Meeting Bill Wright in 2010: My Wrightsoft Experience

I founded Savoy Engineering Group in 2005, specializing in residential ACCA Manual J load calculations, Manual S equipment selection, and Manual D duct design.

That same year, I attended Wrightsoft training with instructor Alex Meaney. During 2005–2006, I also participated in beta testing Wrightsoft's Right-HV module for small-duct high-velocity systems.

By 2010, Wrightsoft had become an important part of my daily work. I had continued learning the software and using it to prepare residential HVAC calculations and designs for clients.

What I didn't know was that a brief conversation at an HVAC convention would become one of the most memorable experiences of my professional career.

In 2010, my office assistant and I drove from northern Utah to Las Vegas, Nevada, to attend an Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) HVAC convention.

It was a long drive through seemingly endless miles of desert and scrubbrush—not exactly the most scenic trip!

Neither of us was particularly comfortable at conventions, and we definitely felt out of our element. We wandered through row after row of booths displaying equipment and products that were largely outside our expertise. After all, we specialize in HVAC design calculations, not equipment installation.

Then I spotted a Wrightsoft sign!

Finally, something I knew and recognized.

At the booth, I saw Alex Meaney, the Wrightsoft instructor who had provided my first training. We chatted for a few minutes before someone else approached him.

I turned to speak with another gentleman nearby.

I had absolutely no idea that the gentleman I was speaking with was Bill Wright, the founder of Wrightsoft!

I introduced myself and explained that I owned Savoy Engineering Group, a company providing residential Manual J, S, and D services.

When I heard his German accent, our conversation took a more personal turn. I told him about the 15 months I had spent stationed in Germany while serving in the United States Army.

We spoke for perhaps ten minutes. I thanked him for his time and told him how nice it was to meet him.

That was it. I enjoyed our conversation, but I didn't think much more about it afterward.

I certainly had no idea what would happen next.

In the months following the convention, something surprising began happening. Prospective clients started calling Savoy Engineering Group and telling me that Wrightsoft had recommended my company.

I couldn't understand why.

Eventually, during a conversation with Wrightsoft's customer service staff, I learned that Bill Wright had instructed them to recommend Savoy Engineering Group when customers called looking for residential Manual J, S, and D design services.

I was astonished.

My understanding was that Mr. Wright had been particularly impressed to meet the owner of a woman- and veteran-owned company working in this specialized field.

Those recommendations continued for years, through the period leading up to MiTek's acquisition of Wrightsoft in January 2017. I also learned that some competing designers had strongly objected to Wrightsoft recommending my company, but Mr. Wright continued his support.

I had never asked him for referrals. We had simply shared a short conversation about my work and my military service in Germany.

More than 15 years later, I still appreciate what Bill Wright did for me and Savoy Engineering Group.

His software became an important part of my professional career, but his unexpected encouragement and confidence in my small business meant something beyond the software itself.

Sometimes a ten-minute conversation can have an impact that lasts a lifetime.