COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) has begun production on a documentary for the purpose of industry recruitment.

"The HVACR wholesale industry is currently experiencing a massive employment deficit," said Troy Meachum, president, ACR Supply Co., Durham, North Carolina, and president of HARDI. “The gap is weighing on distributors and it is becoming extremely difficult to find good employees. The need for recruiting younger individuals into our members' businesses has never been greater than it is now."

Commissioned by the HARDI Foundation, this documentary will have a focus on showcasing the daily lives of younger employees at HARDI distributors, with the aim of targeting younger generations for recruitment.

"Our mission with this film is to bring awareness of the numerous opportunities available within wholesale distribution, especially to young people," Meachum added.

HARDI Foundation commissioned the filming and production from Muddy Trails LLC, who produced HARDI's On The Shoulder of Giants video showcased at the 2017 HARDI Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

“Our members are constantly mentioning that hiring and recruitment are some of the biggest challenges they face within their organizations," said Chris DeBoer, director of marketing & sales for HARDI . "We have tried to help members with this issue for a couple years but have not really been able to truly make anything stick. After seeing the Muddy Trails production at our Annual Conference, it hit me. Why don’t we make a documentary that showcases how the wholesale HVAC industry has offers amazing job opportunities at organizations with some of the best workplace cultures. I spoke to Troy that night about the idea and he loved it. From there we got to work.”

"We were like everybody else, 'HVAC wholesale… never heard of it,'" said Muddy Trails film director Bryce Suriano. "After we were introduced to the HARDI organization and the several HVAC wholesalers within the organization, we were left with one word on our mind... quality. Quality companies, quality work cultures, and quality employees who love their jobs."

The documentary premier is expected to line up with the 2018 HARDI Annual Conference, which will be held Dec. 1-4 in Austin, Texas. 

Publication date: 7/26/2018

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