19. Institutional Knowledge Has an Expiration Date: Ben Bomar on Protecting HVAC Growth

19. Institutional Knowledge Has an Expiration Date: Ben Bomar on Protecting HVAC Growth

What happens when your company’s most valuable knowledge walks out the door? In this episode of HVAC Leaders, Ashlei Rolloff sits down with Ben Bomar of Lithius to unpack one of the biggest operational risks facing HVAC and field service companies today: losing institutional knowledge faster than it can be transferred. As companies scale, sales growth often outpaces operational readiness. Ben shares how HVAC leaders can identify the warning signs before customer experience, profitability, and team confidence begin to suffer. They discuss: * Why operational infrastructure breaks before leadership realizes it * The “many-to-few” problem hiding inside service businesses * How vacations, retirements, and light duty assignments expose process gaps * Why customer complaints and repeat trips are often training problems in disguise * The difference between knowing, doing, and being when capturing institutional knowledge * Why documenting everything is not the same as preserving wisdom * How HVAC companies can create scalable knowledge transfer systems without overwhelming the team * Practical first steps leaders can take immediately Ben also shares why institutional knowledge should be treated like any other critical business asset and why waiting until retirement is often too late. For HVAC leaders navigating growth, workforce shifts, succession planning, or operational scaling, this conversation offers a practical roadmap for protecting what makes your company valuable. More on Ben Bomar:https://www.linkedin.com/in/benbomar/ https://www.lithyus.com/

18. AI Won’t Replace Leaders. Passive Leaders Will Fall Behind: Panel Discussion with Ashlei Rolloff, Chris Morbitzer, Rosalynn Verges, and Zac Engler on Intentional AI Adoption

AI adoption is not a technology problem. It is a leadership decision.  In this episode of HVAC Leaders, Ashlei Rolloff sits down with Zac Engler, Chris Morbitzer, and Rosalynn Verges for an honest conversation about what AI adoption actually looks like inside growing businesses.  This is not another conversation about shiny tools or fear-driven headlines. It is a practical discussion about leadership, operations, culture, and the real maturity ladder companies must climb if they want AI to create measurable business value.  Ashlei and the panel unpack why some companies scale faster with AI while others stall after rollout, how executives should think about adoption, and why the future belongs to leaders willing to rethink work itself.  Key insights from the episode:  * Why most companies suffer from “AI shiny object syndrome”   * The AI maturity ladder and how businesses move from experimentation to real operational integration   * Why AI adoption fails when leaders delegate the strategy   * How fear and identity impact team adoption more than the tools themselves   * What successful AI rollouts actually look like inside organizations   * How to measure ROI from AI investments before scaling   * Why AI should remove repetitive work, not human connection   * The leadership responsibility behind creating healthier, more sustainable workplaces   Memorable takeaway:  “Leaders, you own that choice.” — Rosalynn Verges  If you are an HVAC executive, marketer, or business owner trying to separate AI hype from real operational strategy, this conversation gives you a grounded framework for moving forward with clarity.    More on Rosalynn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalynnverges/  More on Zac:  [https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacengler/]https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacengler/  More on Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismorbitzer/

17. Stop Being the Bottleneck: Lori Bruhns on Coaching Your Team to Think

What if the answers that built your HVAC business are now slowing your team down?  In this episode of HVAC Leaders, host Ashlei Rolloff sits down with executive coach Lori Bruhns to discuss a leadership shift that many technical leaders struggle with: moving from telling people the answers to coaching them to think.  After nearly two decades coaching engineers, executives, and technical leaders, Lori has seen the same pattern repeatedly. Leaders succeed because they know the answers. But eventually, that strength turns them into the bottleneck.  Instead of building a team that solves problems, they unintentionally build a team that waits.  Lori explains how a coaching mindset changes that dynamic and creates teams that think, solve, and grow on their own.  Key insights from this episode:  * Why the same expertise that built your company can limit your growth  * The leadership shift from telling to asking  * How curious questions reveal gaps in thinking and training  * The difference between closed questions (facts) and curious questions (insight)  * How the language shift from problem to puzzle changes how teams approach challenges  * Why technicians and operators often need 90–180 days to truly absorb new knowledge   * The four learning styles leaders should understand to train teams more effectively  Referenced Links: Grab Lori’s coaching guide: https://loribruhns.com/guide/hvac-coaching-guide [https://loribruhns.com/guide/hvac-coaching-guide] More on Lori: https://loribruhns.com [https://loribruhns.com] Connect with Lori: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loribruhns/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/loribruhns/]

16. Building Your AI Operations Plan: What Works in HVAC, What Doesn't, and Where to Start

You know AI matters. You know your team needs a strategy. But when you look at your operation and ask "where do we actually start?"—you hit a wall. ABOUT OUR GUEST Colleen Keyworth is VP of Sales and Marketing at Online Access, a Michigan-based HVAC web solutions company. She's built AI into real HVAC operations from both the manufacturing and contractor side, giving her unique insight into what actually works versus what drains resources. WHAT WE DISCUSS * The AI framework HVAC executives need first: Identify where time is wasted before you buy any tool. AI replaces wasted time, not people. * Internal agentic AI that scales your operation: How to build company-specific AI agents that let employees find answers instantly instead of creating management bottlenecks. * The critical difference between chat tools and agentic AI: Chat (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) is a starting point. Agentic AI connects third-party systems to automate entire workflows. * Why AI-generated marketing content tanks your campaigns: Contractors using synthetic content consistently underperform. Your competitors will learn this the hard way. * Operationalizing AI through EOS frameworks: Use the Delegate & Elevate exercise to identify which tasks can be automated versus which still need human execution. Essential listening for VPs of Sales and Marketing at HVAC manufacturers, reps, and distributor organizations who need to justify AI investments and prove ROI. Email: ckeyworth@online-access.com [ckeyworth@online-access.com]LinkedIn: Search "Colleen Keyworth"Company: Online Access (online-access.com) Tools mentioned: Wispr Flow, Claude, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Zapier, EOS Framework

15. BEST OF 2025: Voices of HVAC Leadership

What actually moved the needle in HVAC this year? In this “Best of” episode, Ashlei Rolloff brings together five of the sharpest conversations from 2025, conversations that challenge how we lead, grow, and market in this industry. You’ll hear from: * Greg Crumpton on retention, field leadership, and why presence still matters * Craig Bunker on how private equity evaluates people, process, and culture and what HVAC businesses can do now to build long-term value * Christyn Mueller on generational shifts in workplace communication and how leaders can close the gap * Tony Mormino on practical HVAC social media strategy, by channel, audience, and time constraint * Zac Engler on AI leadership, shadow tools, and how to support not replace your team This isn’t just a recap. It’s a pulse check. A look at what’s really changing in HVAC and how the best leaders are responding. Full Episode Links: * Greg Crumpton - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3c1ZSGu6LDtVXUbMpcPtuo?si=TXKcCe4SRMi539zEn37jmg * Tonka Bay - Craig Bunker - https://open.spotify.com/episode/7Fy2v0oi02zyyCOQHlm3PT?si=ZG8kuuT2S3OERmRoy5UU_A * Johnson Controls -Christyn Mueller - https://open.spotify.com/episode/5tyauPOkfyqbqQcBdjIqh0?si=iyDAc2w_Q0WWfv-QY382vQ * Tony Mormino - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3YKtgtQaoHTrH7GMCBaIfS?si=3JKu63KSSVKPn4XyMxMaPw * Bodhi Ai - Zac Engler - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0NpNsKovQ09vZ4aljpMgaF?si=Fwd_Hd2OSJCpR3Jwck5ufw Quote to Remember:"You do not scale a business by scaling people alone. You scale it by building clarity, culture, and systems that outlive the org chart." — Craig Bunker