Women in HVACR welcomed more than 80 industry professionals to its Step Into Your Power regional meeting in Texas in May, where the nonprofit unveiled a new logo and raised more than $18,000 to support its mission in the HVACR industry.
The organization said the refreshed logo, introduced during the welcome reception, features interlinking Ws that symbolize the strength of each woman individually and the momentum they create together. The event included networking, leadership training, leadership circles, vision-boarding exercises and peer discussions focused on personal growth, professional development and strategic connections among women in the trades.
Sponsors included Hunton Distribution as SWAG sponsor, Daikin Industries as Ink Factory and Vision Boarding sponsor, Pipefitters Local 211 as Leadership Circle sponsor and The Sauermann Group as Break sponsor.
Attendees heard from keynote speaker Angela Gargano, who spoke about resilience, confidence and personal growth. Tanya Gaitz, owner of Gaitz HVACR, and Connie Schroder, director of residential product marketing at Daikin Comfort Technologies, shared career insights and discussed opportunities and challenges facing women in the trades.
The event also included a partnership with The Ink Factory, whose team captured presentations and discussions through live visual note-taking. The resulting illustrations highlighted key themes and takeaways from the event.
“Our Houston regional meeting showcased the incredible strength, talent and momentum of women throughout the HVACR industry,” WHVACR President Jane Sidebottom said. “The event gave attendees a chance to step back, think about their goals, share their experiences and learn from one another while celebrating an exciting milestone for our organization with the reveal of our new logo.”
The meeting concluded with a registration drawing for a complimentary ticket to the 2026 Women in HVACR Annual Conference, Built for Speed, scheduled for Sept. 27-29 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis. Belinda Byers, an HVAC talent recruiter at AC Designs in Jacksonville, Florida, was selected as the winner.
