Ramblin Rhyno

Ramblin’ Rhyno: HVAC in 2023 — The Beginning

Ramblin’ Rhyno: HVAC in 2023 — The Beginning Editor’s Pick:*"We didn’t just get back to work in 2021 — we got back to building better." — Ramblin’ Rhyno Episode 009 dropped right as the trade world was shaking the dust off from the pandemic at the end of 2020. Supply chains were still rocky. Prices were still wild. But something bigger was happening: People were ready to rebuild as they faced a lot more changes to the industry as we were preparing for SEER2 in 2023. We weren’t just doing the work — we were [...]

By |2025-05-22T12:17:31-04:00May 26, 2025|Looking Back, Ramblin Rhyno|
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Ramblin’ Rhyno: HVAC Myths — Busted

Ramblin’ Rhyno: HVAC Myths — Busted Editor’s Pick:*"In the trades, half of what you hear is myth — and the other half you have to live to believe." — Ramblin’ Rhyno By the time we hit Episode 008 of HVAC R&D, it was time to have some fun and call out some of the biggest myths floating around our industry. Because if you’ve been in HVAC for longer than a week, you’ve already heard some version of "the customer will always call you back" or "you should never upsell." Spoiler alert: Most of it’s nonsense. [...]

By |2025-05-22T09:55:00-04:00May 24, 2025|Looking Back, Ramblin Rhyno|
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Ramblin’ Rhyno: Fat Guy on a Ropes Course

Ramblin’ Rhyno: Fat Guy on a Ropes Course Editor’s Pick:*"The trades will teach you real teamwork faster than any ropes course ever could." — Ramblin’ Rhyno When we recorded Episode 007 of HVAC R&D, we wanted to take a step back and laugh at ourselves a little — and maybe remind everyone that team-building isn’t something that only happens on a corporate retreat. The trades are a team sport, whether you realize it or not.Every project, every install, every late-night service call is a ropes course all its own. “Nobody gets through this trade alone [...]

By |2025-05-22T10:00:43-04:00May 22, 2025|Looking Back, Ramblin Rhyno|
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Ramblin’ Rhyno: Training A to Z, Part 2

Ramblin’ Rhyno: Training A to Z, Part 2 (with Zach Weir) Editor’s Pick:*"The best training happens when good people share real stories — not just textbook answers." — Ramblin’ Rhyno When I hit record on Episode 006 of HVAC R&D, we welcomed our first guest ever — Zach Weir, a good friend and fellow member of the distribution family at the time. And man, this one felt different. It wasn’t just two people talking about the grind. It was about finding your place in this trade, leaning on the people who’ve walked the road before [...]

By |2025-05-22T09:59:07-04:00May 8, 2025|Looking Back, Ramblin Rhyno|
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Ramblin’ Rhyno: Site Visits and Stuff

Ramblin’ Rhyno: Site Visits and Stuff Editor’s Pick:"Sometimes the best classroom is a rooftop, a mechanical room, or the middle of a jobsite where things aren’t going as planned." — Ramblin’ Rhyno We were only five episodes into HVAC R&D when this one dropped, but this topic?It’s the heartbeat of the industry — site visits, job walks, the real-world stuff that makes or breaks a project. Everyone talks about specs, submittals, and paperwork. But out in the field?It’s where your reputation lives or dies. “You can’t solve problems from your desk — you’ve got to [...]

By |2025-05-22T09:58:19-04:00May 5, 2025|Looking Back, Ramblin Rhyno|
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Ramblin’ Rhyno: HVAC in the Pandemic

Ramblin’ Rhyno: HVAC in the Pandemic Editor’s Pick:*"The pandemic didn’t just test the trades — it showed the world what we’re made of." — Ramblin’ Rhyno We dropped Episode 004 of HVAC R&D at a time when the world was still trying to figure out how to breathe through a mask, let alone how to keep buildings comfortable and safe. While much of the country locked down, the trades kept rolling. Not because we were invincible — but because we were essential. “When the world shut down, HVAC techs were still out there — because [...]

By |2025-05-22T09:57:41-04:00May 2, 2025|Looking Back, Ramblin Rhyno|
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Ramblin’ Rhyno: Training A to Z, Part 1

Ramblin’ Rhyno: Training A to Z, Part 1 Editor’s Pick: "The only training manual that really matters is the one you write yourself, one job at a time." — Ramblin’ Rhyno When Episode 003 of HVAC R&D first aired, we were deep in the trenches of real-world education. We quickly realized training wasn’t just about what happened in a classroom—it was about surviving the field. It didn't take long to figure out: “Your best teacher isn’t a textbook—it’s the system that kicked your butt last summer.” Every seasoned tech can point to a piece of [...]

By |2025-05-22T09:57:03-04:00April 30, 2025|Looking Back, Ramblin Rhyno|
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Ramblin’ Rhyno: Oh, The Critters We Find

Ramblin’ Rhyno: Oh, The Critters We Find Editor’s Pick:*"There’s no such thing as a 'simple service call' when you’re crawling through nature’s attic." — Ramblin’ Rhyno When we recorded Episode 002 of HVAC R&D, we were barely past the "what if nobody listens?" stage.But we already knew one thing for sure: this industry hands you stories you just can’t make up. This episode — “Oh, The Critters We Find” — wasn’t just about raccoons in attics or snakes under air handlers (although, trust me, we’ve got plenty of those).It was about realizing early on that [...]

By |2025-05-22T09:56:16-04:00April 27, 2025|Looking Back, Ramblin Rhyno|
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Ramblin’ Rhyno: The Truth About Pricing

Ramblin’ Rhyno: The Truth About Pricing Editor’s Pick:*"Somewhere between charging what you’re worth and getting told 'no' is where every real business owner finds out who they really are." — Ramblin' Rhyno Looking back, when we hit record on that very first HVAC R&D episode, I don’t think either one of us had a clue what kind of ride we were about to get on.I just knew there were things that needed saying — especially when it came to how we price ourselves in this trade. Back then, it was easy to get caught up [...]

By |2025-05-22T09:55:42-04:00April 27, 2025|Looking Back, Ramblin Rhyno|
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Ramblin’ Rhyno: 5 Pro Tips for Getting Up to Speed with a new HVAC Distributor

Welcome to the first article of the new, Ramblin' Rhyno Column, hosted by me, your very own @HVAC_Rhyno, Rhydon Atzenhoffer of Insight Partners and the HVAC R&D Podcast. I am grateful to have you on this journey back into journalism with myself and the Podcast and I look forward to bringing you some insight, knowledge and hopefully a few laughs and ah-ha moments along the way. So let's get to it. I haven’t written in a long time. For many years I wrote articles for several different sports websites and digital publications including a stint [...]

By |2025-05-01T14:18:38-04:00September 12, 2023|Ramblin Rhyno|
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