Heather Ripley, author and CEO of Ripley PR, a leading global public relations agency specializing in the skilled trades, will speak at the PHCCCONNECT2021 conference in Kansas City, Missouri, Wednesday, Oct. 20.

Ripley's presentation, "Drive Growth with Public Relations," will give business owners an overview on how public relations, a marketing tactic that few of their competitors understand, can increase visibility and credibility in their market. She will also share tips for using PR to help with recruiting and retaining the best technicians and how to use PR to become a household name or position a company for acquisition.

"Public relations is the home service game-changer because your competitors probably aren't using it to its fullest potential," said Ripley, who founded Ripley PR in 2013 after representing national brands like One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Mister Sparky and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. "Most home service contractors use similar advertising techniques to garner attention, thus making it difficult to truly stand out from competitors."

"PR is not like traditional marketing," she said. "A great public relations strategy helps your service business grow by positioning it as the dominant leader and building lasting community relationships."

Ripley's presentation is sponsored by Bradford White Corp., a full-line manufacturer of residential, commercial and industrial water heating, space heating, combination heating and storage products. The industry leader is a client of Ripley PR.

Conference attendees can find Ripley at Bradford White's trade show booth 111, for further discussions about home services public relations. She will have copies of her new book, "Next Level Now: PR Secrets to Drive Explosive Growth for Your Home Service Business," available for purchase.

Ripley PR also specializes in franchising, B2B technology and manufacturing. The agency offers strategic communications services that help clients build brand awareness, establish positive reputations and drive increased leads and sales.

PHCCCONNECT2021 is the yearly conference sponsored by the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling-Contractors' Association, an organization founded in 1883 to provide legislative advocacy, education and training to its members. The PHCC Association currently has more than 3,300 plumbing and HVACR companies and 65,000 individual technician members.

The conference will be held Oct. 20-22 at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown and the Kansas City Convention Center.