Tom Spall, Co-owner of Shamrock Heating and Cooling, has spent more than 40 years in the HVAC industry. Early in his career, Tom focused heavily on becoming a better technician, but eventually found himself working 80 to 90 hours a week while wondering why there was so little left over. The problem wasn’t the quality of his technical work. He was underpricing his services and had not yet learned how to build the business around the work.
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How Tom Spall Turned Technical HVAC Expertise Into a Sustainable Business
Tom spent the first seven to ten years of his career focused on technical mastery. He wanted to understand HVAC systems better than average so he could deliver a better experience and solve problems for his customers.
But being a good technician created another challenge. Customers referred him because he solved problems, which created more demand. Without the right pricing and business systems behind that work, Tom found himself working around the clock without building the sustainable business he expected.
That realization shifted his focus from simply becoming a better technician to learning how to run and develop a better business.
How a Pricing Mistake Had Tom Working 80 to 90 Hours a Week
One of the biggest turning points came when Tom met one of his first mentors, Roland J. Down. Roland helped him understand the financial structure behind a healthy business, including sales, cost of goods, overhead, projected net profit, and how those numbers should influence pricing.
The numbers initially scared Tom. He didn’t think customers would pay what the business actually needed to charge. But the bigger problem was that his existing pricing was putting him on the path toward going out of business.
Tom adopted the new pricing model and raised his prices. He didn’t lose customers. Instead, the company continued gaining customers and building the business.
That experience taught Tom that delivering a good technical product isn’t enough if the company isn’t charging properly for the value it provides.
Why Treating HVAC as a People Business Creates a Better Customer Experience
As Tom improved the financial side of the business, another lesson became increasingly important. HVAC might be a technical business, but it is equally a people business.
That meant understanding what customers actually needed, communicating with them, protecting their property, and delivering value beyond simply repairing equipment. Tom began taking steps such as using shoe covers and drop cloths while becoming more intentional about how customers and their homes were treated.
The technical work still mattered, but Tom began looking beyond the equipment. If he could understand the customer and help them get what they needed, the technical solution became part of a much larger customer experience.
Why Fixing the Real HVAC Problem Matters More Than Replacing the Equipment
Tom believes in looking at an HVAC system as a complete system rather than focusing only on the furnace, air handler, or outdoor unit.
Refrigeration, electrical components, controls, capacity, ductwork, and airflow all work together. Replacing one piece of equipment without evaluating the rest of the system can leave the underlying problem untouched.
Tom points to airflow as one of the most commonly ignored parts of HVAC performance. Poor airflow can prevent heating and cooling from being properly delivered throughout a home while increasing the amount of energy the system uses trying to do the job.
That’s why Shamrock uses comprehensive testing to gather information and find the actual problem instead of simply addressing the symptom. For Tom, replacing the equipment may be part of the solution, but it shouldn’t happen without understanding what else is connected to it.
How Giving Customers More Options Helps Them Make Better HVAC Decisions
Tom’s approach to presenting HVAC solutions is built around three categories: must do, should do, and could do.
A must do focuses on what is necessary to get the system operating again. A should do identifies other problems that may be affecting performance or the longevity of the system. A could do gives the customer additional options, such as considering replacement when an existing system is getting older.
The customer doesn’t have to choose everything presented. Tom sees his responsibility as identifying the problems, explaining the options, and helping the customer understand what each choice means.
As he puts it, giving someone only one option isn’t really an option. It’s an ultimatum. Providing multiple choices allows customers to ask questions and make informed decisions based on their own situation.
How Understanding the Whole Customer Story Led to a Better HVAC Solution
One customer story demonstrates how Tom’s approach can change the outcome of an HVAC project.
His team was replacing three HVAC systems in a home. The first two replacements went as planned, but when they reached the third system, the new unit didn’t properly fit the existing roof footprint.
The team could have made the equipment fit, but doing so would have made future service and repairs extremely difficult. Rather than forcing the installation and moving on, Tom met with the homeowner to explain the problem and understand more about how the home was being used.
During that conversation and his inspection of the home, Tom learned that the existing third system had been added as a Band-Aid for a long-standing cooling problem in the kitchen and laundry area. He also discovered a workshop in the garage where the homeowner’s son spent significant time working on radio-controlled boats, cars, and planes. The workshop had no cooling despite being in a hot climate.
Instead of recreating the old setup, Tom developed another approach. The revised solution could address the kitchen and laundry cooling problem while also adding cooling to the son’s workshop.
The solution required additional roof work and cost more, so Tom prepared a revised proposal rather than simply proceeding with the original plan. The homeowners chose to move forward, and Tom said they were still enjoying the solution years later.
The project shows why understanding what a customer is actually trying to accomplish can uncover a better solution than simply replacing equipment.
Why Hiring for Attitude and Training for Skill Builds a Stronger HVAC Team
Tom applies the same people-first philosophy to hiring.
Shamrock uses technical assessments and personality assessments during its interview process, but Tom’s larger philosophy is simple: hire for attitude and train for skill.
He believes HVAC skills such as repairing and maintaining air conditioners and furnaces can be taught. The harder part is finding people whose values already align with how the company expects customers to be treated.
Once those people join the team, Shamrock develops both their technical abilities and their customer service skills. Training includes role-playing and discussions about situations technicians encounter with customers so employees can learn how the company’s values apply to real decisions in the field.
How Real Customer Stories Helped Shamrock Define Its Four Core Values
Tom’s four core values are integrity, innovation, reliability, and care. But those values weren’t simply words selected by leadership and placed on a wall.
The business spent about a year meeting regularly and examining stories about what was happening with customers. The team would look at successful moments and ask which values had been demonstrated through the decisions employees made.
Over time, common themes emerged from those stories. Those themes became integrity, innovation, reliability, and care.
For Tom, values matter when they guide what employees actually do. That includes taking responsibility when something goes wrong, bringing problems to a customer’s attention, and making decisions that may not always produce the most immediate profit but are still the right thing to do.
Why Creating Wins for Employees and Customers Helps the Company Win
Tom summarizes his business philosophy around creating three wins.
First, employees need to win. Second, customers need to win. When the business creates an environment where both happen, Tom believes the company wins as a result.
That philosophy influences how Shamrock develops technicians, serves customers, and approaches problems in the field. Tom still regularly goes into the field himself, whether he is coaching an employee, helping solve a difficult problem, or meeting directly with a customer when something needs to be made right.
After more than 40 years in HVAC, Tom’s approach remains rooted in the same idea: a successful service business isn’t built on technical ability alone. Pricing, people, customer experience, problem solving, employee development, and values all have to work together.
Watch the full episode now and leave your questions or comments about Tom Spall’s approach to building an HVAC business through better pricing, customer service, technical problem solving, strong teams, and core values.