An Unexpected Beginning
I didn’t grow up wanting to be in HVAC. There was no family connection to the trades and no long-term plan. I got hired.
I was 19 years old when a local HVAC company in my hometown brought me on as a CSR II. I remember being genuinely excited just to have a desk job and a nine-to-five. There was a CSR I ahead of me, so I knew exactly where I stood, right at the bottom. But I didn’t see that as a bad thing. I saw it as a place to start. That job wasn’t supposed to turn into a career. It just did.
Learning the Business From the Inside
The company I started with was AirTime 500 trained, which was a big deal at the time. Everything was structured. We answered the phones a certain way. We spoke to customers a certain way. There were scripts, processes, and expectations. It made things clear. If you followed the system, you could succeed.
One of my main responsibilities was selling maintenance memberships over the phone. We were paid $10 for every one we sold, and I took that seriously. I sold a lot of them, enough to pad my paycheck by a few hundred dollars a week and land on national leaderboards for CSR sales.
That experience taught me something early on: HVAC isn’t just equipment. It’s systems, people, and process. And if you learn how those pieces fit together, there’s room to grow.
Taking the Long Way Through the Industry
My entire career has been in HVAC. I didn’t jump industries, I explored this one.
Over the years, I worked my way through almost every role a contractor can have: sales manager, install manager, construction manager, general manager, operations manager. I didn’t rush past any of them. Each role taught me something different, and each one made the next step make more sense.
What surprised me most was how many doors this industry actually has. You don’t have to touch tools to build a meaningful career in HVAC. You can move into operations, leadership, sales, training, strategy. I didn’t know that when I started, and I wish more people, especially women, understood just how much opportunity exists here.
Today, I work for Ferguson at the corporate level as the head of Connected and Indoor Air Quality. My role is national. I help contractors, territory managers, and leadership teams understand how to bring connected solutions and IAQ into their everyday business strategy in a way that actually works.
When Being Good Can Hold You Back
One of the biggest challenges I ran into wasn’t failure, it was success.
When you’re good at your job, companies don’t want you to leave that role. And I always wanted more. I’m a climber. I want to learn, grow, and take on new challenges. But more than once, I hit a ceiling simply because I was effective where I was.
In smaller companies especially, that ceiling comes fast. One shop had 30 employees. The next had 60. Bigger companies gave me more opportunity, but even then, I eventually had to move again to keep growing.
I found my fastest growth at Ferguson. The size of the organization meant there were paths forward instead of walls. I started as a territory manager in Southern California, rolled out new product lines, and built strong contractor relationships. I won multiple awards, including the President’s Club, Million Dollar Club, and Top Sales Growth.
Sometimes growth means changing companies, not because something’s wrong, but because you’re not done yet.
Learning to Lead Without Knowing Everything
My favorite role I ever held was general manager.
What I loved about it was that I had to manage managers who ran departments I hadn’t personally lived in. That forced me to ask questions instead of pretending I knew everything. I spent time understanding how each department measured success and why decisions were being made.
That experience taught me a lot about leadership and about myself. I don’t believe leadership is about walking into a room with all the answers. It’s about listening, learning, and helping people do their jobs better.
Always Learning, Always Asking Why
If there was training available, I took it. Technical training, business training, it didn’t matter. I signed up for everything. I collected certifications. I even got forklift certified, even though I hate driving a forklift.
But the biggest thing for me was always asking why.
I don’t accept “because that’s how it’s always been done.” I want someone to slow down, explain it to me, and make sure I really understand it. That mindset helped me build technical knowledge even though I didn’t start as a technician. And it’s still how I operate today.
This industry changes fast. The only way to keep up is to stay curious and stay connected too training, to peers, to vendors, and to the people doing the work every day.
Where I See the Industry Going
Sustainability, connectivity, and indoor air quality aren’t future concepts anymore, they’re already here.
Between electrification, heat pumps, smart thermostats, connected devices, and efficiency standards, the direction is clear. Homeowners want comfort, control, and savings. States and regulators want cleaner systems. Contractors need solutions that make sense financially.
My job today is helping people navigate that change without feeling overwhelmed. Big shifts don’t have to happen all at once. Small, smart changes build momentum.
Helping Contractors Focus
A lot of contractors aren’t resistant to change, they’re just busy.
One of the tools I use most is a simple prioritization exercise. I help contractors identify what’s easy and profitable right now and focus there first. Once those wins are in place, the harder changes become more manageable.
Nine times out of ten, the easiest win is increasing the average service ticket. Small additions: IAQ products, zoning, connected solutions, can open the door to everything else.
The Values I Work By
I tell the truth. Even when it’s uncomfortable.
Transparency and honesty have carried me through every role I’ve had. I talk to contractors like fellow business owners, because that’s what we are. When you’re upfront, trust follows and trust is everything in this industry.
Being a Woman in HVAC
Being a woman has absolutely shaped my experience.
Early on, it was harder. There weren’t many women in the industry, and I had to learn how to navigate rooms where people didn’t expect me to be the decision-maker. I’ve been underestimated more times than I can count.
I still laugh about the times someone emailed me for weeks and then called asking for “Jack.” When they realized Jack was Jackie, you could hear the pause. The tone shift. But over time, experience speaks for itself.
Today, I see real change. More women in leadership. More respect for experience. And I bring something specific to the table, a boots-on-the-ground perspective that contractors recognize immediately. I’ve been there. I speak their language.
Choosing What Matters
Work-life balance didn’t just happen for me, I chose it.
Earlier in my career, summers meant nonstop work. That’s the reality of HVAC. Now, my role is more balanced, even with travel. And I made a promise to my kids that I’d be present. I haven’t missed a soccer game yet.
If I weren’t in HVAC, I’d probably still be helping people, maybe as a lawyer. I’m already the unofficial paralegal and tax person for my friends and family. That part of me has always been there.
HVAC gave me opportunity, challenge, and a career I never expected. I stayed because I kept learning. I moved forward because I refused to get comfortable. And I’m still here because this industry never stops evolving, and neither do I.