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Women in HVACR Newsletter Edition: Fourth Quarter > Janurary 2016

We held our 13th Annual Conference in Philly

Women in HVACR held their 13th Annual Conference "Networking" Growth through Connectivity, in Philadelphia PA, September 20th, 8am - 4pm, at Pennsylvania Convention Center, in conjunction with ComforTech 2016. It was a huge success! Below are some pictures, and a link to the rest of the pictures.
Upcoming Events
WHVACR AHR EXPO
Check out our WHVACR Booth at the AHR EXPO in Las Vegas NV, Jan 30th - Feb 1st Booth # C6217.
Direct Mail is Back!
Danielle Putnam
President, The New Flat Rate
Treasurer, Women in HVACR
As often as possible, I bring my baby girl when I travel. However, in April when she turns 2 and no longer flies for free, well the season will most likely come to an end. But in the meantime, I’m enjoying every minute of it.  Especially, minutes that last 2.5hrs like the one in the Atlanta airport last week as I traveled alone with her from the Comfortech show in Philadelphia. While laying over before our flight home to Chattanooga, I had very few toys to keep her occupied.
If you’ve ever been to the Atlanta airport, there are trains in the dungeon between the terminals…or you can opt to walk on the moving sidewalks. The terminals were crowded so the idea struck me of taking Palmer downstairs between the train stops, to run on the moving sidewalks! Naturally she loved it and we went back and forth a minimum of 9 times between the terminals.
What does this have to do with lead generation and direct mail?  Well, your customers should want to buy from you time and time again…and in turn, lead generation should be an enjoyable experience. Like my daughter and the moving sidewalks, the transactions between you and your customer base should be multiple…not just one. Palmer is now a fan of the moving...
#HVACGirlProblems
How To Wear Your Hair with a Hard Hat
Karen Lamy DeSousa
Safety equipment is incredibly important and a necessity, but it is not usually very attractive or fun to wear. There are exceptions to this. For example, steel-toed Converse sneakers exist. How awesome is THAT? But when it comes to safety, women face even more challenges than men. One of the most common questions I get asked is, “What do you do with your hair when you wear a hard hat?”
I have to admit two things. First, I spend most of my time in the office, so hard hats are a rarity for me. And second, I honestly have no idea! The last time I wore a hardhat, I had shoulder length hair almost always in a ponytail. I learned fast that the traditional high ponytail and hard hats DO NOT MIX. (Trust me, save yourself from the humiliating experience of trying to cram a wobbling hardhat over the ponytail, as your male counterparts laugh their buttocks off at you.) I’m also told that if you wear a hard hat for any length of time, hair that is completely down can get itchy and just be in your way. Not to mention that if it’s warm, long hair can get pretty sweaty under there. Ick
So, first I did a Google search. When in doubt...
Connect With Us
Women in HVACR on Social Media
We want to hear from you...It's 2016!
Now more than ever, there are so many ways for us to connect.
We Facebook, Twitter, Google and Instagram.
We also LinkedIn, Eblast and send quarterly newsletters.
Why? We're Women in HVACR. Let's connect and grow together.
Reach out to us! Share your successes, failures and experiences. Allow us to share and acknowledge you as a member.
We want to network. Network with us! Bookmark us, tag us, follow us, email us. Let us respond, post and write about what makes a difference, or influences us all for the better.

Together this year we will engage, network, mentor and learn from each other through Women in HVACR. Together we will grow through connectivity in 2016!

Submit your ideas for future newsletter topics to: newsletter@womeninhvacr.org

President's Corner by Marjorie McAllister, Women in HVACR President

Dear Women in HVACR Members,
We are coming to the close of the year 2016, and I personally cannot believe how fast 2016 went by. I had such an amazing year serving as your President. I encourage both returning and new members to take an active role in Women in HVACR so that others can share in the experiences that have made a lasting impact on me both professionally and personally.

The recurring theme throughout the year was Growth through Connectivity. It was our goal this year to grow and connect women in various industry roles with other women in similar roles, and to share ideas, experiences and knowledge. I believe we achieved those goals. Specifically, we had significant increase in scholarships entries for 2016; our mentorship program expanded; and we will be forming new Philanthropy Committee that will be launched in 2017.
The goals we achieved this year corroborate my personal belief that when women support each other, incredible things happen. As your President for the year 2016, it was my privilege to be involved in an organization which actively promotes that ideology. Truly, this concept is the benchmark of our organization, and the reason I joined this group 8 years ago.

When I began as President for Women in HVACR, I referenced the following quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes: "Greatness is not where we stand, but in what direction we are moving". Therefore, I again encourage all members to become involved so that we may keep moving forward, and keep this organization expanding and growing in a direction to further women's success in this industry.
Yours Truly,
Marjorie McAllister
5-2-1® Compressor Saver®, a division of CPS Products Inc.
Women in HVACR Passing of the Gavel
Ruth Ann Davis-McElwee –Women in HVACR 2 term president (2014 and 2015)
Women in HVACR is proud to have had an industry leader and shining example of industry knowledge, true elegance and an authentic love of our industry in our Immediate Past President Ruth Ann Davis- McElwee who will be rolling off of the WHVACR board December 31st.
“It was a great pleasure to work side by side with her for 4 years, said Patti Ellingson – Past President (2012 and 2013), “Ruth Ann Davis is an inspiration to myself and many other men and women in the industry and is one of the most genuine and honest people I know. She is not only a mentor to me but a personal friend with a love of shoes, family and travel.  It was truly an honor to work so closely with her over the years. Ruth Ann Davis is someone one who will always find the best of a situation, she is a champion of positive thinking and will always encourage you to find your inner dream and reach for it…
WHVACR Mentorship Program in Full Swing
by Karen DeSousa
The Women in HVACR Mentorship Program is now in full swing! With applications rolling in from several different parts of the US as well as Canada, the Women in HVACR are ready to connect and start building relationships!

The Women in HVACR Mentorship Program was started in response to a need from our Membership to find deeper ways to connect with other members. We’ve begun the first step in creating a pathway to fill the need, but we need YOUR help to make it work. Right now we are seeking women to fill the role of Mentor for several applicants.

A mentor’s role is primarily to be a good listener, offering understanding and the occasional friendly advice. The goal of both mentor and mentee is to develop a relationship based on common experiences and challenges, and be there to help each other through those challenges. Whether you have…
WHVACR at HARDI
WHVACR meet at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO for their annual HARDI Meeting. There we hosted our Networking Event & Workshop. Below is a link to see photos of the event.
WHVACR at Service World
WHVACR held a networking event at The Terrace at the Tropiciana Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Below is a link to photos of the event.
New 2017 WHVACR Board Members
Click on our pictures to read our Bios
Renee J Joseph
Vice President of Sales & Marketing, JCI
VP of Sales and Marketing Operations leads the North America sales and marketing functions to drive JCI’s strategic change toward a products company with multiple channels to market. This role must lead across all product and channel businesses in North America to design, create, implement and execute sales program critical to JCI’s transformation including: Account Management (across ~$4B NA product sales businesses), Sales Management Disciplines (within ~50 NA Brands), Synergy launch marketing (~$180M SINC ramp up plan to meet ADTi CAR), lead design and implementation of North American region’s CRM system (all brand and products). This VP must also design and deploy market intel and reporting within our new CRM system for appropriate competitors within our products business and build reporting capabilities and standard across the ADTi acquisition. A critical task is to lead our marketing efforts across NA products (all brand businesses) to manage…
Lauren Roberts
Executive Vice President, cfm Distributors, Inc
Lauren Roberts has been working in the HVAC/R industry for 12 years. Lauren started working in the industry at cfm Distributors, Inc., a 100% employee-owned wholesale HVAC/R distributor headquartered in Kansas City, MO and continues to work there today. Lauren has spent most of her career at cfm in various marketing roles and has spent the last 5 years as a Vice President focused on Marketing, e-commerce, customer experience, company culture and employee/customer training and development. Lauren currently holds the role of Executive Vice President, which includes more focus on guiding the overall corporate initiatives and growth strategies. Lauren also serves in various volunteer industry roles. She is currently the chair of the HARDI Marketing Committee, a member of the HARDI Emerging Leaders Task Force, and is Secretary/Treasurer of the Board of Directors for HARDI’s philanthropic organization, HALO.  Lauren holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City as well as a Professional Certificate of Innovative Distribution from the University of Innovative Distribution at Purdue University.
Angie Snow
Co-Owner, Western Heating and Air Conditioning
Angie Snow is the co-owner and Vice President of Western Heating & Air Conditioning in Orem, Utah. She and her husband, Ryan, purchased Western in 2007. At that time the company had 4 technicians and was ran out of their home. Today Western has 26 employees and they are looking forward to continued growth. Much of this growth began when Angie and Ryan incorporated company values and focused on building a positive culture. Angie took over the marketing in 2012 and built a brand which reflected their company values such as integrity and trust. She also increased their online marketing efforts which included obtaining more customer reviews. Their company now has well over 1,600 online reviews.
Colleen Leppert
Vice President, BLUE HAWK
Colleen Leppert is Vice President at BLUE HAWK, a purchasing cooperative for HVACR wholesalers. BLUE HAWK (www.bluehawk.coop) was founded in 2005 to support independent HVACR wholesalers in working together to strengthentheir position in the supply chain. Today BLUE HAWK is the largest Wholesale Distribution Entity in the HVACR Industry with 224 wholesale member-owners, with over 1,300 locations and aggregate sales of over $7 Billion. Prior to launching BLUE HAWK,Colleen spent 12 years as part of a team that launched wholesale purchasing cooperatives in various segments of the building industry. Colleen graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Computer Information Systems from Arizona State University. After college she joined Arthur Andersen in their Computer Consulting Division and spent ten years developing customized software applications for utility companies and municipal governments. Colleenhas supported Women in HVACR for many years and is active with HARDI and AHR. Colleen lives in Flagstaff, Arizona and is passionate about all outdoor activities.
Useful Applications
One of the tables at our conference during our December session covered "favorite apps". We compiled a list of all that were mentioned below!
All Trails
Health & Fitness
Download: Appstore | Playstore
All Trails is your guide to the outdoors! Whether you are traveling or looking to discover new trails nearby, All Trails makes it easy to find the best trails to hike, bike, or run.
Calendar Wiz
Calendar
Download: Website
Online calendar software made to share. CalendarWiz is used as a website calendar, website plug-in, intranet calendar and as a stand-alone calendar.
Dark Sky
Weather
Download: Appstore | Playstore
Dark Sky is the most accurate source of hyperlocal weather information. With down-to-the-minute forecasts, you'll know exactly when the rain will start or stop, right where you're standing. (It's like magic.)
DocuSign
Electronic Signature
DocuSign replaces printing, faxing, scanning and overnighting documents with the easiest, fastest, most trusted way to make every approval and decision digital.
Duolingo
Translation
Download: Appstore | Playstore
Learn Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Irish, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, and English. Totally fun. Totally free.
Evernote
Notes
Inspiration strikes anywhere. Evernote lets you capture, nurture, and share your ideas across any device
Happy Hours
Entertainment
Download: Appstore | Playstore
Happy Hours shows all the food & drink specials near you. Find great deals going on at your favorite bars and restaurants.
Hotel Tonight
Hotel Deals
Download: Appstore | Playstore
Great hotels. Amazing last-minute deals. Book wherever, whenever on your mobile device for tonight, tomorrow and next week.
Insight Timer
Health & Fitness
Download: Appstore | Playstore
Insight Timer is the largest community of regular meditators on the planet. Our community generates more meditation minutes than any other app
My Fitness Pal
Health & Fitness
Download: Appstore | Playstore
Lose weight with MyFitnessPal, the world's most popular health and fitness app! With the largest food database by far (over 6,000,000 foods), our amazingly fast and easy to use calorie counter help you take those extra pounds off!
Penulimate
Notes
Download: Appstore
Penultimate is the award-winning digital handwriting app for iPad that combines the natural experience of pen and paper with power of Evernote's sync and search features. Lose the paper, keep the handwriting.
Slack
Communication
Slack brings team communication and collaboration into one place so you can get more work done, whether you belong to a large enterprise or a small business.
Thunderspace
Sound
Download: Appstore
During the day, Thunderspace won't let you focus on all the noise around you. And at night it will make you very sleepy.
Tripit
Travel Itinerary
View all your travel plans in one place. TripIt will create a master itinerary for each of your trips that you can access anytime, anywhere for free.
Waze
Maps
Download: Appstore | Playstore
Waze is the world's largest community-based traffic and navigation app. Join other drivers in your area who share real-time traffic and road info, saving everyone time and gas money on their daily commute.
Wunderlist
Calendar Wiz
Wunderlist is the easiest way to get stuff done. Whether you're planning a holiday, sharing a shopping list with a partner or managing multiple work projects, Wunderlist is here to help you tick off all your personal and professional to-do.