Celebrating Women in HVAC This International Women’s Day

Although women make up more than half of the population, the breakdown of the HVAC industry paints a much different picture.

In recent years, women have made up only 1.4% of the HVAC industry, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite this startling number, there’s no doubt that women are helping transform HVAC for the better, inspiring innovations to the essential products and solutions that keep people comfortable.

On International Women’s Day and every day, Rheem is proud to support women in the trades. Here are just some of the women at Rheem making an impact on the industry and paving the way for the next generation of women in HVAC.

Karen Meyers, Vice President of Government Affairs

As a leader in government affairs, Meyers has been a steward of HVAC in public policy for decades, influencing policies at all levels of governance—local, regional, national, and global.

“Once you become part of this industry, it captures you. HVAC products are essential for homes and businesses, and it is rapidly evolving with new technologies, new building requirements, new regulations, and new standards,” she says. “I am passionate about making a positive impact on society by shaping policies that benefit the public good with HVACR products while delivering comfort, reliability, and efficient products.”

One such project took Meyers straight to the Situation Room at the White House. “What a thrill to sit down with White House officials and discuss important topics for our industry,” she says. “I still have the White House placard with my name on it displayed in my office.”

Rosa Leal, Director of Commercial Product Strategy and Customer Experience 

Recognized as one of ACHR’s 2023 Top Women in HVAC and Engineering Systems’ 20 to Watch Women in HVAC, Rosa Leal works each day to ensure that Rheem’s Commercial air solutions are delivering comfort at every level.

“My engineering career started in the automotive industry, but I fell in love with air,” she says.

From her start designing commercial rooftop units as an R&D Engineer, Leal now leads a skilled team of Commercial product managers, specialists, and technical writers and works with cross-functional teams to drive innovation across the field.

“HVAC is an ever-changing industry that constantly challenges us to provide smarter technologies for the best comfort,” she says.

Melissa Thomas, Senior Marketing Manager for Heating & Cooling

There are many paths for women who want a career in HVAC, and Melissa Thomas’s passion in marketing led her to Rheem 19 years ago. “I was seeking a marketing role that offered avenues for advancement. The position I found happened to be immersed in the HVAC industry. I’ve learned a lot over the last 19 years, and I find it hard to envision myself in any other industry. I truly enjoy it,” she says.

Working in marketing in a field that is always changing does come with challenges, but Thomas says she loves that every day is different.

“I always say that marketing tends to be the catch-all for any project that doesn’t easily fit somewhere else,” she says. “You may be focused on developing content, working with product and engineering to be better understand the technical side of the product, directing on a production set for a TV ad, studying the budget, assisting with an event, or simply helping find a solution. The result is that you’re exposed to other parts of the business and other teams that you may not integrate with on a regular basis. You are always able to add to your expertise wheelhouse; there are always growth opportunities.”

Laura Meyerrose, Commercial Product Manager

When Laura Meyerrose left Air Force Active Duty, she worked with a recruiter to find her place in the corporate world. She’s been in HVAC ever since.

“My jet experience doesn’t sound like it’s directly applicable to the HVAC industry, but project management skills, people skills, and leadership skills carry over to both,” she says. “As long as you are willing to learn the industry—the equipment, the market, your customers—those other skills will serve you well.”

No two days are the same for Meyerrose. As a Product Manager, she’s involved with many aspects of the industry. “Right now, we are doing a lot of work to get our products ready for the upcoming refrigerant regulations and developing new products for the market,” she says. “Every day we are available for our Sales team and customers to ask questions, give feedback, and solve problems.”

Taylor Fiegel, Residential Product Manager for IAQ and Connected Products

“With my engineering background, I get really excited about technology that impacts a user’s quality of life,” says Taylor Fiegel. Working at Rheem, she’s in the right place. Fiegel spends a lot of time researching new technologies in an industry that is always changing.

“The most exciting thing about my job is the continued interaction with strong teams to solve problems and innovate improvements for the industry,” she says. “I find myself in a lot of support conversations and managing brainstorming and process meetings to help push projects or tasks forward. Some days it’s leading core team meetings on projects with customers, and other days, it’s working through potential field improvements with our District Technical Representatives. I love that typical for me means that the day is always different: planning or presenting training material, reviewing sales data, discussing business cases or requirements, traveling to get customer feedback, or setting strategies for multiple years in the future.”

Tiffany Carruth, Director of Pricing and Performance Analytics for the Air Division

Tiffany Carruth has been part of the Rheem team for more than 22 years. In her current role, she works closely with Distributors and Rheem’s Sales and Pricing teams. “I enjoy helping our Distributors reach their financial goals while also helping build a strong Pricing team,” she says.

In fact, Carruth says that providing support to everyone she interacts with is what makes her happiest. From Distributors to Rheem employees, she’s on a mission to set everyone up for success. Building strong teams is also a way for Carruth to give back to the company that has shown her similar support.

“Rheem has helped me achieve so much within my career. While working full time and starting a family, I decided to also go back to school and finish my degree. I would not have been able to do that without Rheem. It was truly one of my proudest moments. The support I received from this company and the department I worked in was what helped drive me to the finish line.

Molly Allison, Manager of Talent Acquisition for Global Air

 Molly Allison knows a thing or two about working in male-dominated industries. “I was recruited from the transportation industry to come to Rheem and have loved the adjustment. I have one of the best jobs in the organization, bringing awesome, new talent to Rheem,” she says. “From one male-dominated industry to another, I appreciate the outward, head-first mindset that women in the HVAC industry put forth. It’s exciting to make our make our own path.”

As the Manager of Talent Acquisition for Rheem’s Air division, Allison is working to bring more women into the field. A highlight of her career to date was speaking at the 2023 Women in HVACR conference on just that. “I spoke on women in the workplace and strategies for standing out and standing together. This subject translates both personally and professionally, and I enjoyed being a representative of Rheem on such an influential topic.”

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Rheem and view open roles at Rheem.com/careers.