INDUSTRY LEADERS: ACCA staff and members meet in Denver with HVACR industry leaders from across the country. (Courtesy of ACCA)

Pape is handing the reins over to Martin Hoover of Empire Heating and Air Conditioning, who will serve as Chairman for 2024-2025.

“ACCA has momentum, the staff, and a wealth of volunteer contractors who are completely bought into a strategic plan and goals that will make ACCA bigger, better, and even more useful to contractors,” Hoover said. “I hope to contribute to that by helping grow membership, developing stronger relationships with state organizations, and ensuring ACCA remains at the forefront of issues that concern contractors. This will be a big year.”

The ACHR NEWS caught up with ACCA CEO and president, Bart James, about what that big year (and the next couple of years) will look like for the association.

What are the major HVACR trends and government regulations ACCA is focusing on?

BJ: Our top one, and I’m not sure it will ever end, is equity and workforce investments, but it’s more than equity. We want [to see the government] prioritize in-demand jobs — and in-demand jobs that are tied to a political agenda. You can't spend all this time on things like electrification and decarbonization if you're not making sure you've got the resources to make the investments. We have a lot of people thinking heat pumps are a new technology, and it's making them want to make sure investments happen there, but you don't just take that out of the box and plug it in. Especially in a climate like ours, it's going to take some really meaningful training … We wrote the manual on how to install heat pumps, we have the standard that we maintain — people that are going to do this work need to be tested and trained on that. Otherwise, all of us taxpayers are going to take a hit, and we're going to not only not move the needle — even if our goal is just to move people over to electric — but we're going to end up with consumers with some nasty bills, because of the way that most contractors deal with not knowing what they're doing. (Usually, that means they oversize equipment, which results in having heat strips, and it is an energy hog.)

The other one is just the constant bombardment of regulations. We’ve got to stop that pace because it’s unattainable to deal with, and it's all-consuming — not just for us as a trade association, but for people to keep up with. We want to make sure that there are standards maintained for the industry that recognize the professionals, and that's a battle at all levels: local, state, and federal.

How is ACCA aiding contractor members in these trends/regulations?

BJ: It’s education, trying to keep that at the top of mind. I love our new purpose we landed on during our 2023 strategic planning process: We focus on improving the quality of contractor lives and the professionalism of the HVACR industry. Our mission: ACCA is the voice of authority on behalf of HVAC contractors. We equip HVAC contractors and their teams to meet challenges and opportunities, we guide HVACR contractors and employees towards success, we lead the fight for the contractor’s interest and elevate the standards of excellence in the HVACR industry, and we forge relationships to promote HVACR contractor success. Our vision: To lead the way towards quality and professionalism across the HVACR industry creating a legacy of excellence for future leaders. … We try to keep our members thinking about the bigger picture and to be proud to be part of an organization like ACCA [focusing on the bigger picture] and encourage the contractors that aren’t, to get on board.

What should the HVACR industry be placing the most attention on?

BJ: I wish I could say there's an easy fix for the workforce. … How do you fix education? We've got to start way earlier than we are. And then we've got to professionalize this industry. Part of our challenge with the workforce is that these are businesses; it's more than just the technical. So you have to make sure you get involved, and they get the skills and knowledge and hold themselves to a standard where they can be an employer of choice. Making sure that they're equipped to be that way and take care of their employees, if they’re their No. 1 resource — people are literally buying HVAC companies to get to employees. You darn well better take care of them when you get them.

What does ACCA hope for the future of the industry?

BJ: Pride. I want every one of our members to have that pride and not to see this industry just as the tough work they sometimes have to do. I want to see more of the men and women that lead this industry run for office and help change stuff. I love the fact that we now have more HVAC contractors in Congress than doctors. … These men and women are so equipped for bigger and better things. They are uniquely positioned.

What is your hope for the industry over the next year?

BJ: That we stop the duplication, that we work together better, and that we recognize the importance of the contractor. Too often, we're using terms to describe them, which they've become used to, but they're not a ‘dealer.’ They are a professional. I want the contractors to see themselves as that. And the overarching goal for the industry: to stop the duplication. We've got so much repetitive stuff, and we're competing in the wrong places.

What is your hope for what ACCA can provide, or where the association will go, when looking forward?

BJ: We're continuing to evolve. Our new vice president of communications, marketing, and partnerships, Kate Wessels, is a great example of that. Trying to recruit and retain talent to better serve our members and to know our members better. It’s got to be a partnership, we need them to share with us, and vice versa … We've got 3,000 of them doing half the work in the country, and we owe it to them to know what keeps them up at night, and how we can be a partner to them.