Jody DuRee

Title: CEO

Company: Standard Heating and Air Conditioning Inc.

Educational Experience: Life experience, common sense, leadership programs, and learning from others in the industry through mentorship

Industry Work Experience: I have worked at Standard Heating and Air Conditioning for 31 years. My career started in accounts receivable, after which I was promoted to office manager, with my next opportunity becoming the vice president of operations, prior to my current position as CEO. I have worked hand-in-hand with the company’s founder, company leaders, and team members to help foster growth in all aspects of our business. There were 45 team members when I started in 1992, and we’ve grown to over 180 employee owners today.

What caused you to/when did you enter the HVACR industry?

In 1992, I was working for a mail order pharmacy as a refill technician. Chuck, the head of marketing, would occasionally come through the department in order to engage with the employees. One day, Chuck approached me and shared that his good friend Rich, who owned a heating and air conditioning company, was looking to add to his accounting department. Chuck encouraged me to meet with Rich for an interview and said this might be a good opportunity for me. I respected Chuck and his opinion, took a leap of faith, and the rest is history.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of working in HVACR?

I get the most reward when I see our employees grow and become successful both personally and professionally. I have enjoyed watching numerous employees establish their careers at Standard, get married, raise families, and become lifelong business associates and friends.

Describe the proudest moment in your career.

I am most proud that I have been part of a business culture built on honesty and integrity. Throughout my career, we have always strived to provide our customers with the best products and services in order to meet their specific needs. The proudest moment of my career is when Standard became an employee-owned company, and I was honored to be named the CEO of a company I have dedicated myself to.

What challenges do women face in this profession?

I feel that women face some challenges being taken seriously due to lack of field and, in some cases, technical experience. This, however, does not change the fact that we know how a business should operate from top to bottom. Experienced and savvy businesswomen understand how to take care of customers, and know how to function with integrity and become strong leaders. Finding a businesswoman mentor, due to the smaller number of women in our industry, is a challenge. In 1992, when I started at Standard, there were few women in our industry at all, outside of accounting and customer service roles. Women leaders as role models were limited, and I had no female mentor to lean on. Therefore, I had to rely on the businessmen around me to be mentors. Earning their trust, by adding value and helping them work toward their goals, created a win for all.

How can we increase the number of women in HVACR?

Individuals in leadership roles, both men and women, need to help encourage career opportunities available to women in the HVACR industry. If the industry promotes an inclusive culture of opportunity for all genders, we should see an increase of women wanting to explore opportunities within the industry. We cannot strictly rely on mainstream education and trade schools to make people aware; we must lead through increased awareness and more effective communication. I have helped several women join our industry who had no previous HVACR experience. They have gone on to be successful at sales, finance, project management, and marketing.

Leaders should be involved in and support organizations that bring women into HVACR industry, such as Women in HVACR and NAWIC (Nation Association of Women in Construction). I am a member of both.

What does your day-to-day job entail?

My day-to-day can look very different. My goal is to focus on strategic planning, our ESOP, leadership development, team building, getting to know employees, helping them with their goals, and encouraging others. I spend much of my time evaluating our financial and cultural success and looking for ways to learn from and minimize our failures.

What remains on your HVACR bucket list — what do you aspire to do that you haven’t accomplished yet?

As we enter our second year as an employee-owned company, I want to continue to foster a culture that operates with an employee owner’s mindset. I want this culture to ensure the best future for all employee owners and the community we service. I believe if we can achieve this from top to bottom, Standard Heating and Air Conditioning will be successful far into the future.

What words of advice do you have for females who are considering entering the HVACR field?

Don’t be afraid of the industry. It has been a very stable growth industry with many opportunities for women from engineering, training, sales, marketing, accounting, service techs, and CEOs. Ask women what they love about the industry. Ask what opportunities your strengths and experience would be a good fit for. There is a great opportunity to grow and move up quickly in this industry, provided you have a good work ethic that focuses on adding value every day.