EcoPump Launches Arkansas’s First Minority-Owned HVAC Apprenticeship
EcoPump HVAC LLC co-owners Kelly Hollis, Jr., and Joel Pumphrey with the business’s first cohort of apprentices.
On May 13, 2025, EcoPump HVAC, a member of Arkansas Advanced Energy Association and employer partner with Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation, welcomed its first cohort of Controls/Instrumentation apprentices. The first minority-owned business to implement an HVAC/Building Controls apprenticeship in Arkansas, EcoPump is unique in its overall purpose and commitment and has invested more than $46,000 in its apprentices’ success.
Why wait until they breakdown?
I’m talking about the relationship between preventive maintenance to keep units working before a breakdown as well as saving our youth who don’t have traditional plans for college. If we introduced skilled trades to them before and around graduation from high school we can save them before they breakdown in hopelessness with a rewarding career that benefits our entire community.
- Kelly Hollis, Jr., co-founder of EcoPump HVAC
Co-owners Kelly Hollis, Jr., and Joel Pumphrey may be in the business of HVAC, but their purpose is to change lives. Because they believe this work gave them purpose and economic success, they want to help others facing barriers to economic advancement through a skilled trade, quality job, and opportunity to own their own business in the future. EcoPump HVAC invested $11,600 in each of the four apprentices in hopes that they would gain the knowledge and skills to find lasting careers in the industry.
AAEF educated EcoPump on workforce development models to meet their hiring needs, provided connections to training options, facilitated funding MOU’s with OSD and others, connected their apprentices to financial assistance to ensure program completion, and helped them utilize Apprenticely to provide sponsorship and project management for their apprenticeship.
“EcoPump may be in the HVAC business, but their mission goes far beyond that—and we’re proud to stand beside them,” said April Ambrose, Director of Workforce Development. “As an AAEF Employer Partner, EcoPump is building more than an apprenticeship program; they’re creating a pathway to purpose, ownership, and opportunity for Arkansans who need it most. We’re honored to support their journey, from shaping the program model to securing the partnerships and resources needed to bring it to life. This is exactly the kind of impact SkillStream was designed for.”
Energy or energy-adjacent businesses that are interested in starting an apprenticeship program: AAEF can help with our one-of-a-kind SkillStream workforce model. For information on implementation opportunities, please reach out to April Ambrose, Director of Workforce Development for the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation, at workforce@arkansasadvancedenergy.com or 501.733.9996.
About EcoPump HVAC
EcoPump HVAC, we're dedicated to environmental stewardship and indoor comfort. With HVAC Class Licensing, Unlimited Contractor Licensing, and NACA Homebuyer Certification, we ensure top-quality service.Our president, Kelly Hollis Jr., is part of Southern Bancorp Community Partners' Minority Business Empowerment Program.