Joel Torma
Business Coach, Contractor University

*Virtual event duration may differ from what is outlined below. Typically, a 1-Day physical in-person event will equate to a 2-Day virtual event. If you are interested in a virtual event, please inquire on event duration.

Joel is 4th-generation in the HVAC industry, helping contracting businesses improve profitability, strengthen operations, and drive sustainable growth. With 30+ years in HVAC, home services, and franchise operations, he brings a deep understanding of both field operations and executive-level strategy.

1 Day Event
2+ Day Event
Webinar
Keynote

Wrenches To Wealth: How Contractors Build Scalable Hvac Companies

Who Should Attend: Business Owners, Service Managers, Sales Managers

In this masterclass, we’ll unpack each of the predictable stages of HVAC business growth – from solo tech with a truck to a confident, visionary leader with a team that runs the day-to-day. Whether you’re just getting traction or preparing to scale beyond $10M, this roadmap helps you identify where you are, where you’re headed, and what to prioritize next. Walk away with clarity, confidence, and tools to take the next step in building a business that works with or without you.

Attendees will learn how to overcome the top traps that most contractors struggle with in each of these stages:

  • Stage 1: Solo Operator (Less than $1M in Annual Sales)
  • Stage 2: Foundation Building ($1M – $2M in Annual Sales)
  • Stage 3: Growth Mode ($2M – $5M in Annual Sales)
  • Stage 4: Leadership & Scaling ($5M – $10M in Annual Sales)
  • Stage 5: Enterprise-Level Growth ($10M – $25M in Annual Sales)
  • Stage 6: Visionary Leadership (Greater than $25M in Annual Sales)

Top 10 Critical KPIs For Contracting Businesses

Who Should Attend: Business Owners, Service Managers, Sales Managers

Every great business owner has key performance indicators they monitor to manage their business. It’s one of the essential ingredients to achieving the time and money freedom most entrepreneurs dream about when they decide to open their own company. But the challenge often times is determining what those KPIs should be. Choosing the wrong KPIs, or not establishing them at all, could have a disastrous effect on your business. Join us as we identify and review the top 10 critical KPIs that every HVAC business should be monitoring so that you can sleep easy at night knowing you’ve got the right structure in place to effectively monitor your company’s overall health and performance.

By the end of this masterclass, you’ll be able to determine:

  • Are your prices set correctly?
  • Are your sales close rates sufficient?
  • Is your service efficiency and productivity on target when measured against capacity?
  • Do you have enough service agreement customers?
  • Are your service and maintenance techs turning over enough new leads?
  • And much more

The Proven Formula for Properly Pricing Your Service Labor Rate

Who Should Attend: Business Owners, Service Managers, Sales Managers

One of the biggest mistakes contractors make is not pricing their service labor rate correctly. If you are not priced correctly, bad things are going to happen. What you might not know is that there is a proven formula for properly setting your service labor rate to ensure profitability and long term sustainability.

The formula involves 5 main components:

  • Base wage of your technicians
  • Efficiency (hours you pay your tech vs how many of those hours are billed to the customer)
  • Benefit costs (Health care, etc.)
  • The Key Performance Indicator for the cost of wage vs. street labor rate (we’ll tell you exactly what this should be)
  • Discounts associated with service agreements

Join us as we walk step-by-step through the entire process for accurately setting your service labor rate, factoring in all of the necessary components so that your company has the best opportunity for long term success and profitability.


Service Agreements – The Life Blood of Contractor Profitability

Who Should Attend: Call Center/Dispatch Managers

Service agreements have been around for many decades, and consistently companies may struggle to create value for homeowners and transact to the metrics we all desire to maximize profitability and client experience. If we think of service agreements as a marketing process, that lens allows a clearer picture about the lifetime value of a customer, and additional referrals and sales. Most would agree it’s generally easier to transact with an existing customer, and becomes even more profitable when we understand how to build a larger database of club clients, to the optimum 1,500 service agreements per million dollars of revenue. It is then we can market less expensively, and unlock the profitability and ultimately company value.

During this presentation, you will:

  • Learn the tried and true best practices for implementing a highly successful, profit generating service agreement program in your company
  • Discover how service agreements can keep your crews busy during the slower shoulder seasons and generate a constant stream of new business opportunities when the weather isn’t on your side
  • Save years of trial and error mistakes, prevent costly implementation missteps and avoid unneeded stress and sleepless nights wondering if you are doing things the right way.

Fall Ready: The Hvac Business Leader's Game Plan

Who Should Attend: Call Center/Dispatch Managers

As summer winds down, contractors have a critical opportunity to build momentum heading into the fall and winter seasons. In this session, we’ll explore the strategies and action steps needed to maximize the opportunities already in your business and ensure your team is prepared to hit the ground running.

Contractors will learn:

  • How to prioritize fall maintenance visits to maximize opportunities and revenue
  • How to identify and capitalize on the “summer gold dust” that may still be sitting in your business
  • How to build an effective fall training plan
  • How to identify and capitalize on pre-winter replacement opportunities

The Profitable Service Call: The Proven Step-By-Step Playbook

Who Should Attend: Business Owners, Service Managers, Sales Managers

The best service calls don’t happen by accident. In this session, contractors will walk through the complete service call process—from preparation and communication to diagnosis, presenting options, documentation, and follow-up. Participants will learn how each step contributes to a better customer experience while driving higher average tickets, improved conversion rates, and greater technician consistency.

Participants will learn:

  • The key activities that need to happen before and throughout each step of the service call
  • How to deliver world-class service at every customer touchpoint
  • How to improve communication, diagnosis, and option presentation
  • How consistency throughout the process creates a “WOW” customer experience
  • How an exceptional service process can drive higher average tickets and conversion rates

Preparing for the New Year: How to Make Next Year Your Best Year Ever!

Who Should Attend: Business Owners, Service Managers, Sales Managers, Install Managers, Accounting Managers, Call Center/Dispatch Managers

Great years don’t happen by accident—they are designed. In this session, contractors will learn how to build a strategic plan and budget for next year that provides a clear roadmap for achieving their goals and turning their vision into measurable results.

Contractors will learn:

  • Why having a strategic plan is critical to long-term success
  • The essential components of an effective strategic plan
  • How to establish clear goals and measurable targets
  • The action steps required to turn the numbers on paper into reality
  • How to create accountability around the plan and keep the team focused throughout the year

Recruiting & Retention Mastery: Find Them. Hire Them. Keep Them

Who Should Attend: Business Owners, Human Resources Managers, Service Managers, Sales Managers, Install Managers, Call Center/Dispatch Managers

Struggling to find great people? The challenge may not be recruiting—it may be retention. In this session, contractors will learn how to determine whether they have a recruiting problem, a retention problem, or both. We’ll explore how to position your company as THE place to work and create a recruiting strategy that attracts the right people while building a culture that keeps them.

Contractors will learn:

  • How to identify whether you have a recruiting challenge, a retention challenge, or both
  • How to showcase your company culture and become THE employer of choice
  • Where to find high-quality candidates
  • How to improve your recruiting and sourcing strategies
  • Tips for conducting world-class interviews that identify the right people

Picking Up the Gold Dust: How to Stop Missing Revenue Opportunities

Who Should Attend: Business Owners, Sales Managers, Call Center/Dispatch Managers

Your company has already invested in generating leads and creating opportunities. The question is: How much of that opportunity are you leaving behind?

In this session, contractors will discover how a consistent, strategic follow-up process can turn missed opportunities into revenue. We’ll explore what to follow up on, when to follow up, how to follow up, and how to create a culture of proactive outreach that ensures valuable opportunities don’t slip through the cracks.

Participants will learn:

  • Specific follow-up strategies, including what, when, and how
  • How to build an effective follow-up cycle
  • How to identify and recover missed opportunities
  • How to create a culture of proactive outreach
  • How to turn opportunities the company has already paid to generate into additional revenue

Beyond the Box: Stop Competing on Price

Who Should Attend: Business Owners, Service Managers, Sales Managers

When customers say, “Your price is too high,” the answer isn’t always a lower price—it’s a better presentation of value. In this session, contractors will learn how to differentiate their company, overcome price objections, and create a buying experience that helps homeowners make confident decisions without relying on discounts and price alone.

Contractors will learn:

  • Proven tips and strategies for overcoming price objections
  • How to differentiate your company and build value
  • How to effectively present financing and comfort options
  • How to create a better buying experience for the homeowner
  • How to shift the conversation from price to value

Little Hinges Swing Big Doors: 5 Key Levers for Business Growth

Who Should Attend: Business Owners, Sales Managers, Service Managers, Call Center/Dispatch Managers

Small improvements can create BIG results. In this interactive masterclass, participants will discover how making strategic, incremental improvements in five key areas of their business can produce significant gains in growth, profitability, and operational performance.

Contractors will identify opportunities within their own businesses and develop a customized action plan focused on improving five critical KPIs. Rather than leaving with theory alone, participants will walk away with practical strategies they can implement immediately to create measurable results.

Participants will learn:

  • The power of small, incremental improvements and their impact over time
  • The specific action steps that can drive meaningful business results
  • How small changes across multiple areas can create a significant overall impact
  • How to identify the “little hinges” within their own business
  • How to utilize the Optimization Tool to identify opportunities, prioritize actions, and drive measurable improvement