Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesEngineering & Construction

Women in HVAC: Pioneering Change in a Male-Dominated Industry

In this episode of Straight Outta Crumpton, host Greg Crumpton speaks with Gwen Smothers about the growing role of women in the HVAC industry. Smothers shares her 25+ years of experience in business systems and operational efficiency, and discusses how mentorship and inclusive practices can help attract and retain more women in skilled trades. The conversation also covers the business and operational side of HVAC, beyond traditional fieldwork.

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Engineering & Construction teams put it to work with Partner & Channel Enablement.

Promoted content from Straight Outta Crumpton on MarketScale.

By Vince Holland · · Greg CrumptonGwen SmothersPiedmont Service GroupService Logic
Share

Key takeaways

01

Women are increasingly entering the HVAC sector, driven by rising college costs and strong demand for skilled labor.

02

Mentorship and intentional inclusion initiatives are key to bridging the gender gap in the trades.

03

Operational efficiency and business systems integration are critical, often overlooked dimensions of the HVAC industry.

Free workspace

Turn your Engineering & Construction expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

The HVAC industry is evolving, and with it, the roles within the sector are expanding beyond traditional boundaries. Amid rising tuition costs and strong demand for skilled labor, young people are increasingly choosing trade schools over a traditional college education. With such a shift highlighting the need for a more diverse workforce, the questions remain—how can the HVAC industry attract and retain more women in the workforce? How can we further support and promote women in HVAC?

In this episode of Straight Outta Crumpton, host Greg Crumpton sits down with Gwen Smothers, a leader in the push for more women in HVAC. From managing complex business operations to mentoring the next generation, Smothers shares her insights on what it takes to create an inclusive and thriving HVAC workforce.

Key takeaways from the episode:

The Expanding Role of Women in HVAC: Gwen Smothers discusses her leadership in the industry, her involvement with Service Logic, and how she works to improve business processes across multiple divisions.

Bridging the Gender Gap in Skilled Trades: The conversation highlights the growing number of women entering the HVAC sector, the importance of mentorship, and initiatives aimed at breaking down traditional industry barriers.

The Business Side of HVAC: Smothers emphasizes how operational efficiency and system integrations are just as critical as fieldwork, reshaping the industry’s approach to service and customer relations.

Gwen Smothers is an experienced Business Systems Implementation Manager with over 25 years of experience at Piedmont Service Group, specializing in accounting processes and operational efficiency. She also serves as an Implementation Manager at Service Logic, where she plays a key role in integrating business systems across multiple divisions. Her expertise lies in streamlining workflows, improving system adoption, and driving efficiency in the HVAC industry.

Article written by MarketScale.

Straight Outta Crumpton

Part of this channel

Straight Outta Crumpton

Greg Crumpton on why relationships are the foundation of business

Visit the channel

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Engineering & Construction starts with a company putting its project engineers, superintendents, and estimators on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Owners shortlist firms they already trust, and your field leaders become the reason your name is on that list.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

About the author

VH
Vince Holland
B2B Weekly

The week in Engineering & Construction, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Engineering & Construction: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Engineering & Construction buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Engineering & Construction expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your project engineers, superintendents, and estimators into the articles, video, and social content Engineering & Construction buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Engineering & Construction Insights

Bell partnership lets Hitachi target the classes that make up roughly 90% of the North American ADT market

Bell partnership lets Hitachi target the classes that make up roughly 90% of the North American ADT market

Through a collaboration with Bell Equipment, Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas plans to add three articulated dump trucks: the ZD30, ZD45 and ZD50. The launch is scheduled for early summer 2027, and Hitachi dealers in the United States and Canada will support the trucks. Ranging from 30 to 50 tons, the models put Hitachi in the equipment classes that make up roughly 90% of the North American ADT market. The lineup gives contractors a single dealer network for excavators, wheel loaders and articulated dump trucks.

  • 01Hitachi's ZD30, ZD45, ZD50 articulated trucks launch early summer 2027 and address size classes representing about 90% of North American ADT demand
  • 02Bell Equipment, with over 26 years in the North American ADT market, manufactures the trucks while Hitachi dealers distribute and support them across the U.S. and Canada
  • 03The partnership lets Hitachi dealers quote excavators, wheel loaders, and ADTs from one network, expanding their offering.

Oct 30, 2026

Hover 3D roof measurements now flow straight into Trussi roofing estimates

Hover 3D roof measurements now flow straight into Trussi roofing estimates

Trussi, built inside Shamrock Roofing and Construction, imports Hover 3D measurements into job records and estimate fields. Hover reports bill to the contractor’s own Hover account at existing pricing, with no markup. One phone capture can also support exterior quotes in multi-trade workflows.

  • 01Hover reports bill to the contractor's own Hover account at existing prices, with no reseller markup.
  • 02One smartphone capture can feed both a roof estimate and a siding, window, door and trim takeoff, which matters most for contractors who sell more than one exterior trade.

Oct 27, 2026

Procore expands NVIDIA collaboration on construction digital twins

Procore expands NVIDIA collaboration on construction digital twins

Procore has announced closed-beta digital twin capabilities, powered by NVIDIA Omniverse libraries, that link 3D models to procurement and schedule data and to DroneDeploy site captures. How much they pay off likely depends on how current each contractor's schedule and procurement records are, especially on data center megaprojects.

  • 01Procore’s NVIDIA twin links model to schedule and procurement data, showing how a late delivery can ripple into downstream work.
  • 02A delay simulation is only as good as the delivery dates behind it: projects that track procurement outside Procore would get the 3D model with less of the ripple analysis.
  • 03Investing.com says Commissioning and an IBM Maximo integration are in beta; they could extend the twin past handover as closed beta expands.

Oct 25, 2026

Explore More Engineering & Construction Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Engineering & Construction.

Browse Engineering & Construction Hub

About the Experts

VH
Vince Holland

Host, Straight Outta Crumpton

Greg Crumpton is the host of Straight Outta Crumpton, a podcast focused on the art of networking and relationship-building in business services. He is a veteran of the skilled trades and HVAC industry with decades of experience in building professional relationships. Crumpton uses the show to connect with influencers across business services, facilities management, and the trades.

GS
Gwen Smothers

Business Systems Implementation Manager

Piedmont Service Group / Service Logic

Gwen Smothers is an experienced Business Systems Implementation Manager with over 25 years of experience at Piedmont Service Group, specializing in accounting processes and operational efficiency. She also serves as an Implementation Manager at Service Logic, where she integrates business systems across multiple divisions. Her work focuses on streamlining workflows, improving system adoption, and driving efficiency in the HVAC industry.

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Engineering & Construction and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512