Last year, Oslin Nation Company (ONCO) hosted expert trainer Mike Licastro from Bell & Gossett (B&G) to have a special “on the road” version of B&G’s Little Red Schoolhouse. The Little Red Schoolhouse is an in-depth training session on hydronic systems, their components, and the ways to improve efficiency and reliability. Usually it is held at B&G’s training facility in Chicago, but ONCO arranged to have three one-day sessions in Texas for our partners, customers, and friends.

While there have been other versions of the Little Red Schoolhouse around the country, ONCO broke the record and achieved the largest attendance at a single event in the history of the training. The goal was to reach as many of our partners across the great state of Texas as possible, so three sessions were held: Austin/San Antonio area, Houston, and finishing off in Dallas/Fort Worth. All three events were held in movie theatres, allowing for everyone to see and hear the presentation, all while munching on popcorn in recliner seats.

These outside versions of the training are very beneficial to companies that cannot spare the time to send their employees to Chicago for an extended training. With topics ranging from variable speed pumping and pump selection fundamentals to basic air management for closed loop systems, our attendees were well-instructed and given tools to be more effective in their field.

While trainings like this typically come at a very high price, registrants were only charged $50 to attend, and all of the money collected was donated to the research funds of their ASHRAE chapter of choice. Here is a breakdown of what was contributed as a result of the event:

Alamo Chapter – $2600.00
Austin Chapter – $3600.00
Corpus Christi Chapter – $200.00
Dallas Chapter – $6200.00
Fort Worth Chapter – $1500.00
Houston Chapter – $5550.00
Tyler Chapter – $350.00

ONCO’s sales and applications teams worked diligently to get the word out about the benefits of the LRSH, and their hard work paid off in the form of record-breaking attendance and enthusiastic feedback from attendees. With over packed houses at all three sessions, the event far exceeded the original expectations.

Impact on Participants and the Industry The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Many attendees noted that the convenience of having such a high-caliber training close to home was invaluable. “We’ve sent people to Chicago before, but having it locally allowed us to involve more of our team,” said one participant from Houston. Others appreciated the real-world experience from the trainer and the hands-on approach to complex topics like pump selection and air management. These are technical areas that often go underexplored in more general training sessions.

The ONCO team, along with Mike Licastro, ensured that each session was tailored to the audience’s needs, making the material highly applicable to real-world scenarios. Attendees left with practical knowledge they could immediately implement in their daily operations, which helped boost the efficiency and performance of their systems.

Looking Ahead One year later, the success of the event continues to reverberate. Many companies have reported they were able to implement many of the concepts presented and have even asked if ONCO was planning on doing anything like it again.

A Legacy of Learning and Giving Not only did the event foster professional growth, but it also supported local ASHRAE chapters in their research and development efforts. The contributions from attendees were instrumental in funding local projects aimed at advancing sustainable and efficient HVAC technologies, furthering the industry’s development.

ONCO’s partnership with B&G and Mike Licastro has proven to be a huge success, both in terms of education and community impact. The overwhelming response from the Texas sessions demonstrated the hunger for accessible, high-quality training in the hydronic systems space. As ONCO looks to the future, it’s clear that events like these are not just about breaking attendance records—they’re about building stronger, more informed communities in the HVAC industry.