AI in the Field: What Actually Works for HVACR Contractors

Seth Earley is the CEO and Founder of Earley Information Science (EIS) and the author of The AI-Powered Enterprise, winner of the 2022 AXIOM Silver Award for Business and AI Books. He has been recognized as a Top 50 Global Thought Leader in AI and Emerging Technology by Thinkers360 and hosts the Earley AI Podcast, ranked among the top 100 global business and technology podcasts. For more than 30 years, Seth has helped enterprise organizations build the information foundations that make AI work at scale. His clients span Fortune 50 companies, federal agencies, and field service operations across multiple industries. His most recent field service engagement deployed an AI-powered virtual assistant to 300 refrigeration service technicians at W&B Service Company, reducing time spent searching for technical information in the field by 50%. Seth understands the HVAC and field service space and speaks at major industry events including KM World, AI World, and industry summits. He contributes to Harvard Business Review, Customer Think, and VKTR, and serves as an editor of the peer-reviewed journal Applied Marketing Analytics.

The AI Journey: A Decade of Decisions, Implementations, and Results

Josh Campbell is the founder and president of Rescue Air & Plumbing, a Dallas-area home services company he has grown from a small startup into a $25M operation in just over a decade. A fourth-generation mechanical contractor, he launched Rescue Air in 2014 with a "small-town values" mindset and has since built a 40-person team known for fast response times, 4.5-star online reviews, and a fanatically customer-focused culture. Under his leadership, Rescue Air has earned Lennox's Centurion Award for Excellence, placing the company among the top 4 percent of Lennox contractors nationwide, and Josh himself was recognized as Nexstar's 2020 "Life Changer of the Year" for his impact on people and community.

Beyond building a high-growth HVAC and plumbing brand, Josh is emerging as one of the go-to voices on how artificial intelligence is reshaping home services. He has been featured on multiple industry podcasts and platforms, including Entrepreneur, Yelp's "Behind the Review," and UpSmith's "Untapped." A frequent keynote and panel speaker for software companies, trade associations, and contractor networks such as ServiceTitan, SGI, and Nexstar, Josh shares concrete playbooks for leveraging AI, data, and culture to scale from a "truck and a dream" to an eight-figure, multi-trade powerhouse.

Optimize – Automate – Delegate

Tersh Blissett is a home service industry entrepreneur, multi-location HVAC, plumbing, and electrical business owner, and the founder and co-host of the Service Business Mastery podcast, a show with over 160,000 monthly listeners focused on helping contractors build smarter, more profitable companies. Widely known as a trailblazer in operational innovation, Tersh specializes in helping home service businesses save time, reduce chaos, and increase profit by applying real-world systems thinking to technology, automation, and team leadership.

In recent years, Tersh has become one of the leading voices on practical AI for contractors, teaching owners how to rank in AI chat results, integrate AI voice agents, and use intelligent tools to improve call handling, lead generation, and customer experience without losing the human touch.

AI Without the Hype: A Practical Framework for HVAC Owners to Evaluate, Implement, and Win

Bekka Martel is co-owner and head of operations at Advanced Air Conditioning + Heating, a locally owned and operated American Standard Customer Care Dealer serving Austin and the surrounding areas. In her role, she oversees operations, call center, and marketing—with a focus on building systems that keep clients informed, booked, and well-served.

A former educator, Bekka brings that same commitment to continuous learning into her approach to AI: using it as a tool for consistent client outreach and homeowner education, helping customers understand their HVAC systems rather than just reacting when something breaks. She has hands-on experience evaluating and implementing AI tools across customer communications, inbound call handling, and estimate follow-up—including vetting vendors for fit, security, and real operational impact. Her approach is practical and peer-informed: identify the real pain, evaluate tools against it, lean on those already doing it, and just start.

You’re the Hero. AI Is the Cape.

Stephanie Allen is the CEO of AirWorks Solutions, a fast-growing HVAC company in Ventura County, California, and the co-founder of JustStart AI, a community created to help contractors move from AI overwhelm to AI action. After rebuilding her business through a difficult 2025 by cutting costs, streamlining operations, and leaning hard into AI, Stephanie now runs an HVAC company with no paid ads, lower marketing spend, and net profit around 25 percent—giving her a rare, in-the-trenches perspective on what AI can really do for home service businesses.

Her sessions are built for owners who care about people and profit in equal measure. Stephanie shows HVAC leaders how to use AI to write better customer communication, analyze their numbers, and simplify their marketing, while freeing their teams to focus on relationships, craftsmanship, and culture. As an early and vocal AI adopter in the trades, she co-hosts trainings and podcasts with partners like ServiceTitan and CI Web Group, where she breaks down real examples of AI-enabled operations, hiring, and leadership that any contractor can adapt—even if they are "not a tech person." HVAC owners will see themselves in her story as a mom of four and former law-student-turned-contractor who has tested AI tools in a real shop and distilled them into practical playbooks that protect margins, support teams, and future-proof their business.