HPAC – Business Disruptors

Ted Fox, owner of Fox Plumbing Heating Cooling Electrical in Vernon, B.C., started in business with his father, Ted Sr., back in 1999. In 2012 Ted bought out his dad, and since then has developed the small local plumbing and heating operation into a full-blown business – that at times has grown to almost 100 employees and has expanded beyond the borders of Vernon into the surrounding communities. He has learned how to grow the business one step at time by taking chances and trying new things. He’s also an open book when sharing his thoughts on building a business in the trades.

Gary McCreadie has been the owner of McCreadie HVAC and Refrigeration Services in Shelburne, Ontario (northwest of Toronto) for only four years, but he’s been involved in the HVAC and refrigeration trades for over 25 years and is best known for his digital platform, HVAC Know It All where he has some 500,000 followers over various online channels. In this episode we learn about Gary’s start in the HVAC trades, the origin of HVAC Know It All, and how he’s managing both of these businesses and his plans for the future.

Dating back to 1922, Levine Brothers Plumbing has deep roots in Montreal has endured as an immigrant success storey. Ben Levine shares lessons he’s learned by looking back and how the combination of business and engineering minds has helped sustain the family business. He also talks about the operational changes he’s making today that instil more personal responsibility among the employees while maintaining the company’s core values around customer service.

In this episode we speak with James Blanchett, owner of Canuck Mechanical in Prince George, B.C. Started in 1983 by his dad, today James leads Canuck and takes pride in the company’s meticulous organization, professional branding and focus on quality craftsmanship. Blanchett himself has gained a large social media following featuring his impressive hydronics installations, and he leads his business by example.This episode is sponsored by Wolseley Canada.

In this episode we speak with Nathan Horton, CEO of 1Click Energy Solutions, a digital-first company that started out as 1Click Heating and Cooling with the goal of simplifying the HVAC purchasing process for homeowners. With a strong focus on heat pumps as the entry point into the residential market, going forward 1Click's broader ambitions are targeting whole home electrification with the company growing as the market across Canada adapts.We spoke with Nathan live at the CMPX Show in Toronto on March 27th, 2026.This episode is sponsored by Wolseley Canada.