In 2023, PHCPPros launched a new rep agency specifically for brand ambassadors in the PHCP community, PROS REPS. Our clients include highly skilled and influential professionals who showcase their profession, love of the trades, and the products they use and install to their thousands of social media followers.  

PROS REPS client Curtis Harrison is a small HVAC business owner and proud technician who mostly focuses his work in the residential space. He started his HVAC GUY YouTube channel to help teach others how to work on HVAC equipment, and Curtis now has more than 55,000 subscribers.

PHCPPros: How did you enter a career in the trades?

Harrison: I initially started studying engineering at the University of South Carolina then jumped around different trades until I landed on HVAC. I really enjoyed the work, and I found that my desire to learn more led to better work and better pay. Within a few years of working as lead tech and service manager, I started my own business — and I've never looked back.

PHCPPros: How did you find your specialty within the trades? 

Harrison: My bread and butter is residential service work. I also offer installs. But, I prefer to fix an air conditioner before offering to replace.

PHCPPros: Why did you decide to start using social media to share what you do with the world at large?

Harrison: I started in YouTube because I don’t have children, and my efforts to teach employees went nowhere. So, I started the channel to share what I know with those who wish to learn.

PHCPPros: What is your favorite type of content to share with your followers? What gets the most engagement? 

Harrison: My favorite content are repair videos. These videos have developed a following and a community who comments and shares helpful tips of their own.

PHCPPros: What kind of advice would you give to people in the industry who may want to do something similar to you on social media? 

Harrison: If anyone wishes to produce videos, I'd only add that they don't need to be perfect. There are some out there that look too good to be true, and honestly they don’t come off as a realistic example of what we really see in our service calls as HVAC techs.

PHCPPros: How do you think the industry can use social media as a tool to encourage the next generation to join the trades?

Harrison: Social media can show people taking pride in their work and highlight the fact that a four-year degree isn't the only way to make good money. I have two degrees, two technical diplomas, and speak three languages — and none of that has served me better than my two-year diploma in HVAC.

PHCPPros: What kind of advice would you give people who are looking to enter the trades?

Harrison: If you enter the trades with a desire to learn, you can, in time, become a master at your craft and make more money than college graduates by using your hands and enjoying what you do. I can easily say that I make more money repairing air conditioners than any engineer who may design them.

PHCPPros: Is there anything else from your personal life you'd like to highlight?

Harrison: To me, it is personally satisfying to hunt for a problem others can't find and fix it. My work days are fulfilling.

Follow Curtis on YouTube and Facebook under the handle @HVACGUY and on Instagram @hvac_guy_1. He also recently launched a Spanish YouTube channel under the handle @VATODECLIMATIZACION. 

For Brand Ambassadors: Want to join PROS REPS as a client? Email PROS REPS Business Development Manager Nicole Meyer at nicole@phcppros.com.  

For Manufacturers: PROS REPS can connect manufacturers with individuals like Curtis to create custom brand ambassador campaigns. Learn more by emailing Nicole at nicole@phcppros.com. 

Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.