More than 80 attendees participated in leadership development, networking and fundraising events supporting women in the HVACR industry
Women in HVACR (WHVACR), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration trades, welcomed more than 80 industry professionals to its Step Into Your Power regional meeting in Houston in May. The event offered networking, leadership training and collaboration, as well as the unveiling of the organization’s new logo.
Introduced during the welcome reception, the refreshed brand logo reflects WHVACR’s commitment to celebrate each woman’s unique strengths while fostering the connections that create a powerful network of support, mentorship and opportunity within the industry. The meeting also featured leadership circles, vision-boarding exercises and peer discussions focused on personal growth, professional development and building strategic connections among women in the trades.
“Our Houston regional meeting showcased the incredible strength, talent and momentum of women throughout the HVACR industry,” WHVACR President Jane Sidebottom said. “The event gave attendees a chance to step back, think about their goals, share their experiences and learn from one another while celebrating an exciting milestone for our organization with the reveal of our new logo.”
Event raises funds to support women in HVACR
The event raised more than $18,000 to further the group’s mission, and the following companies sponsored various items and events:
- Hunton Distribution: SWAG sponsor
- Daikin Industries: Ink Factory and Vision Boarding sponsor
- Pipefitters Local 211: Leadership Circle sponsor
- The Sauermann Group: Break sponsor
Attendees heard from keynote speaker Angela Gargano, who delivered an energetic presentation focused on resilience, confidence and personal growth. The event also featured local industry leaders Tanya Gaitz, owner of Gaitz HVACR, and Connie Schroder, director of residential product marketing at Daikin Comfort Technologies, who shared insights from their careers and discussed opportunities and challenges facing women in the trades.
A unique feature of the event was a partnership with The Ink Factory, whose team captured presentations and discussions through live visual note-taking. The resulting illustrations highlighted key themes and takeaways from the event while creating an engaging and interactive experience for attendees.
Looking ahead to the annual conference
The event concluded with a registration drawing for a complimentary ticket to the 2026 Women in HVACR Annual Conference, Built for Speed, scheduled for Sept. 27-29 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis. Belinda Byers, an HVAC talent recruiter at AC Designs in Jacksonville, Florida, was selected as the winner.
For more information about Women in HVACR, visit https://www.womeninhvacr.org/.
About Women in HVACR
Since 2002, Women in HVACR has worked to increase the number of women in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigerant (HVACR) industry and empower women to succeed by providing members with a variety of opportunities to network and develop a professional environment through education and mentorship. The 1,200-member nonprofit organization holds a variety of regional and national events each year and provides scholarship opportunities for women who pursue careers within the HVACR industry, including those who seek engineering and business degrees or a trade school education. For more information about Women in HVACR, visit https://www.womeninhvacr.org/.
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