Man's World: One Female HVAC Technician Excels in Male Dominated Industry

By: Aire Serv Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. | 2 Shares 170 Reads

June 13, 2014 // Franchising.com // OMAHA, Neb. – Heather Lawrence, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technician, is the lead technician for Aire Serv ® of Omaha. She is in charge of ensuring technicians are fully trained in HVAC repair qualifications before heading to a customers home to render service. Lawrence is unique in that she is the only female Aire Serv HVAC technician in America.

Lawrence, who has worked for Aire Serv of Omaha for five years, went into the HVAC service industry not knowing what to expect from customers. Men have long dominated the HVAC repair industry thus leading to an expectation, on behalf of homeowners, to see a male technician arrive and conduct repairs. "People are often pleasantly surprised to see a female technician arrive and have the ability to fix their problem or complete a full system installation," stated Lawrence. "Female technicians tend to put the average homeowner at ease fairly quickly."

"Aire Serv of Omaha has always been comfortable with a lead female technician," observed Lawrence. Since working with Aire Serv of Omaha, she has trained several male technicians, imparting her knowledge and skill in the HVAC industry, while earning their respect along the way. As the lead technician and training coordinator for Aire Serv of Omaha, Lawrence stresses the importance of teamwork and cooperation while focusing on front-line customer service.

"Aire Serv of Omaha has encouraged me to succeed in every way," said Lawrence. "I am glad they gave me the opportunity to be a leader and allow my abilities to speak for themselves."

In 2010, Lawrence set herself apart from her co-workers by receiving the national Technician of the Year award from the Aire Serv corporate office. The award goes to a technician in the Aire Serv franchise network who has exemplified the key characteristics of a successful technician.

"I made Heather my lead technician and training coordinator for a reason," said Kevin Cargile, owner of Aire Serv of Omaha. "She has proven herself through some tough adversity and has persevered in the HVAC industry, showing great leadership ability among our crew."

Lawrence encourages all females to pursue a career that interests them and to not be intimidated by the job or stereotypes associated with it.

"No matter what kind of career you want to have, don’t let your gender get in the way," said Lawrence. "The only one holding you back is you."

Aire Serv encourages all women who want to work in the service industry to reach that goal. The Dwyer Group®, parent company to Aire Serv, offers the Women in the Trades scholarship that can be applied to any accredited trade or technical school in the U.S. or Canada. The scholarship covers seven specialty trades, HVAC, Plumbing, electrical repair, glass repair, appliance repair, restoration or landscaping. For more information on the Women in the Trades scholarship, contact witt@dwyergroup.com.

About Aire Serv®

Established in 1992, Aire Serv is a global franchise organization providing installation, maintenance and repair of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and indoor air quality systems. Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine among its "Franchise 500," Aire Serv franchisees provide services to both residential and commercial customers from more than 200 locations worldwide. Aire Serv is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc., family of service franchises. For more information or to find the location nearest you, visit AireServ.com.

SOURCE Aire Serv

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