“How much pain they have cost us, the evils which never happened.”

—Thomas Jefferson

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn sit down with Anthony Woo, an HVAC contractor from Quebec, Canada. Anthony shares his journey from dropping out of college to becoming a successful business owner specializing in heat pump installations in one of North America's coldest climates. He discusses his personal and professional evolution, from gaining confidence through a Tony Robbins seminar to implementing systems like EOS in his rapidly growing business. Anthony also highlights the power of data-driven decisions, the importance of networking through NCI, and his passion for educating homeowners about indoor air quality and comfort.

Throughout the conversation, Anthony gives us a peek into his strategic approach to business growth, emphasizing sustainable scaling, reinvesting in his team, and leveraging modern tools like the TrueFlow Grid for diagnostics. He also talks about creating a strong personal brand and reputation that fueled his success primarily through word-of-mouth marketing. This episode offers actionable insights for HVAC professionals looking to elevate their craft, implement smart business practices, and lead with purpose.

Some thought nuggets from Anthony:
“Podcasts are like a university on wheels for learning.”
“As I learn new things, I’m conscious of making sure my colleagues have the framework to understand what I am talking about.”
“I apply filtration to ideas to decide what to implement.”

Finally, Anthony offers a simple yet powerful piece of advice: set your goals, make a plan, and go after what you want—without fear.

After we finished recording, ELK helped summarize:
“You’ve said you don't know how to run a business. What you are really saying is you are not running a business the way others do or advise you to do, you are running your business on your own terms.”

Anthony’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-woo-88a77466/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ClimatisationACG

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/anthonywoohvac/reels/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatisationacg/

This episode was recorded in March 2025.

“You can be high quality and effective, but also efficient at the same time.”

— Furman Haynes, Founder of WorkHero

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, Eric Kaiser and Bill Spohn sit down with Furman Haynes, co-founder of WorkHero, to explore a critical challenge facing small HVAC business owners: the administrative burden that stifles growth. Furman shares his journey into the HVAC industry, inspired by a passion for building organizations that support small business success. He recounts his eye-opening experiences at industry events and his realization that paperwork and administrative tasks often overwhelm small operators.

Furman explains how WorkHero was designed to provide expert office management for companies with under ten employees—helping them streamline operations without adding complex software. Through a combination of dedicated virtual office managers and AI-powered tools, WorkHero tackles the paperwork bottlenecks that can prevent growth. Furman also discusses insights from their recent industry survey, revealing that small businesses spend over 15 hours a week on admin work and often get stuck at the $1-2 million revenue mark without making strategic investments in people or systems.

The conversation wraps up with Furman’s take on the importance of mindset shifts for owner-operators, the role of data in improving pricing strategies, and the need for a supportive community like www.BetterHVAC.org to ensure quality-focused businesses can remain profitable and thrive.

Furman’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/furmanhaynes/

His email: furman@workhero.pro

Work Hero Website: https://www.workhero.pro/

Link to the Survey Results: https://www.workhero.pro/blog/report

There are many reports out there, but none of them look specifically at the day-to-day realities of running your own small business. ‍

That's why WorkHero partnered with HVAC School to survey over 1,300 industry professionals.

This Industry Pulse report examines:

The state of the industry - from company sizes to revenue patterns

How contractors balance technical work with business operations

Why owners often hit a growth ceiling around $1-2M in revenue

Which tools and technologies companies are adopting

What successful companies are doing differently

Drawing from real data across the country, we provide insights about managing growth, freeing up owner time, and dealing with the technician shortage. The findings reveal both challenges and opportunities for contractors of all sizes.

This episode was recorded in March 2025.

In this episode of the Building HVAC Science Podcast, Bill Spohn and Eric Kaiser interview Jake Yurek, the co-founder of Pearl Edison, a platform designed to simplify the installation of energy-efficient systems for homeowners and contractors. Jake shares the origins of the company’s name, inspired by Thomas Edison’s first power station on Pearl Street, and explains how Pearl Edison partners with trusted entities like utilities and city governments to facilitate HVAC installations. Their approach aims to reduce customer acquisition costs for contractors while improving the decision-making process for homeowners.

Jake delves into the unique value proposition of Pearl Edison: acting as an intermediary that guides homeowners to the right system design before involving contractors. This approach saves contractors time and increases profitability by ensuring they engage with highly qualified leads. Pearl Edison focuses on maintaining high-quality standards by utilizing BPI-certified experts for home assessments, conducting blower door tests, and leveraging robust data analytics to provide personalized system recommendations.

The conversation also explores Pearl Edison’s business model of partnering with utilities and local governments, its strategic expansion plans, and the commitment to building trust and comfort with homeowners. Jake highlights the company’s continuous messaging and technology evolution to serve contractors and enterprise partners better. He invites interested contractors to connect with Pearl Edison, emphasizing the potential for mutually beneficial partnerships as the company grows into new markets.

Learn more at: https://www.pearledison.com/

Jake’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeyurek/

This episode was recorded in February 2025.