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Suzanne Morrison, an installation manager with Ace Hardware Home Services, was named an ACHR News 2026 Top Woman in HVACR. In an interview with Hardware Retailing, she described her path from office assistant to management and said mentorship, visibility and clear advancement opportunities can help women build careers in the trades.
Suzanne Morrison, an installation manager with Ace Hardware Home Services, was named an Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News (ACHR News) 2026 Top Woman in HVACR. In an interview with Hardware Retailing, Morrison discussed her advancement from office assistant into management and the steps companies can take to help women enter and progress in the trades.
Morrison told Hardware Retailing that she initially joined the industry while looking for a way to return to work as her children grew older and started school. Her early duties included filing, inventory tracking, customer follow-up and inspection coordination. As the company expanded, she took on additional responsibilities and moved into an installation coordinator role, working with customers, installers and company leadership.
That role gave her experience in customer service and operational processes, which helped prepare her for further advancement. Morrison said she tried to accept new opportunities, stay curious and keep learning. Over time, she moved from office assistant to installation manager, although she said she did not begin with a long-term career plan.
She said her view changed as she learned how HVAC work affected customers and found satisfaction in solving problems and building relationships. Moving into leadership brought challenges, including doubts about whether she was ready. Morrison said preparation, continued learning, asking questions and focusing on results helped her build confidence through experience.
How Career Paths Can Broaden
Morrison’s account points to a practical issue for home improvement and HVAC employers: careers in the trades are not limited to field technician roles. The industry also has work in operations, project management, sales, technology, administration and finance. Making those pathways more visible may help companies reach candidates who do not initially see themselves in the sector.
Her comments also describe how advancement can depend on more than an employee’s technical knowledge. Morrison said women may have to establish their credibility before their contributions are fully recognized. She told Hardware Retailing that she encountered this barrier and nearly left the industry, but continued working to challenge assumptions. Her experience illustrates why mentorship, fair development opportunities and clear promotion pathways matter to both retention and leadership growth.
The interview is a personal account, not a workforce survey, and it does not quantify how common these barriers are. Still, the issues she raises are relevant to employers seeking to develop talent: a supportive culture, she said, should value people for their performance, character and contributions rather than stereotypes.
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From Office Work to HVAC Leadership
Morrison described her career as a gradual progression rather than a planned move into HVAC leadership. She began with administrative and coordination tasks, then accepted responsibilities that brought her closer to the installation process and the people carrying it out. The sequence shows how non-field roles can serve as entry points into the home improvement channel and lead to management positions.
She said the industry has changed during her roughly decade-long experience, with more visibility for women and more discussion of how to attract and develop them. Morrison described HVAC as still predominantly male, but said she sees women increasingly contributing beyond office roles and moving into leadership. She also acknowledged that progress is incomplete, particularly when women have limited exposure to the range of jobs available or must prove their knowledge to be taken seriously.
ACHR News’ 2026 Top Women in HVACR recognition provides the occasion for the interview. Hardware Retailing spoke with Morrison about her progression, the challenges she faced and what employers can do to support employees’ growth.
“one of the biggest barriers is still perception”
— Suzanne Morrison
The Scope of Remaining Barriers
The interview does not provide workforce figures, company-wide hiring or promotion data, or an independent assessment of how often women in HVAC face the barriers Morrison described. It also does not detail specific programs at Ace Hardware Home Services, such as mentorship initiatives, advancement targets or retention results.
The source material identifies Morrison as a 2026 Top Woman in HVACR but does not include her full response to a question about what the recognition means to her. No further details about the award selection process or the number of honorees are supplied. Claims about broader industry change should therefore be read as Morrison’s observations, not as measured findings about the sector as a whole.
Building Visible Routes Into Trades
Morrison’s interview describes no new program or policy announcement, and it does not set out a timeline for additional changes. The next steps she recommends are for employers: make the range of jobs in HVAC more visible, offer mentorship and education, provide equal chances to develop, and establish clear routes to advancement.
Whether those measures lead to broader representation or improved retention is not addressed in the interview. Further information about company initiatives, workforce data and the award program would be needed to assess their reach. For now, Morrison’s recognition brings attention to one career path and to her view that support and visibility can help more women see a future in the trades.
Key Questions
Who is Suzanne Morrison?
Suzanne Morrison is an installation manager with Ace Hardware Home Services. Hardware Retailing interviewed her about her career in HVAC and opportunities for women in home improvement.
What recognition did Morrison receive?
Morrison was named an ACHR News 2026 Top Woman in HVACR, according to the Hardware Retailing report.
How did Morrison advance into management?
She began with office duties such as filing, inventory tracking, customer follow-up and inspection coordination. As the company grew, she took on more responsibility, became an installation coordinator and later moved into an installation manager role.
What barriers did Morrison say women still face in HVAC?
She pointed to limited awareness of the range of careers available and situations where women have to establish their credibility before their knowledge and contributions are recognized. The interview does not quantify how widespread those barriers are.
What workplace changes did Morrison recommend?
She called for equal development opportunities, mentorship, clear advancement pathways and open communication, with employees judged by their performance and contributions rather than assumptions.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
