Standard Heating and Air (standardac.com) is very proud to announce that CEO Jody DuRee has been named one of the Top Women in HVAC by the NEWS Magazine! This National HVAC Contractors News Magazine has been around since 1926.

Jody has worked at Standard Heating and Air Conditioning for 31 years. Her career started in accounts receivable, after which she was promoted to Office Manager followed by Vice President of Operations before her current position as CEO. There were 45 team members when she started in 1992, and they’ve grown to over 180 employee-owners today.

Jody is most proud that she has been part of a business culture built on honesty and integrity. Throughout her career, she has always strived to provide customers with the best products and services to meet their specific needs. The proudest moment of her career was when Standard became an employee-owned company, and she was honored to be named the CEO of a company she has dedicated herself to.

Jody feels 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 businesswomen understand how to take care of customers and know how to function with integrity and become strong leaders. Women role models were limited in 1992, therefor Jody relied on the businessmen around her to be mentors.

She encourages anyone in leadership roles, both men and women, to help women take advantage of the opportunities in the HVACR industry. If the industry promotes an inclusive culture of opportunity for all genders, there should be an increase in 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. Jody has helped several women join the industry who had no previous HVACR experience. They have gone on to be successful in sales, finance, project management and marketing.

These leaders should be involved in and support organizations that bring women into the industry, such as Women in HVACR and NAWIC (Nation Association of Women in Construction). Jody is a member of both.

Jody’s advice to anyone considering entering the HVACR field is to not 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. 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.

This original article can be found at www.achrnews.com/articles/153725-2023-top-women-in-hvac-jody-duree.

For more information about Standard Heating and Air Conditioning, visit standardac.com.