In our December Women In PHCP spotlight, we invite you to meet Dayna Hottle, general manager at C&C Heating and Air Conditioning!

PHCPPros: What is your role in the PHCP industry? 

Hottle: My role is to support, grow and lead our team. One of our most recent endeavors is to focus on growing leaders in our business. This industry has experienced a boom in the last few years, and with this growth comes added responsibility. It is important that the home service industry has team members who have the training needed to lead should they be called upon. It is important that we provide team leaders with the education and experience necessary to allow us to promote from within and provide career paths for those seeking new opportunities.

PHCPPros: How and why did you decide to enter a career in the PHCP industry? 

Hottle: Like many others who make their career in the trades, I was born into it. My grandpa and great uncle started C & C Heating & Air Conditioning in 1948. I started working in the office during the summers during college and fell in love with the trades. At that time, we were making internal changes on phone etiquette and dispatching, and I liked seeing how these changes impacted our business. I could see, even as a college student, the opportunity this industry provides and decided it was the right fit for me. 

PHCPPros: What have been some of your career highlights?

Hottle: In my 17 years in the industry, my ongoing highlight is seeing our team members achieve their goals. It brings me joy to see our employees be able to buy their first home or start families. Witnessing these moments reinforces the importance of what we do daily. I don’t take for granted the impact this company can have on others’ lives and only hope to be able to provide more opportunities for our team members to grow. 

PHCPPros: What are your thoughts on mentorship for women? 

Hottle: My whole life I have been surrounded by strong women role models: my mother, grandmother, and sisters have had the largest impact on my life and career. While they may not have worked directly in the trades, they supported the other members of my family who did. C & C Heating & Air Conditioning would not have been as successful and sustainable had these women not made the sacrifices necessary to raise our family and support my grandfather and uncle as they built the business. 

The trades have given me a wonderful and fulfilling career, and it’s my obligation to pass on my knowledge and expertise to others. Most of the mentoring I have done has been with growing my own team. We have promoted several women in management and leadership positions. Most recently, I have been actively involved in starting Women of Nexstar to create a community where we can network and mentor women within the industry. 

PHCPPros: What do you think the PHCP industry can do to better recruit and retain women?

Hottle: Education and awareness. Over the past several decades, high schools have primarily focused on college degrees as the end goal and have not promoted careers in the trades. It is our responsibility to educate the community on the opportunities that the trades provide. 

PHCPPros: Is there anything from your personal life you would like to highlight?

Hottle: I have been blessed with a supportive husband, Chad, who has recently joined the family business and two wonderful sons, Carter (2) and Noah (1). Without their support, I could not have achieved the professional successes I now enjoy. 

Do you know someone you would like to nominate for our Women In PHCP newsletter series? Email PHCPPros Digital Strategy Manager Nicole Meyer at nicole@phcppros.com!