This is a profile of Jody McGarry, CEO of ABR Wholesalers, Inc., recognized as one of 2026's Top Women in HVAC by a trade publication. She started at the company in 1976, working her way up from order administrator to CEO after her father, Jim Monaco, founded and ran the business. Along the way she managed purchasing, sales, financials, and bank relationships, eventually being nominated as president of ASHRAE (a major engineering society for heating and cooling professionals), despite not being an engineer herself.
The piece focuses on her career path and the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry, including vendors and bankers who initially doubted her. She credits organizations like HARDI's Women in HVACR group with helping more women enter and succeed in the field, and offers encouragement to women considering the trade.
For homeowners, this is a personal-interest story about industry leadership and workforce trends rather than a change in products, rebates, or technology that affects your house. It doesn't cover new equipment, efficiency programs, or incentives you could use. It's worth knowing about mainly if you're interested in who runs the companies and distribution networks behind the HVAC industry, or in the broader push to bring more women into heating and cooling trades.
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