For the fifth year in a row, HVAC put on their suits and gowns and went out to prom before AHR Expo.
HVAC Tactical, the brainchild of Ben Poole, started as a swag brand and an online community, then launched an awards program that quickly grew from a room of 100-some people in Vegas to a full-on celebration of everything good about HVAC. Sunday night’s event, attended at least 400 people, shone a spotlight on the HVAC technicians, educators, and mentors who have harnessed the power of social media to make the industry stronger and better.
Ty Branaman, who won Influencer of the Year in 2024, started off by pointing at the ductwork on the high ceiling at the Sea World banquet hall, illuminated above him in the purple glow of the lights of the stage.
“Can we just acknowledge this ductwork in here?” he said. “Man — that is a beautiful duct system!”
He pulled a small device from his pocket.
“Let’s see how it’s performing. Well, we don’t have any carbon monoxide in here, so that’s great. Our CO2 is at 1,081 and 50% relative humidity — in Florida. That’s all possible because of what we do. So whoever designed this, installed it, serviced it … and we’ll never know who did this. That is amazing, but think about how much of this is done, around the entire world, by people that will never get acknowledged.
“So I love what Ben’s done,” he continued. “For me, it’s not about celebrating just the people. This is a celebration of an entire industry. All of what we do is hidden, and it’s essential … concealed in wooden rooms, behind mechanical doors, hidden in basements, hidden in attics. Without your hard work and dedication, none of this would be possible. You are the trailblazers who remind us why this industry is so vital.”
The 2025 HVAC Tactical Award winners are:
Lady of the Trade Award: Rachelle Martins, @hvac_install_her
Hidden Gem Award: Jon Esquivel, @austinstarservices
Lifeline Tech Award: Ilija Martinovich, the_hvac_foodie
Picture Perfect Install: Joey Yepez, @hvackombat
HVAC Podcast of the Year: Brett Wetzel and Kevin Compass, @advanced_refrigeration_podcast
Hydronic Hotshot Award: Dylan D’Amato
YouTube Channel of the Year: Curtis Harrison, @hvac_guy_1
Service Tech of the Year Award: David Waldon, @hvac_slim
Best Social Content Award: Francisco Pastor, @climasterlatino
Mentor of the Year: Tim De Stasio, @timdestasiohvac
Influencer of the Year Award: Tony Mormino, @tony_mormino
Lifetime Achievement Award: Dan Holohan, @heatinghelp
“I’m inspired by all of you who make a lot of sacrifices — you offer your knowledge, your skill set, even at the cost of your earning potential, sometimes,” said Tim De Stasio. “We do most of this for free, don’t we? But we do it because we want to build a community, because we want to make this industry better. … Be a mentor, make the sacrifices, share what you learned, aske questions, post a question, and get some of the experts that I’ve learned so much from to weigh in. All those little things we can do to make this industry a little bit better, because the skilled trades is something special, isn’t it?
“And really, this group right here, the ones that make that sacrifices, are going to be the ones that fix this industry. So I just encourage you to never stop learning.”
“Their content is not about trendy dances or posting for fame,” added Craig Childress, back-to-back winner of the ServiceTitan Elite Trades championship. “They are truly dedicated to their craft and making the HVAC industry better, whether there’s issues they’ve run into and how they handled it, tools that they’ve used, or a good old-fashioned how-to.”
The event was also livestreamed on HVAC Tactical’s YouTube page.
“The future of the industry is in this room, and they’re watching our videos,” said Curt Harrison. “So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.”