HVAC Contractor Forum: A New Event for Learning From Other Contractors

Episode: Episode 78

Hiring shortages, rising equipment costs, and changing customer expectations leave HVAC owners with decisions to make every day. How are other contractors handling them? In this episode of The Catalyst for the Trades, Melanie Osio sits down with Carrie Cypert and Kyle Gargaro of ACHR News to preview the first HVAC Contractor Forum and its focus on contractors learning from one another.

Scheduled for November 2–4, 2026, at the Omni in Frisco, Texas, the forum brings residential and light commercial HVAC contractors together for sessions on business management and technical trends. Carrie and Kyle explain how contractor feedback shaped the event, with an agenda covering repair versus replacement, heat pumps, indoor air quality, social media, customer conversations, and competing as a family-owned business. They also discuss a contractor panel exploring findings from ACHR News’ contractor-homeowner study, including pricing transparency.

The conversation looks beyond the sessions to the relationships contractors can build over meals, receptions, and conversations with operators from other markets. Carrie and Kyle also explain how ACHR News supports owners, service managers, and technicians through its articles, newsletters, videos, webinars, and Newsmakers podcast. For owners deciding where to spend their time learning, the episode offers a look at the forum’s format and the ideas attendees could bring back to their businesses.

Guest: Carrie Cypert and Kyle Gargaro

Carrie Cypert, Associate Director of Sales Strategy and Growth for BNP Media’s Mechanical Systems Group · Kyle Gargaro, Executive Director of Content for BNP Media’s Mechanical Systems Group

Event information: HVAC Contractor Forum

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