Eric E. Johnson, Licensed Journeyman HVAC/R Technician, AAS

I am a native of California and embarked on a Naval career in 2000. That move instilled a very strong work ethic and started the interest in mechanics and refrigeration. I was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Everett, Washington, where I attended air conditioning and refrigeration school through Naval station San Diego A/C & R program and obtained my CFC license.

After 6 years in the Navy, I enrolled in college for 18 months and earned my Associate of Arts degree from North Seattle Community College. But missing the mechanical field, I then enrolled and was accepted into a 5-year HVAC/R apprenticeship program with Local 32 Plumbers and Pipefitters union in Renton Washington. Upon graduating and earning my Journeyman license, I also received another Associate of Applied Sciences degree with Renton Tech College, additionally my Washington state 06 Electrical certification, and the city of Seattle Boiler, gas piping and refrigeration licenses.

For 10 years, I worked for McKinstry Co. and PSR Mechanical, taking care of a host of different HVAC/R equipment, all over the Puget Sound region, including maintaining equipment here at the Western Fisheries Research Center.

In 2017, a life change brought my career up to Naval station Whidbey Island for 4 years where I was part of a critical environments crew taking care of all the flight simulator and radar cooling equipment, along with personnel comfort heating and cooling.

After a brief time with Woodland Park Zoo, I made my way back to the Western Fisheries Research Center, where my experience, knowledge and work ethic will be a great addition to the USGS.