HVAC R&D Podcast

The HVAC Contractor of the Future: Are You Ready for What's Next? with TJ O'Connor The way contractors do business is changing. The question is, are we changing with it? Rhydon Atzenhoffer sits down with TJ O'Connor, President of Farmington Consulting Group, to explore what the future holds for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractors—and what business owners need to understand today to prepare for tomorrow. With 18 years of experience helping contractors grow, TJ brings insights from the ACCA-sponsored Contractor of the Future Study, examining how evolving business practices, technology, and customer expectations are reshaping the industry. Together, Rhydon and TJ dig into the decisions contractors face around profitability, pricing, financing, training, and building businesses prepared for long-term success. For the #TradeCrew, this conversation is about more than predicting the future. It's about understanding the opportunities in front of us and making informed decisions that help our businesses evolve. 🔧 In this episode, we cover: • Insights from the 2025 Contractor of the Future Study • How contractor business models are evolving • Pricing strategies and protecting profitability • Field service management and flat-rate pricing • The importance of proper load calculations • Financing and monthly payment options • Extended labor warranties and customer value • Why technical and business training must evolve together • Preparing your company for what's next Whether you're a contractor, distributor, manufacturer, or industry leader, this episode offers a research-driven perspective on the changes shaping our industry. 🎧 Listen now and subscribe so you never miss a drop. The HVAC R&D Podcast is the Voice of Distribution, Contractors, and the #TradeCrew. #HVAC #Contractors #BusinessGrowth #SkilledTrades #TradeCrew 🙏 Thanks to our partners: DiversiTech Corporation • Drain IV • FieldMind • LiveSwitch • ProIAQ • RLS • True Nature Meats Co.

You're Not Buying Insurance—You're Protecting Everything You've Built with Michael Senderovich   🎙️ HVAC R&D Podcast — Episode 197   A cheap insurance policy isn't cheap when you discover it doesn't cover you. In Episode 197 of the HVAC R&D Podcast, Rhydon Atzenhoffer sits down with Michael M. Senderovich, MBA, Founder & CEO of Six-Thirteen Business Insurance Solutions, to talk about something every contractor needs but far too few truly understand: protecting the business you've sacrificed to build.   Since founding his brokerage in 2013, Michael has helped small business owners move beyond simply buying insurance to understanding their actual risks, coverage gaps, and what happens when the unexpected becomes reality.   Together, Rhydon and Michael dig into the mistakes contractors make when choosing coverage, the danger of shopping on price alone, and why a great insurance broker should be one of your most trusted business advisors—not someone who simply renews your policy every year.   Because as your company adds employees, trucks, technology, services, and revenue, the risks you're carrying change too.   🔧 In this episode, we cover: • What contractors misunderstand about insurance • The danger of buying coverage online • Common coverage gaps that can devastate a business • Cheapest policy vs. the right policy • How often your coverage should be reviewed • How growth changes your risk • Cyber threats, AI & emerging business exposures • How to know if your broker is actually serving you • Protecting your business beyond insurance   Whether you're running one truck or building a multi-million-dollar operation, you've worked too hard to discover after a loss that you weren't protected the way you thought you were.   🎧 Listen now and subscribe so you never miss a drop.   The HVAC R&D Podcast is the Voice of Distribution, Contractors, and the #TradeCrew.   #HVAC #BusinessInsurance #RiskManagement #Contractors   🙏 Thanks to our partners: DiversiTech Corporation • DRAIN IV • FieldMind • LiveSwitch • ProIAQ • RLS Rapid Locking System • True Nature Meats Co.

🎙️ HVAC R&D Podcast — Episode 196   You Can't Scale What You Don't Understand with Zachary Cooper-Vastola   Before you can build the systems, you need to understand the work. In Episode 196 of the HVAC R&D Podcast, Rhydon Atzenhoffer sits down with Zach Cooper-Vastola, COO/CIO and founding partner of Hickory, for a conversation about what happens when you learn a business from the inside out—and then start building it for something much bigger.   Zach has done nearly every job inside the company. That hands-on experience became part of the foundation for how he approaches operations, technology, leadership, and growth today.   The journey traces back to 2018, when Zach and his partners acquired Stanley Ruth, then roughly a $4 million business with around 20 employees. From there came the challenge of learning, improving, systemizing, scaling, and ultimately building an organization capable of continued growth.   Together, Rhydon and Zach dig into what it takes to evolve from doing the work yourself to creating the people, processes, and technology that allow a business to grow beyond you.   🔧 In this episode, we cover: • The story behind acquiring Stanley Ruth in 2018 • Why Zach chose to learn nearly every role in the business • Going from doing the work to building the organization • Creating systems without losing what made the company successful • Using technology to make people and processes better • What scaling exposes inside a growing business • Growth through acquisition • Developing leaders as the organization expands • Balancing operational discipline with entrepreneurship • Building a company designed for what comes next   Whether you're running a small shop, building your leadership team, or trying to take an established company to another level, Zach's journey is a reminder that sustainable growth starts with understanding the business you're trying to scale.   🎧 Listen now and subscribe so you never miss a drop - https://rhydonatzenhoffer.substack.com/p/you-cant-scale-what-you-dont-understand   The HVAC R&D Podcast is the Voice of Distribution, Contractors, and the TradeCrew.   #HVAC #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #TradeCrew   🙏 Thanks to our partners   DiversiTech Corporation • DRAIN IV • FieldMind • LiveSwitch • ProIAQ • RLS Rapid Locking System • True Nature Meats Co.

🎙️ HVAC R&D Podcast — Episode 195   HVAC Will Take You Wherever You Want to Go with jonathan lisojo   At eighteen years old, jonathan lisojo didn't even know what HVAC was. Seventeen years later, he eats, sleeps, and breathes it.   In Episode 195 of the HVAC R&D Podcast, Rhydon Atzenhoffer sits down with Jonathan, owner of Total Air Satisfaction and Journeyman Commercial HVAC Technician with Local 475, to talk about a career that's taken him from a completely green apprentice to residential technician, instructor, commercial and industrial journeyman, business owner, and content creator.   Jonathan spent fourteen years growing inside a family-owned residential company and ten years teaching the next generation at Eastwick College before moving into commercial and industrial HVAC—all while continuing to follow his curiosity wherever the trade takes him.   But this conversation is about more than a career.   Rhydon and Jonathan talk about loving what you do, staying curious, building a business, working eighteen-hour days, family, faith, gratitude, and remembering that no matter how important the service call feels, someone who loves you is waiting for you to come home.   🔧 In this episode, we cover: • Starting HVAC at 18 with absolutely no experience • Why HVAC can take you anywhere you want to go • Residential, commercial, industrial, teaching & ownership • Staying curious instead of becoming stagnant • The satisfaction of diagnosing unfamiliar equipment • What ten years of teaching revealed about the next generation • Taking the leap into business ownership • Faith, family, gratitude & finding balance • Giving back to the trade that gave Jonathan so much   Whether you're an apprentice figuring out your next step or a veteran decades into the trade, Jonathan's story is proof that HVAC can become whatever you choose to make of it.   🎧 Listen now and subscribe to the HVAC R&D and Ramblin' Rhyno Substack so you never miss an Editorial or Pordast Drop - https://rhydonatzenhoffer.substack.com/p/hvac-will-take-you-wherever-you-want   #HVAC #SkilledTrades #HVACTech #TradeCareers #TradeCrew   🙏 Thanks to our partners: DiversiTech Corporation • DRAIN IV • FieldMind • LiveSwitch • ProIAQ • RLS Rapid Locking System • True Nature Meats Co.

Leaving the Industry Better Than We Found It with Don Gillis   🎙️ HVAC R&D Podcast — Episode 194   The greatest legacy in the skilled trades isn't the equipment you install. It's the people you help along the way.   In Episode 194, Rhydon Atzenhoffer sits down with Don Gillis, Technical Trainer, consultant, and founder of Gillis Coach, for a conversation about building careers, developing technicians, and preparing the next generation for the future of HVACR.   With more than 35 years in the industry—including 25 years in the field as a licensed HVAC Journeyman, leadership roles in service and sales, and years as a Senior Technical Trainer with Copeland and Chemours—Don has dedicated his career to helping others succeed. Today, he trains 5,000–7,000 HVAC professionals each year and was recognized as one of the Top 25 Most Influential HVAC Educators in 2024.   Together, Rhydon and Don discuss career development, technician shortages, emerging technologies, and why sharing knowledge is one of the greatest responsibilities we have in the trades.   For the TradeCrew, this episode is a reminder that every experienced technician has the opportunity to shape the future—one lesson, one apprentice, and one conversation at a time.   🔧 In this episode, we cover: • Don's 35-year journey through the HVACR industry • Closing the technician shortage through education • Adapting to new technology without losing the fundamentals • Building a career through continuous learning • Why mentorship is essential to the future of the trades • Leaving the industry stronger than you found it   Whether you're just entering the trades or have decades of experience, this episode will challenge you to think differently about learning, leadership, and the legacy you're creating every day.   🎧 Listen now and subscribe to the HVAC R&D Podcast and Ramblin' Rhyno Column on Substack so you never miss and Article or Podcast drop - https://rhydonatzenhoffer.substack.com/p/leaving-the-industry-better-than   The HVAC R&D Podcast is the Voice of Distribution, Contractors, and the TradeCrew — bringing together the people, stories, and ideas shaping the future of the skilled trades.   #HVAC #Training #Leadership #Mentorship #TradeCrew   🙏 Thanks to our partners: DiversiTech Corporation • DRAIN IV • FieldMind • LiveSwitch • ProIAQ • RLS Rapid Locking System • True Nature Meats