Opportunities for Women in the HVAC Industry

Arctic Heat, a local heating and cooling contractor, is working to raise awareness in the trades industry by promoting women in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning).

Business Manager, co-owner, and mechanical contractor Carey Burnside recently became a member of a nationwide organization called Women in HVACR (the R stands for refrigeration, which means low temperature and is different from air conditioning).

The organization has over 1,200 members, but Burnside is currently the only member from Montana, both as a business and as an individual. Women in HVACR have not yet verified whether or not there have been any previous members from Montana. The organization's purpose is to offer support, education, guidance, and information to women in the field all across the US. In addition, they award six scholarships annually to women seeking to complete their education in the HVAC field.

"There is such a minute percentage of the HVAC technicians that are female. It's only around 2% of those currently working in the field nationwide. We have great trade schools within our Montana University System, and there are opportunities for young women coming out of high school or those who are college-age to join these programs. If we can encourage these young women in this field, mentor them, and guide them, we can help them establish lifelong careers. Women are just as capable of doing this work as men and need to know they can."

As a mechanical contractor, Burnside has worked alongside her husband for 25 years. He earned his degree and universal certification in 1999 before moving to Montana with their family. They are currently operating their second HVAC business out of Boulder, Montana, and she has become much more involved with the Whitehall Chamber of Commerce and the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce through Arctic Heat.

The Helena Area Chamber of Commerce founded a program called Helena WINS that focuses on educating middle and high school students on trade opportunities and providing information on vocational education versus traditional university education. There is a large demand for skilled workers in our country, and seeking education in the trades provides opportunities for these students to earn a degree faster, at a lower cost, and get to work sooner.

The Burnsides became familiar with the Helena WINS program while their youngest son was still attending Capital High School. They were already members of the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce. Their son was studying to be a welder and a diesel mechanic, intending to attend MSU Northern after graduation, which he did. Their family was so involved in skilled trades, so it seemed like a natural fit to learn more about it. At that time, however, she had no idea that the Women in HVACR organization existed or that she should be encouraging women in the trade. Now, she is eager to move forward with the two groups.

"Members of the Women in HVACR don't have to be technicians. They can be sponsors, business owners, contractors, or even employees of companies in the trade. They encourage female contractors in the field to join because there are always new business owners out there who need mentors and understand the HVAC world in business," said Burnside.

The Helena WINS program looks forward to adding the HVAC field to its list of vocations to promote. They bring schools, manufacturers, and employers together across the state to show these students what is available. Their annual Construction and Trades Day will be held in Helena on May 18, 2024. Unfortunately, Burnside will not be able to attend this year but is looking forward to building a relationship with Helena WINS and getting further involved with Women in HVACR over the next year to attend next year's event.

Burnside has applied to be an ambassador and a mentor for the Women in HVACR organization. The Ambassador's main focus is introducing this field to school students, which is exactly what Helena WINS is already doing, so it's a great fit. She's excited about this opportunity and seeing how much she can accomplish through them here in Montana.

As a member of both the Helena and Whitehall Chambers, Arctic Heat encourages you to contact them if you have any interest in these programs. The more they can spread the word, the better. Arctic Heat can be found on Facebook, in the Whitehall phone book, in the Boulder phone book, and in both the Whitehall Ledger and the Boulder Monitor.