When co-hosts Joe Jones and Dave Chatmon hit record on the first episode of Lennox ON AIR almost three years ago, there wasn’t a master plan — just a simple idea: Share real stories from the HVAC trenches and, maybe, make the industry a little better in the process. What started as a “Wild West” experiment has become one of HVAC’s most talked-about podcasts — and not because it’s slick or scripted.
The recognition from ACHR NEWS in the HVAC All-Star Awards caught the team completely off guard.
“We were very honored to be selected as a nominee,” Jones said, remembering how the news surfaced just as they were about to record a podcast episode. “We were excited to be able to talk about how our loyal listeners and guests made it possible. It’s fun.”
GO TIME: Chris Hunter with Go Time, a dealer coaching group, joins Lennox ON AIR. (Courtesy of Lennox ON AIR)
That sense of fun — and a willingness to figure things out as they go — is the show’s secret sauce. Lennox ON AIR has always been about keeping it real, right down to the hosts’ banter and their willingness to broadcast both the successes and the stumbles. They joke about keeping their very first episodes locked away in a digital “off-air” vault.
“There were a couple of times, I think I was fighting back tears,” Chatmon said, recalling the early days. But the effort paid off.
What really sets the show apart is its openness to every aspect of the trade. Instead of sticking to one format, Lennox ON AIR bounces between interviews and “storyboard” episodes.
“There’s always a plot — usually an industry challenge or opportunity — with the listener as the protagonist and the guest as the guide, helping them navigate pitfalls and opportunities,” Jones said.
Chatmon brings the perspective of someone who started in the field with zero experience — literally, no tools on day one — and never forgot what it was like to feel out of place.
“I feel for the people coming into our industry,” he said. That empathy runs through every episode. “We have to speak to everyone, from the new installer to the top entrepreneur,” Chatmon said. That’s more than talk: It’s not unusual for technicians to play the podcast during installs, or for crews to binge episodes on the job.
The numbers back it up: 80 episodes and counting, about two per month, with 950 subscribers and more than 8,000 total downloads in the last 12 months. The show’s racked up upwards of 33,000 total plays over the past three years with — remarkably — a 70% completion rate. In podcasting, that’s almost unheard of.
The Dynamic: Just Heating and Air Guys
The show’s personality is as much of a draw as its content.
“Joe’s the eye candy, I’m the old guy. That’s just how it goes,” Chatmon joked. Jones, for his part, confessed to mispronouncing the podcast’s name thanks to his Oklahoma roots — a slip that became a running gag once listeners caught on. Then there’s Chatmon’s unstoppable enthusiasm: His use of the word “fantastic” became such a recurring bit that the team once edited out over 140 of them from a single episode.
“We’re not professional podcasters … we’re just heating and air guys, both from contractor backgrounds. Now you give us microphones and, well, we had to course-correct,” Jones said.
Over time, Lennox ON AIR has found its groove, thanks in no small part to the recent addition of producers Leah Allison and Eden Mackie — described by the team as the “brains of the operation.” Behind the scenes, they herd the cats, coordinate guests, and even stitch together episodes from the best bits of several recordings when needed.
“It’s really a team effort. Any one of us could be replaced and the show would continue,” Jones said.
SERVICE: Melissa Frause with Washington Energy Services joined the Lennox ON AIR podcast. (Courtesy of Lennox ON AIR)
Impact: Real Stories, Real Change
The show’s impact is felt far beyond the download numbers. Dealers and techs have gotten vulnerable on air, sometimes breaking down in tears as they talk about what the trade has meant to them — or how close they came to losing everything.
“There have been a few episodes in particular that I’ve just walked away with a completely different perspective on things,” Jones said. “We learn a lot from our failures. That’s been one of the most impactful things.”
The ripple effects are real. Listeners have reached out to podcast guests about job openings, and some have even switched companies or joined the Lennox dealer network after hearing an episode.
“Those are things we were never prepared for, or thought would happen,” Chatmon said.
Lennox ON AIR isn’t just for Lennox loyalists. The team made a deliberate decision to put their content out there for the entire industry — even competitors.
“We’re going to put it out there in the public domain for free for anyone to listen to, including our competition,” Jones said. “Competitors can get benefit out of this.” That’s not just transparency — it’s a bet that sharing real stories helps everyone in HVAC rise.
Allison, who leads the Lennox Training Development team, sees the podcast as a natural extension of how Lennox supports its customers.
“We really want to view this as just another channel to reach our customers,” she said. Her focus is on meeting people where they are — whether they have 10 minutes in the car or are listening on the job. “The podcast is another way to help build that relationship with our customers, while hopefully making them better at what they do,” Allison said.
Even the research supports their approach.
“Forty-six percent of listeners describe podcasts as authentic and trustworthy, compared to just 2% for social media,” Mackie said. For a trade built on relationships, that’s more than just a statistic — it’s a reason to keep the mics hot.
DEALER: This photo is from a podcast episode featuring Greiner Heating, Air, and Electric, a Lennox dealer. (Courtesy of Lennox ON AIR)
Looking Ahead: Always Evolving
The next chapter for Lennox ON AIR will bring new voices and new platforms — YouTube, video, and more guest perspectives from every corner of HVAC. But the heart of the show isn’t changing.
“The purpose is to elevate the industry and help them grow by sharing stories of successes and failures from the field,” Jones said. “That’s one of the best ways to learn.”
For the team, it’s those honest, unscripted moments — where someone shares a hard-won lesson or a heartfelt thank you — that keep them coming back.
“My understanding of our industry has expanded. My ability to put a strategy together for learning and development for HVAC contractors expands because I have an opportunity to sit down and interview contractors across North America, and they have the courage to sit down and say, ‘Here’s where I messed up,’” Jones said.
That’s what Lennox ON AIR is really about: not perfection, but connection — and making HVAC a little more human, one story at a time.