A couple months ago, The ACHR NEWS ran a cover image from a stock photo website. We try not to do this often, but finding “real” photos to illustrate our stories can be tricky. HVAC isn’t like some trades, like architecture, where crisp, well-staged photos are abundant. We certainly don’t have paparazzi following HVAC techs from job to job with cameras clicking.
And boy, did we hear from you — specifically on social media, where feedback is instantaneous. Someone called the picture ‘fake.’ Another wrote, “Social media is full of well-rounded technicians and installers who are making HVAC great every day. There are thousands of great posts, great pictures, great content that would make the front of your magazine interesting and desirable.”
Point well taken. If you were one of those commenters, you’re not wrong. The HVAC online community is growing and thriving, and if you want proof, the HVAC industry’s oldest print publication (ahem) just this year joined TikTok. It’s standard practice for major manufacturers to post Instagram (IG) stories nonstop at factory tours and events. I would not be surprised to see some TikTok dances on the show floor at AHR 2024. (Tag us! We’ll share them!) Similarly, I’ve noticed when I’m tagging our contractor sources in social media posts that at least three-quarters of them have an active IG. And then there are the technicians — not company accounts, but techs posting on their own — who are putting out all kinds of fantastic videos with advice, tips, and stuff that will make every HVAC technician roll their eyes or chuckle.
It’s the way many young techs — the people who will be taking this industry forward — are building community. Some folks have even said their top reason to attend AHR is meeting their favorite HVAC “influencers” in real life.
These are the cool kids of HVAC. But when today’s average American high schoolers think of HVAC technicians, are they who comes to mind?
If not, that’s part of the problem.
Colleen Keyworth put it well in an interview I did with her a while back for an article on women in the trades, and her words have always stuck with me: Before a woman fills out a job application for an HVAC company, she must first envision herself working at that company. So Keyworth made a deliberate effort to ensure her company’s photos featured people of all genders, ages, and ethnicities, working in the field, the office, and in leadership.
Same thing goes for the younger generation of the workforce: Before a high school kid thinks about pursuing HVAC as a career, they must first envision themselves doing that job.
The ACHR NEWS stands ready to do our part. We started by adding a category for social media star to our NEWSmakers coverage, which ran in our December 18 issue. This time, that’s Jessica Bannister. If you’re on IG and TikTok, you might know her as @hvacjess.
Bannister says even though she grew up the daughter of a refrigeration contractor, as a kid she never even realized she could take that path herself.
“I truly believe it's because I've never seen an example of a person that looked like me, a lady,” she told my colleague Hannah Belloli in her interview. Now Bannister is working hard, through social media representation, to be that ‘person who looks like me’ for girls considering HVAC. At the same time, she said, she’s getting our heavily male-dominated industry familiar with seeing a woman’s face on the jobsite.
You can read her inspiring story here — and there’ll be one next year, featuring another star of HVACTok. (If that name catches on, I want credit.)
But if we’re serious about upping our game, we need to do more than a once-a-year feature. And what better place to showcase that ‘seeing is believing’ principle than by giving the up-and-comers of HVAC our prime real estate: the cover photo of the ACHR NEWS print edition.
What does the trade look like today? You show us — then we’ll show you. Starting after the holiday, we’ll be reaching out through our IG account @achrnews, asking those who post frequently if we can feature your photos (properly credited, of course).
So help us inspire the next generation. Show everyone what an HVACR professional looks like these days. And of course, you don’t have to wait around for us to message you. Send your “action shots” to mariataylor@achrnews.com to join the queue. They don’t have to be perfect; authenticity is what we’re aiming for. Nontraditional and traditional candidates welcome.
