which is why it’s important I join the right company who shares my passion for it. Who truly understands the vision and what it takes to grow compliance. A company that cares about its customers like me and that’s exactly the impression I got from Gus from a 30-minute phone call. I scheduled another in-person interview with Gus and ended joining Energo that exact day. I have been here since and it was honestly the best decision I ever made in my life. The culture here is what I love best the passion for working and helping people. Jerry the President and CEO works just as hard if not harder than anyone here. Gus stays late at the office almost every day we became best buddies my first year because I also stayed late working 12 hours a day some nights. Besides the work ethic and passion though what I love the best is how fair Energo is their customers. We don’t look at customers as numbers on a spreadsheet we really do treat them as individuals. We answer their emails late at night, answer their phone calls on the first rings at times. The customers feel like they are seen and the time and attention they are given almost makes them feel as if Energo is an extension of their building.

Where Energo shines is also the ability to adapt to new Local Laws. We have a separate compliance that handles LL97, 87, 84, 88. We have in-house engineers, electricians, ac mechanics which allows us to handle projects turnkey. From the actual physical/field work involved to the paperwork/filing.

What we are excited about now is growing the brand Energo and its various services which includes compliance. I want our team to handle the highest number in NYC of Local law 152 inspections, DEP backflow testing, annual boiler inspections, DEP boiler registrations. We have the team to execute and the passion to execute this.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

For sure having great customer service skills. I honed or developed that skill when I started at a call center environment but even prior to that I worked at a check cashing store for a year where I had to deal with clients in person. These two roles helped me and developed listening skills. Sometimes we think we are listening, but we really aren’t, Listening closely will help tremendously to solve any problem. Customer service will also help your communication skills, speaking clearly. You also learn how to have more patience especially when dealing with an irate customer.

To me this is the number one skill to attain if you want to have a long career. I feel like anything else you can learn if you study or train for it long enough for it. But having strong customer service skills should be number one.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

Almost anyone is an ideal client because the building will have to comply with at least one or multiple inspection requirements. The only exception is one- or two-family homes.

To be more specific below I listed which buildings have to comply with each inspection:

Annual DOB boiler inspections – (Six or dwelling units, commercial buildings, mixed-use, Single room occupancy (SRO).

DEP boiler registrations – Heating boilers with an input of 350,000 BTU’s and above.

DEC Petroleum Bulk storage – Oil tanks with a capacity of 1,101 and above.

Local Law 152 gas piping inspections – All properties except one- and two-family homes and other buildings classified in occupancy group R-3.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://energo.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/energo-co