BROADVIEW, Ill. — Owners of HVAC companies excel in project planning and execution — but when it comes to building a succession plan, many struggle. To help address this important topic and ensure a successful transition of ownership in the future, The Unified Group hosted its first Succession Planning Forum in late March. Participating members included current company owners along with their chosen or potential successors.

“The highlight from the session is knowing we are on the right path to a successful transition,” said Andy Carver, vice president and project manager, Adrian Mechanical Services.

The two-day workshop welcomed facilitators Randy Nemchin and Erika Wickstrom of Radical Guidance Consulting and Craig Woodall of Grinnell Leadership, who are well-known for their experience in leadership and organizational development. Nemchin facilitated the group of tomorrow’s leaders, while Wickstrom and Woodall facilitated discussion with the owners.

The workshop started with everyone together for introductions, but immediately was split into separate training sessions. The group of owners focused on accommodating the three sides of business: technical, administrative, and human relations. The group consisting of each company’s next generation focused on adapting to change, leadership, and fears. After lunch, the two groups reunited to speak on conforming to change with large group discussions and interactive exercises.

“I really liked everybody’s openness of sharing processes during the discussions,” said Scot Hottel, principal, owner, and vice president of sales, Harvey W. Hottel. “It was very enlightening.”

The second day began with a full-group recap before splitting owners and each company’s next generation of leaders. The owners dug into each of their own succession plans with a lesson in timeline, successors, backfill, business valuation, finances/funding, and more. The next generation of leaders focused on trust, integrity, and how the two are correlated to provide optimal success. After lunch, the two groups came back together to dive further into the details of the succession process.

“This was a very informative session that allowed a caring group of people to work through very challenging topics,” said Kelly True, vice president, General Sheet Metal.

In closing, members shared their biggest takeaways and processes and explained how they plan to implement these ideas within their companies.