Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, Texas – For Cesar Bernal III, earning a degree from South Texas College and finding success in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) industry, means honoring a family legacy while building something greater for the future.
Currently pursuing an associate degree in HVACR, Bernal said he was just 12 years old when he began watching his father turn determination and hard work into a small, but thriving air-conditioning business in Weslaco.
“I saw there was something already built,” Bernal said about his family’s business. “I knew that with the right education and effort, I could help take it to the next level.”
While much of his early work experience involved him performing simple tasks like carrying tools or observing at job sites, Bernal said the experience taught him valuable lessons that would shape his ambitions.
Growing up in that environment not only gave Bernal an early introduction to the technical side of HVACR work, but also some insight into the realities of business.
“When you are 12, most kids want to be playing with friends, but I saw it as a blessing,” Bernal said. “I was exposed to things that some people older than me have never seen.”
His father’s journey was difficult and required persistence, he said. At the time, licensing exams were not offered locally, and he would have to travel to Corpus Christi to complete the process.
His father had to take the licensing exam several times before he passed, but Bernal said he was inspired by his eventual success.
“My dad started his business more than 22 years ago,” Bernal said. “He came to STC and earned his certificate here before going out into the field. After gaining experience and working for companies, he earned his contractor’s license and was able to start his own business…since then he has always been a one-man team. He never gave up and that determination is something I always looked up to.”
With those lessons in mind, Bernal said he enrolled in the HVACR program at STC, initially surprising his father by pursuing the same path that helped launch the family’s business years earlier.
Through his coursework, Bernal said he has discovered new technologies and tools that can make HVACR work more efficient and hopes to bring those innovations back to the family business.
Now set to earn his associate degree this May, Bernal said his long-term vision is expanding the family’s operation beyond a one-person business and build a full team that serves communities across the Valley.
Looking ahead, he hopes to pursue business studies and earn his HVACR contractor’s license while continuing to expand their company.
“Learning about these new tools and techniques here at STC is helping me see how the business can grow,” he said. “My goal is to build a company. I want to have technicians, sales representatives and staff in order to reach customers across our region.”For more information about STC’s Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program, visit www.southtexascollege.edu/academics/hvacr/
