She Can Do Anything: Jennifer Reynolds is the Heart of Jenergy Air Services
Jennifer Reynolds is an impressive woman on a mission to take over the world of heating and cooling.
March is Women’s History Month, and we’re proud to highlight woman-owned American Standard dealer, Jenergy Air Services, in Clearwater, Florida. Jennifer Reynolds built her business from the ground up, starting with two service trucks and growing to eight. Her contagious energy makes it seem like anything is possible — and if you have drive, determination and instincts like Jennifer, it truly is. Get to know Jennifer Reynolds, the energy behind Jenergy.
Jennifer Reynolds is a high-energy powerhouse on a one-woman mission to take over the HVAC world.
She got her start in HVAC more than 20 years ago when she joined her father-in-law’s HVAC company as a dispatcher. Within a few years she moved into a sales role and took it upon herself to learn networking, realizing how generating her own customers would lead to more money in her paycheck.
A hard-working self-starter, Jennifer developed a huge network and proudly became known as the AC chick of Pinellas County, Florida. She grew her father-in-law’s business by $1.2 million in revenue that year. But when she asked him for a raise and he turned her down, Jennifer realized it was time to strike out on her own.
Jennifer started Jenergy Air Services in 2015 with her licensed HVAC contractor husband Joel. She wears many hats — owner, in-home salesperson, service manager, marketing, install manager, Human Resources, payroll, problem-solver — you name it, she does it. Jennifer is also the mother of two children, a wife and a fitness enthusiast. (She’s insanely fit, participating in five high-intensity interval training workouts a week and exercising with a personal trainer once a week.)
What's in a name?
If you’re wondering where the name Jenergy came from, there’s a backstory. Many years ago, Jennifer had gained 80 pounds while working for her father-in-law in a sedentary role. When she left that job, she worked hard to lose 100 pounds in a year — going from a size 20 to a size 6 — and then took on a sales role at a gym so she could stay active and keep the weight off. The gym plastered her before and after pictures everywhere as a success story, and she exceled as spokesperson and salesperson. Her energy was contagious.
“My boss, Stuart, said he wished he could bottle up my energy and sell it — he’d call it Jenergy!” she said. “And that was it — I identified with that so much that it became my new identity and eventually my business name, and the community identified with it as well. Plus, air conditioning and energy savings are aligned and what I want the public to think.”
Women in HVAC
As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Jennifer says she brings real assets to in-home sales that customers often thank her for, such as the caring way she clearly lays out customers’ HVAC options so they can make the best decisions for their homes. She also takes the time to explain in plain language how their systems work so they understand the reasoning for the recommended repair or replacement.
“I’ve found that sometimes other companies don’t freely provide that information and tend to make a single equipment recommendation without a detailed explanation,” she said. “They’ve been known to talk over women, too.”
Jennifer also says her female perspective — and upbringing as the only girl in the family and the entire neighborhood — helps her to be a good judge of character and hire the right people who tend to stay with her company for a long time.
“It also makes me good at marketing,” Jennifer said. “I don’t do a lot of advertising, but when I do, it’s very effective. My print ads evoke a feeling in the people who see them, which makes us memorable. They make people feel happy and safe. And then they call my company when their HVAC needs service.”
And finally, Jennifer says she’s challenged to prove herself, “because people doubt me as a woman in HVAC. It forces me to learn more and get out there and network. I take every opportunity for training and exposure to other HVAC business owners.”
Proof in point, Jennifer is about to become a licensed HVAC contractor.
Breaking the bias
As a woman business owner in the HVAC industry, Jennifer is breaking the bias in so many ways.
“I’m boldly doing a man’s job with a smile on my face, my eyelash extensions and a full face of makeup while wearing jeans and sneakers,” Jennifer said. “And I’m crawling around in attics and climbing on customers’ roofs. I’m jumping in feet first, without any fear — without telling myself I can’t do it because I’m a woman. Because women are just as smart as men, and we can do what men can do. I hire young women to do installations without doubting them — and they prove me right, time and time again.”
Jennifer’s children are 14 and 21 — a boy and a girl — and she’s walking the talk, showing them that women can do the same things men can do.
“I teach my children that there are no barriers — you can do whatever you want to do,” she said. “These ideas are normal for them, commonplace. Not weird or new or different. They’ve seen their mom succeed in a male-dominated industry for most of their lives — and they know anything is possible.”
Why sell American Standard brand products?
When she started Jenergy Air Services, Jennifer intended to sell another brand she was already familiar with, but her husband, an experienced HVAC technician, vehemently steered her towardAmerican Standard
“American Standard’s product line is so much better than all their competitors’, and the coils don’t rust, which is really important here on the Gulf coast,” Jennifer said. “The coils don’t last nearly as long on the competitor’s units I was originally considering.”
Jennifer recently came upon a customer’s condenser made in 1995, and its coil was still shiny and new.
“I took the customer out onto their roof so they could see it for themselves,” she said. “I want my customers to have quality systems in their house. My face and my name are attached to this company, and I only want to sell customers the best equipment.
“Also,American Standard’s people are always helpful, and whenever I have questions, they have answers. They’re very responsive and have only done right by me. I love working with them.”
Related articles
