Episode 177: Evolve or Dissolve – Post-AHR Reflections

[HERO] Episode 177: Evolve or Dissolve – Post-AHR Reflections

  • Podcast: HVAC R&D
  • Episode: 177
  • Host: Rhydon Atzenhoffer
  • Recorded: Post-AHR Expo 2026, Las Vegas
  • Watch: Substack Link

If you’ve never done a “trade show road trip” the right way, let me paint the picture.

North Carolina to Vegas. Kristen (Trade Wife) in the passenger seat. The Three Chilly Dogs, Kayden, Kodi and Rhodes in the back. A vehicle packed like a traveling band that still thinks it might get discovered at the next gig.

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And somewhere around hour… I don’t know… 17? it hit me again:

Evolve or dissolve.

Not as a motivational poster. More like that feeling when you’re leaning into a stuck fitting and you know if you don’t adjust your angle, you’re about to round it out and hate yourself for the next 20 minutes.

That was the AHR Expo for me this year. Loud. Fast. A little chaotic. But in the best way—because there was a lot of good stuff happening, and a lot of good people doing it.

The road trip crew (and why Kristen’s more on the mic)

First off—yes, you’re going to hear more from Kristen.

AHR made that pretty obvious. Not because I need “help” (I do), but because HVAC R&D isn’t just me yelling into the internet about relationship equity and supply house etiquette.

It’s a family business. It’s late nights. It’s windshield time. It’s a calendar that looks like a game of Tetris.

And honestly? Kristen’s got the perspective a lot of us ignore—the spouse side, the “what does this lifestyle actually take” side. The Trade Wife side.

She has seen it as a daughter to a blue collar father, she has seen it as seen it as a step-daughter to a roofer, she saw it as an office manager for Cajun Joe and I, she has seen it working in other contractor’s offices and she has seen it most of all as my wife and closest friend since 2010. Somehow, she has put up with me.

So if we’re rolling cross-country with the dogs and calling it content… we might as well let her talk about it all too.

Vendor Hub is dead. Long live the Resource Hub.

Alright—big update.

What used to be the “Vendor Hub” is now the Resource Hub.

Because “Vendor Hub” sounds like a place you go to download a PDF and get hit with 12 follow-up emails.

And that’s not the vibe.

The TradeCrew doesn’t just need tools. You need resources. Real life stuff. The stuff that keeps you sharp in the field and solid at home.

So in the Resource Hub you’ll still find links to partners and trusted brands—but you’ll also see things like:

  • BetterHelp (because mental health isn’t a “soft topic,” it’s a trades survival topic)
  • True Nature Meats (because gas-station nutrition is not a long-term plan)

That’s the shift. Tools for the truck, and tools for the human driving it.

HVAC Tactical Awards — giving flowers while people can still smell ‘em

One of my favorite parts of the week was the HVAC Tactical Awards. It’s one of those things that reminds you this industry is packed with absolute crushers—and half of them would never brag on themselves.

So let’s brag for them.

Some of the Winners and nominees this year:

  • Megan McIntosh (Lady of the Trade) — showing up, leading, and making the trades better.
  • Adam Nasser (Wolf of HVAC) — if you know, you know. Absolute animal (in the best way).
  • Tyler Dreisbach (@tdhvac) – Nominated for hidden gem, and that he most certainly is.
  • Jason Norman, RSE (Lifeline Tech of the Year) — the kind of tech who’s not just good at the work, but good for the people around him.
  • Gary McCreadie (Podcast of the Year) — Gary’s out here doing the thing, consistently, and raising the bar for industry media.

If you’re newer to the trades and you’re looking for people worth following… start there.

Live Podcasts: The hits, and Rhyno can’t jump.

AHR is basically the Super Bowl of “bumping into each other,” but amidst all the chaos of the show I was able to knock out four great episodes for the Podcast.

Jessica Slaughter (RLS) — press fittings and real talk Ep 173

Jessica Slaughter jumped on with me to talk all things RLS Rapid Locking System, and we got straight into the reality of press fittings—where they’re going, why adoption keeps climbing, and what actually matters in the field.

Not spec-sheet stuff. Workflow stuff. Confidence stuff.

Because from the contractor side, it’s: “Will this save me time and reduce call-backs?”

And from the distribution side, it’s: “Can we support this with training, inventory, and the right expectations?”

That’s the gap we’re always trying to bridge.

Jamie Quanrud (Resideo) — training that actually helps Ep 174

Jamie Quanrud from Resideo talked training—and I love that topic because everybody says they “support contractors,” they, “support distributors,” but training is where the rubber meets the road.

If a manufacturer wants to win long-term, it’s not just product. It’s enablement. It’s making sure your stuff gets installed right, serviced right, and understood by the people who actually touch it, sell it and use it.

Training isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the difference.

Todd Titus (HARDI) — the “400-front war” of regulation Ep 175

Todd Titus, JD from HARDI dropped one of the best lines of the week: regulation is a “400-front war.”

And he’s not wrong.

It’s codes. It’s refrigerants. It’s efficiency standards. It’s state-by-state differences. It’s paperwork. It’s compliance.

From the contractor side, it feels like: “Can I just do the work without getting blindsided?”

From the distribution/manufacturer side, it’s: “How do we stay ahead so the market doesn’t get whiplash?”

Todd’s perspective was big-picture but super practical. The industry needs that.

Kurk Wilks (Mann+Hummel) — the filter jump test (Rhynos can’t jump) Ep 176

Kurk Wilks at MANN+HUMMEL … listen. The filter jump test is exactly as ridiculous and awesome as it sounds.

And yes—we learned something important:

Rhynos can’t jump.

Which is honestly the most on-brand physics fact I’ve ever heard for this show. I’m built for momentum, not vertical. Kind of like when Gimli from Lord of the Rings said, “We Dwarfs are natural sprinters, very dangerous across short distances.”

But the point of that booth moment wasn’t just laughs. It’s a reminder that IAQ and filtration aren’t “extra.” They’re a legit part of system performance and customer trust now.

Developing commercial solutions that not only bring down total cost of truly effective ownership as well as increasing recyclability and sustainability together is fascinating.

RLS “Crawlspace Confessions” — Rudolpho Vargas & Joshua Noel

I was also privileged to get to do a takeover of the HVAC Tactical Social Hub hosted at the RLS booth. In true HVAC R&D style I hosted a “Crawlspace Confessions,“ segment and got to meet and spend time some great people including with Rodolfo Vargas and Joshua Noel.

Because crawlspaces and attics many a time are where hope goes to die, and its the stories that come out of the tragic working conditions that we all live for the retelling of.

That’s why these conversations matter—real stories, real lessons, and a little comedy so we don’t all cry about the time we army-crawled through mud for service fix that “should’ve been easy.”

NextGen HVACR panel — stepping in for Dominick Guarino (snow got him)

One of the bigger moments for me was moderating the NextGen HVACR panel.

Dominick Guarino, President of NCI (National Comfort Institute), was supposed to do it, but snow in Tennessee had other plans—so I was asked to stepped in, and it was an honor for the opportunity.

Panelists were:

And I’ll tell you what… the NextGen crowd isn’t “coming.”

They’re already here.

They’re thinking about the trade differently. They’re asking better questions. They’re paying attention to data centers, controls integration, workforce issues, and the business side—not just “how do I pass the EPA test.”

That panel felt like a gut-check for the rest of us:

Are we creating room for them? Or are we gatekeeping the future?

Most importantly are we proactively helping to drive the next generation of trades people into the industry?

AHR Workforce Development tour with Matt Waxer — the behind-the-scenes tour

I also spent time with Matt Waxer as I got to welcome him into the AHR Workforce Development fold, and that was one of the best “zoom out” experiences of the week.

We visited:

This is the part people don’t always talk about:

AHR isn’t just booths and swag. It’s also the ecosystem—how products get made, how training gets delivered, how the next generation gets introduced to the trades, and how manufacturers and distributors can either help… or get in the way.

The lesson I’m bringing home: trade school, college debt, and Collaboration over Competition

Here’s where I land after Vegas.

I keep thinking about young people trying to figure out their next move.

Trade school vs. college debt. Skills vs. status. Building something real vs. chasing a résumé line.

And I’m not here to trash college, I have two degrees, that working in the trades paid for with ZERO debt, I’m here to say this:

The trades can give you a life. A good one. But only if we stop acting like we’re in competition with each other inside the same industry.

Collaboration over Competition.

That’s not a slogan. That’s survival.

Because the pressure’s not going down. Regulation isn’t slowing down. Technology isn’t slowing down. Customer expectations aren’t slowing down.

So we’ve got two choices:

Evolve. Or dissolve.

And I don’t know about you… but I didn’t drive from NC to Vegas and back with the dogs just to come home and do the same old stuff.

See you on the next one.

Ramblin’ Rhyno, out. PeaceY’all.

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