What a Las Vegas HVAC Company Owner Looks for When Hiring New Techs

What does a Las Vegas HVAC company owner look for when hiring a new technician? Stacy Lang, co-owner of Express Home Services, says communication comes first and technical skill comes second. Stacy co-owns a Las Vegas home services company that does HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. She came into the trades from nonprofit work, not from the field, and she sits down with QTC Academic Director Aaron Clark to explain exactly what she wants from new hires. What do HVAC employers want from a new hire? Good communication, a willingness to ask questions, and the drive to learn the business, not just the work. Stacy calls it humble, hungry, and smart. How do you get hired with no experience? Walk in the door, look professional, and bring your resume. She remembers the people who show up in person. Can women succeed in the trades? Stacy says she has not felt pushback in the industry and has hired multiple female technicians. QTC has enrolled more women this year than in several years combined, including a women’s scholarship with NAWIC, the Nevada Association of Women in Construction. Will AI replace HVAC and electrical technicians? Stacy says no. AI may replace some office work, but it will not replace the people who go into your home. Is HVAC a good career in Las Vegas? She sees shortages in every trade, with the most future in electrical right now. HVAC work is seasonal, so she recommends staying at your first company for one full season and keeping a nest egg. Quality Training Centers is a Las Vegas trade school built by contractors, for contractors. HVAC and Electrical programs run 90 days with no experience required. Book a free tour and see the labs. 📍 3139 Westwood Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89109 📞 (702) 597-0861 🌐 qualitytrainingcenters.com #TradeSchoolLasVegas #HVACLasVegas #QualityTrainingCenters #WomenInTrades #LasVegasCareers 0:00 Cold open: understand the business you work in 0:19 Welcome and meet Stacy Lang 1:19 What Express Home Services does 2:54 How often they hire and develop new techs 3:40 What school teaches vs what the field teaches 4:53 How Stacy got into the trades 6:15 Early days: drinking from a fire hose 8:29 Why Las Vegas HVAC demand keeps growing 9:55 Women in the trades and female technicians 12:50 First impressions and Vegas word of mouth 16:07 From private equity to starting her own company 18:15 Why technicians need to understand the business 21:14 What is a KPI and why it matters 22:48 What it costs to get a tech to the door 25:21 Ask every company for their KPIs 26:10 Business degree and managing people 27:40 Communication is the top skill 31:32 Ask questions and use your network 33:26 Why more women are not in the trades yet 37:06 Why women thrive in this industry 39:36 More women enrolling and the NAWIC scholarship 46:40 Why women gravitate to electrical 48:45 HVAC, electrical, and plumbing banter 50:43 Soft skills matter most 52:36 How Stacy interviews new hires 56:03 Interview the company too 58:07 A job vs a career and job hopping 59:46 HVAC is seasonal: stay one full season 1:02:00 Make a plan and keep a nest egg 1:04:04 Training: first 30 days with a senior tech 1:08:35 AI and technicians 1:09:13 Why paperwork and photos protect you 1:12:36 Keep a clean driving record 1:15:41 What she expects in the first 90 days 1:17:31 Air quality and educating customers 1:22:47 Understand the business you work for 1:26:14 Advice for anyone considering the trades 1:28:00 Which trade to start with 1:29:30 Job growth and AI will not replace techs 1:31:24 The trades labor shortage 1:33:54 Get in now and get ahead of the curve 1:42:27 How to approach a company for a job 1:46:57 Pound the pavement, then invest in tools 1:53:24 Humble, hungry, smart 1:54:12 Book a free tour