Before he was old enough to drive, David Gutierrez was already working side-by-side with his dad in the field. HVAC quickly became more than a trade, it became part of who he is.
“My dad was a technician. He had like 40 years in refrigeration until he passed,” David shared. “I started working with him, handling tools at the age of 9. I was really hands-on.” That early exposure shaped the rest of David’s life. Today, he’s passing down that same work ethic and technical curiosity to one of his daughters.
“My youngest daughter changed out a condenser motor at 9 by herself. She would clean up the fan blades, clean up the coils and things like that.” It’s not just the tools she’s picking up, it’s the mindset. David is showing her what it means to be resourceful, independent, and confident in her abilities.
“She’s into interior designing and was really into a rendering I was doing for a building in San Diego. We did, I think, five split systems, and she helped figure out where to place everything. That’s when she told me, ‘I like doing this. I like putting things together,’ and I was like, yeah, that’s how I got started too.”
David is proud to raise strong, independent daughters who are learning that they can take care of themselves. “I’ve always told them, you don’t have to rely on anyone else to take care of things. You’re strong-minded. You can work and build something for yourselves.”
And they’re already doing just that. “They’ve bought themselves concert tickets, clothes, my oldest one bought herself an iPhone. And it’s all from scrap metal, wire, they help me sort whatever and we bring in at the end of the month.”
From Apprentice to Owner
After years of working alongside his dad and attending tech school, David eventually started his own company, GTZ Comfort Solutions, and business has been booming for the last 16 years.
Today, David and his brother take on a wide range of work, from refrigeration and air conditioning to commercial kitchen equipment and new construction projects. Whether it’s a PM in Ontario, a build in San Diego, or a refrigeration emergency in Las Vegas, David’s van is always on the move.
His favorite work lately? New construction. “I’m starting to learn how to do permit planning and all that. You get more involved with the city, inspectors. So I get to network with more people and help build myself. Maybe later down the road I’ll be able to do a complete project by myself. Construction, plumbing, electric, all of it.”
Viper on Every Job
Wherever the job takes him, David’s go-to HVAC products go with him and that means a van full of Viper. “The aerosol, I’m a huge fan. I’ve got empty cans everywhere. I use Big Blu, the ice machine cleaner, my brother uses the condenser cleaner — the yellow bag one.”
He’s been using Viper products for years and still remembers the old-school look. “I’ve used Viper since the old days. I remember the blue label with the white can. Back then, it looked so serious. Now it’s fun, different colors, I like that.”
But his relationship with Viper grew after he started chatting with Becca and Ashley on Instagram and got an invite to a Viper open house in 2024. “Going to your open house, I was super excited. I’ve never been invited to something like that. You guys make it fun, all the videos and stuff are fun to watch.”
Connecting with the HVAC Community
Like a lot of techs, David has spent most of his HVAC career grinding through jobs and moving on to the next. But tapping into the HVACR world on social has opened some new connections.
“It used to just be me and my brother,” he said. “Now, I see people from social media, like Robert p.e.hvac. I met him at the open house, and ran into him again at Johnstone. I never had that kind of connection in the trade before. It’s always good to have somebody for advice, or even just a quick tip,” he said. “I see his (Robert’s) videos, and they’re really helpful.”
Motivation for Younger Techs
When asked about challenges in the trade, David doesn’t hesitate. “The biggest challenge was getting people to trust me at a young age. I had no facial hair, pimples everywhere,” he laughed. “They were like, ‘You know what you’re doing?’”
Whether you’re new to HVAC or just need a reminder to keep pushing, David had this to say, “Don’t be scared. Just go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? Someone tells you no? That just means go somewhere else or find something better.”
David represents what we love about this trade — pride in the work, belief in the next generation, and a whole lot of hustle.