2026 Top Women in HVAC: Wendy E. Altom

This profile isn't news about rebates or upgrades, but it's worth knowing who's behind the industry that installs and services home heating and cooling systems. Wendy E. Altom is CEO and co-owner of HVAC Experts in Odessa, Texas, a company she helped grow after joining in 2018. She came from a 14-year career in public education before shifting into HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) work, eventually learning the trade hands-on as a technician while also running the business side.

Altom talks about building training programs and career paths within her company, including plans for a "career academy" that would take new hires from entry level up to management. She also describes efforts to make the trade more welcoming to women, such as translating training materials and surveys into English and Spanish and pushing back on assumptions that women in HVAC offices are just "the boss's wife" rather than owners themselves.

For a homeowner, the takeaway is less about a specific program and more about the workforce trend behind it: companies like hers are actively trying to recruit and train more people, including more women, into HVAC careers covering everything from technician work to dispatch, sales, and management. That matters because a stronger, better-trained pool of technicians and company leaders can mean more availability and expertise when you need someone to service, repair, or upgrade your home's heating and cooling system.