Empowering Talent: A Season of Workforce Development Across the HVACR Industry

This spring and summer, I had the privilege of partnering with HARDI member organizations to implement strategic talent development initiatives designed to enhance performance, drive leadership excellence, and strengthen organizational culture. From March through July, our work has spanned a diverse set of focus areas, supporting frontline staff, mid-level leaders, and executive teams alike.

My travels took me across the United States from the West Coast to the East Coast by plane and car. They truly allowed me and the HARDI Talent Team to be an extension of our members' teams, ensuring that their associates had the tools needed to engage with their customers confidently.

To help other members get a sense of what’s going on in the industry and what other members are facing (without dropping any names), I made a summary of what members are facing and need for the future.

HVACR Sales & Customer-Facing Development

Our season began with a strong focus on Sales Assessments and Training. These initiatives were designed to evaluate current sales performance, uncover strengths and development opportunities, and equip teams with consultative selling strategies that drive results. Whether working with seasoned professionals or new sales staff, our approach emphasized value-based selling, customer engagement, and goal alignment. This is only the beginning of our discovery work as we continue to build out tools and resources to provide targeted training for our members that are all customizable based on the opportunities for skill development that we identified through our Sales Assessments. Continued work is being done to bring the best-in-class real-world HVACR knowledge to these teams.

Similarly, Counter Specialist training emerged as a vital need. These professionals often serve as the first point of contact for customers, making their development critical to business success. We focused on building product knowledge, improving communication skills, and reinforcing service excellence while tailoring training to the unique pressures and pace of counter environments. This is where Don Gillis, HARDI’s Technical Trainer, comes into play, working with members to develop a customized program that is multidimensional and includes e-learning, webinars, and in-person training that focuses on customer services, technical training, and has confirmation that the learning is transferred on to the job.

HR Strategy & Recruitment Consulting

Recruiting and retaining talent remain top priorities across our industry. Through dedicated HR consulting engagements, we worked closely with human resource leaders and hiring managers to refine recruitment strategies, streamline job postings, and enhance candidate evaluation methods. By introducing competency-based hiring and more engaging onboarding practices, we helped our members attract and retain top-tier talent.

Leadership Development & 360 Feedback

Leadership development remained at the heart of the work that I focused on throughout the Spring and Summer. I conducted 360 Assessments that offered participants a holistic view of their leadership impact, as perceived by peers, managers, and direct reports, driving deeper self-awareness and more intentional growth. These assessments were paired with Leadership Competency Development and Education programs designed to build core capabilities, including emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, coaching, and change management.

We also facilitated New Leader Assimilation sessions, designed to accelerate trust-building and communication between recently appointed leaders and their teams. These sessions created space for open dialogue, mutual expectations, and early alignment—reducing ramp-up time and fostering cohesion.

eLearning & Performance Management

To support scalable and sustainable development, we introduced several custom eLearning solutions tailored to specific operational roles, including box truck drivers, warehouse staff, counter specialists, and branch managers. These digital modules blended compliance training with real-world performance expectations, helping to build practical knowledge while reinforcing organizational values.

Additionally, we worked on revamping performance appraisal systems, using digital tools and coaching resources to ensure that evaluations are more consistent, constructive, and growth oriented.

Amie Tope continues to be available for consultation work with our members to design these customized eLearning programs that include your organization’s logo, colors, and processes.

A Strategic Season of Impact

The last several months have underscored a clear truth: investing in people at every level pays dividends in performance, retention, and culture. Whether through leadership education, frontline training, recruitment support, or digital learning innovation, the HARDI members with whom the Talent Team partners are preparing their workforces to thrive in a changing landscape.

Looking for your next Workforce Solution?

HARDI provides our members with Talent Consultant Engagements focused on customized solutions to drive your people and culture strategies, best-in-class training programs, both public and private, and customized eLearning programs relevant to the HVACR industry. If you’d like to learn more about these programs to engage and retain your associates or discuss how to attract, recruit, or hire associates, contact HARDI’s Talent Development Team.