You've built something real. But when you add people and revenue, your systems break and you get pulled back in. Scaling means your systems evolve—both how you operate and who you are as a leader. This is conscious leadership.
How you show up—your awareness, your decision patterns, your energy—directly impacts your commercial performance. Your reps perform consistently. Your forecast holds. Your team stays because they understand what matters.
When your systems evolve, something shifts. You have an engaged team aligned to your values. A business with 10x impact.
24. The Relationship Doesn't Open the Deal Anymore: Curran Ethridge on Digital-First HVAC Buying
What if your best rep loses a deal without ever knowing he was in the running?
In this episode of HVAC Leaders, host Ashlei Rolloff talks with Curran Ethridge, founder of Circuitry Media, about what happens when a relationship-driven industry meets a buyer who wants answers before a relationship begins. Curran has worked both sides of the table, inside manufacturing brands and outside consulting to them, and his take is direct. The relationship used to open the deal. Now digital opens it, and the rep closes it.
Key insights:
Buyers now do most of their research (website, competitors, trade pubs, LinkedIn, Reddit, AI) before they ever call a rep
An aging workforce is retiring with decades of institutional knowledge, right as buyers get more sophisticated
Gartner data: 67 percent of B2B buyers do not want to deal with a rep, and the average buyer checks out six competitors before making contact
Every digital touchpoint has to answer three questions: will it work, will you support it, and why should I care, in one sentence
If you can not differentiate on the product, you differentiate on the brand, starting with listening to customers relentlessly
Curran's "stranger test": hand a stranger five competitors' website copy side by side. Most companies find out they sound identical
For the executive still betting everything on the rep model, and the marketer who knows something needs to change but needs the language for leadership, this episode gives you both.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Curran Ethridge's website: circuitrymedia.com
- Curran's email: curran@circuitrymedia.com
- Gartner study on B2B buyer behavior (67 percent stat)
17 Aug 2026
23. Building What Lasts: Matt Russell on Leadership, Culture, and the Future of HVAC
What will it take to lead an HVAC company through thenext decade of change?
In the final episode of our special HVAC Leaders series, Three Generations of HVAC Leadership, Ashlei Rolloff talks with Matt Russell, President of ThermalNetics, about intentional leadership, company culture, communication, and preparing an organization for what comes next.
Matt shares how his path from engineering into technical sales shaped the way he approaches leadership today. He reflects on the multi-year succession process that prepared him to become President, why people and culture became his top responsibility, and what he has learned about showing up as a more mindful and present leader.
The conversation also explores the relationships that drive long-term HVAC growth. Matt explains why the strongest sales organizations begin by understanding the customer’s business and pain points rather than promoting the latest solution. He also shares how ThermalNetics uses its core values, recruiting process, and long-term planning rhythm to maintain focus through consolidation, market volatility, technology changes, and industry noise.
This episode completes our three-part series:
Three Generations of HVAC Leadership
Part 1: Where We Started with Jim Newman
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4XgYqEm8ig64TiYSN7wsgh?si=sPa6Z_gTS5ayxmFSBdBr6A (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4XgYqEm8ig64TiYSN7wsgh?si=sPa6Z_gTS5ayxmFSBdBr6A)
Part 2: Where We’ve Been with Rick Sutkiewicz
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5PFjEvb0k1u5PufNJHDDkx?si=C0jm5Ug6Q72vLA9P-ayqbA (https://open.spotify.com/episode/5PFjEvb0k1u5PufNJHDDkx?si=C0jm5Ug6Q72vLA9P-ayqbA)
Part 3: Where We’re Going with Matt Russell
In this episode you'll learn
Why people and culture became Matt’s topresponsibility as President
How a thoughtful succession plan can prepare afuture leader before the title changes
Why leadership development is never finished
How presence and self-awareness affect the wayleaders serve their teams
Why trust must be built before difficultfeedback can be heard
How strong recruiting processes protect cultureand improve long-term retention
Why customer value begins with understanding theproblem before presenting the solution
How EOS helps the leadership team connect itslong-term vision to annual and 90-day priorities
Why a weekly review can help leaders protectimportant work from daily noise
What curiosity and adaptability will requirefrom HVAC leaders over the next decade
Memorable Moments
“You don’t have to have all the answers.”
“Be where your feet are.”
“What is the customer really asking for?”
“You need to deliver the message in a way thateverybody hears it.”
“Continuing to ask what’s next, and not just doing moreof the same, is an important mindset.”
Resources Mentioned
The Eisenhower Matrix
A four-quadrant framework for sorting work according tourgency and importance. Ashlei discusses using it as part of her weeklyplanning and delegation process.
https://eisenhowernotes.com/learn/eisenhower-matrix (https://eisenhowernotes.com/learn/eisenhower-matrix)
EOS Delegate and Elevate
An EOS tool that helps leaders identify the work theyshould continue owning and the activities they should delegate.
https://www.eosworldwide.com/delegate-and-elevate (https://www.eosworldwide.com/delegate-and-elevate)
Entrepreneurial Operating System
https://www.eosworldwide.com/ (https://www.eosworldwide.com/)
Matt Russell on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-russell-mi/
ThermalNetics
https://www.thermalnetics.com/
For HVAC executives and marketing leaders, this conversation is a reminder that sustainable growth is not built by reacting to every new opportunity. It comes from knowing your direction, investing in people, listening closely to customers, and remaining curious enough to evolve.
27 Jul 2026
22. Leading Beyond Yourself Rick Sutkiewicz on Scaling Leaders
What happens when the biggest obstacle to growth is the leader?
In Part 2 of our special HVAC Leaders series, Three Generations of HVAC Leadership, Ashlei Rolloff sits down with Rick Sutkiewicz, former President and current Chairman of ThermalNetics, to discuss one of the hardest leadership transitions: letting go.
Rick reflects on how his leadership evolved from making every decision himself to building a leadership team empowered to make decisions, solve problems, and move the organization forward. Through honest stories and practical advice, he shares why growth required more than better systems. It required humility, trust, and a willingness to stop being the bottleneck.
The conversation also explores EOS, company culture, strategic resilience, customer relationships, and why the organizations that thrive over the long term invest in people before processes.
This episode continues our special three-part series:
Three Generations of HVAC Leadership
Part 1: Where We Started with Jim Newman (Now Available)
Part 2: Where We've Been with Rick Sutkiewicz (Now Available)
Part 3: Where We're Going with Matt Russell (Coming Soon)
In this episode, you'll learn
Why leadership changes as organizations grow
How to recognize when you've become the bottleneck
Why empowering others creates stronger organizations
How EOS created accountability and alignment at ThermalNetics
Why culture starts with self-awareness
How customer trust is built by solving problems instead of selling products
Why resilient companies stay focused on their core business while adapting to change
How intentional daily habits help leaders create space for strategic thinking
Memorable moments
"I had to let go of the vine."
"I was the bottleneck in the organization."
"Culture first. Period."
"The collective results of the team will always outperform one individual."
Resources Mentioned
Traction by Gino Wickman
https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-book (https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-book)
What the Heck Is EOS? by Gino Wickman
https://www.eosworldwide.com/what-the-heck-is-eos (https://www.eosworldwide.com/what-the-heck-is-eos)
From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670191/from-strength-to-strength-by-arthur-c-brooks/ (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670191/from-strength-to-strength-by-arthur-c-brooks/)
Rick Sutkiewicz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-sutkiewicz-70b4aab/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-sutkiewicz-70b4aab/)
Whether you're leading a growing business, building a leadership team, or trying to create more space to think strategically, Rick's story is a reminder that sustainable growth begins when leaders stop trying to carry everything themselves.
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Podcast Authority Score: 9 / 100
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