Serving a Need 

McKee founded her social media agency, Kee Hart Marketing, in 2018. In 2021, she was introduced to a plumber who wanted to use TikTok, which was around the time the app took off due in part to the pandemic.  

“There weren’t a lot of businesses using TikTok to reach their customers, so they were my first plumber and first TikTok client, so we got a lot of attention for it,” she said. 

People asked the plumber who was managing their social media, leading more customers to Kee Hart Marketing. Along with other plumbers, this introduced McKee to the HVAC industry, and she has dedicated her agency to helping companies in the trades. 

“I feel really lucky to have found it because it’s been a great honor for me,” she said. “It’s some of the most incredible people that I’ve met, and some of my good friends have now come from being a part of this industry.”

Since then, Kee Hart Marketing has served more than 200 clients, created over 30,000 pieces of content, amassed 230 million impressions, and generated more than $15 million in revenue for clients. It’s also consistently recognized by the American Marketing Association of San Antonio, and McKee was named one of ACHR NEWS’ 40 Under 40 in 2024. 

Margo Mercado of Kee Hart Marketing said that in just over a year, McKee’s podcast has surpassed 4,000 downloads, her email list has grown to nearly 6,000 industry professionals, and her social media content reaches thousands of trades owners and marketers daily.  

“Jen McKee has carved out a distinct niche that the trades industry desperately needed: practical, no-fluff social media education built specifically for home service providers,” Mercado said in her nomination. “She is actively reshaping how an entire industry thinks about showing up online, and the results speak for themselves.” 

McKee is aware that the term “influencer” can be loaded or misunderstood, which is part of what inspires her to encourage HVAC contractors and owners to positively affect others through social media. 

She said one misconception about being an influencer is that you need millions of followers. However, people with such a vast following aren’t always able to reach the right audience. She suggests HVACR companies at every level — whether they be contractors, manufacturers, or distributors — focus on who they’re trying to reach and to make sure they’re interacting with those people.  

“Instead of focusing so heavily on the traditional influencer, as the owner of a company, you have the opportunity to be an influencer for your company just by focusing on your personal brand, by being in the community, by meeting people, by making connections and building your network,” she said. 

Living by example, she has used her platform to elevate voices in the industry, from Women in HVACR to LadyTitans and Power Women of the Trades. 

Time to Shine 

Whether it’s in person or online, McKee makes an impression from the outset. If she isn’t wearing eye-catching sequins, she almost always includes purple in her outfit — her company’s official color. 

She started wearing sequins when she attended her first big conference. She didn’t know many attendees, so she wanted to give people a reason to talk with her. What began as a conversation starter has now become a signature look and an embodiment of her notion of “show up shiny.”

“It’s really just my first lesson of how important it is to stand out, and you can’t be like everybody else to stand out,” she said. “Social media is where you stand out, it’s where you tell your story. It’s where you showcase who you are, and who you are is different than everybody else.”

In that respect, she says Kee Hart Marketing stands out from the competition thanks to its personal touch and its “3S Framework” of “Show Up,” “Stand Out,” and “Scale.” It’s a strategy McKee uses to educate others on creating content that will show up in news feeds. 

“So many contractors and owners and just people in our industry have a lot of influence and don’t recognize it, or don’t always feel comfortable understanding that they have that influence and have the ability to help impact other people’s lives,” she said. 

For those hesitant to jump onto social media, McKee says the benefits are numerous. Not only is it a way to communicate with your community, but it also serves as a recruiting tool and a lead generator. Given the increase in AI-generated content on social media, it’s also a way to stand out from the crowd as an authentic voice. 

“Through her agency, podcast, speaking, mentorship, and daily content, Jen has helped modernize the industry’s voice, build stronger brands, and create a bigger stage for contractors and women alike,” said Tersh Blissett, owner of IceBound HVAC & Refrigeration and co-host of the Service Mastery Podcast, in his nomination. “She isn’t just participating in the HVAC conversation; she’s helping lead it.” 

Given that the All-Star Awards are based on public voting, it’s further proof of McKee excelling in her role. 

“People saw that I was nominated and voted for me, and I feel like that is what an influencer can do: get people to vote for them,” she said with a laugh. “It’s super special.”