New Media, Timeless Knowledge
Meet the man using podcasting to bridge the gap between building science and the HVAC trades
One in four Americans listen to podcasts. Of those who do, almost eighty percent are between the ages of 18 and 54. Over forty percent have less formal education than a bachelor’s degree. Bill Spohn, president and CEO of the instrument-supply house TruTechTools, hosts the Building HVAC Science podcast on the Blue Collar Roots Media Network, a “collective of high-quality podcasts and other media related to blue collar professions and hobbies.” Through the art of conversation, Spohn succeeds at exactly what the title of his show suggests: infusing the HVAC trades with building science in a convenient digital format.
Griffin Hagle. Engineer, tool expert, businessman, podcaster: can you walk us through your background and how it led to the fourth role on this list?
Bill Spohn. I always loved tinkering with things, taking them apart, and (occasionally) putting them back together such that they function normally. I worked as a page in our small town library during high school. At break time, I’d grab a glass bottle of Orange Crush from the soda machine (for a dime), several issues of Popular Science from the Periodical Room, and head outside to pour through every page. My teenage dream was to be an editor for PopSci. Maybe I’ve arrived there in some regard.
I was really good in math and science in high school, and especially liked physics. I had no idea for a college major, yet my middle-class parents (secretary and letter carrier) insisted that all four of us kids get a college degree — perhaps a mark of family achievement for them, as we were second-generation U.S. citizens, with all four grandparents emigrating from Sicily to the U.S. between 1901 and 1907, searching for the American Dream.
I found mechanical engineering to be most in alignment with my interests. Hence, I followed through to get (bachelor’s and master’s degrees) in Mechanical Engineering and a Professional Engineering License.
In my second, career job, I got good exposure to lab test instruments at Fisher Scientific. As I rebounded from a layoff at Fisher, I got picked up as a design engineer at Bacharach, where I stayed for nearly 10 years. There, I got my exposure to HVAC test and measurement products, and the “new” weatherization market. I recall being there at a meeting when the formation of BPI was being considered. I went to one of the first RESNET conferences and one of the first ACI conferences, now called the (Home Performance Coalition) Conference.
During my fourth career job at Testo, I continued my focus on the crossover of the HVAC and weatherization test instrument markets. It was there that I met Jim Bergmann, who was captivated by the power of good test instrument data (and) came to work with Testo. In early 2007, he founded TruTechTools with his dad as a retirement hobby.
They immediately invited me in as a consultant to help shape their business concepts. Our joint efforts lead to a tenfold growth in sales the second year and a thirty-five-fold growth from inception in the third year. At that point, it was more than a hobby, and Jim Sr. wished to sell his shares, which I gladly purchased. I left Testo to work full-time managing TruTech.
Through hard work, persistence, patience and luck, my current business partner, Eric Preston, and I have grown the business to a projected $10+ million this year with 10 employees working with us.
Over the years, I’ve been fascinated with data analytics and the power of networking in the field of marketing. Social media has struck a resonating chord within me as it embodies these characteristics.
GH. What is the BlueCollarRoots network and how did you become involved?
BS. In the fall of 2016, a young HVAC contractor and business owner named Bryan Orr approached me at TruTech to sponsor his fledgling podcast and website called the HVACR School, a free educational resource for HVAC techs. I didn’t fully grasp and appreciate all of this until I met Bryan in person at the (Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration) Expo in January 2017. I immediately realized we needed to work together.
During the summer of 2017, Bryan wished to expand the reach of his podcast by creating The BlueCollarRoots network, a collective of 4–5 different podcasts, each with different hosts and topics. He asked if I would join and do a podcast on topics near and dear to me. I like taking little risks and trying something new, so after a little coaching, the Building HVAC Science Podcast was launched on September 12, 2017.
GH. How did the idea for Building HVAC Science come about? Why not a podcast focused strictly on building science?
BS. Since I started with Bacharach, I’ve been involved with people and topics in both building science and HVAC. I also believe that building science and HVAC should work seamlessly together. Plus, HVAC systems are usually in the middle of many building science challenges and designs. So I inserted HVAC into the term “building science,” like I think it should be.
Additionally, it’s a play on words (that suggests) Building Your HVAC Science. I’m not strictly about (building science), and this show is a projection of my persona, so it has to include HVAC.
GH. Who is your typical listener?
BS. It’s a little hard to say, as I don’t get a ton of feedback. But I have heard from HVAC techs, consumers, (building science) techs, and manufacturers alike.
GH. Your topics tend to swing between the big picture (e.g., Ep. 24, “Building a Thoughtful Home, Career and Life” with Chris Dorsi of Habitat X) and the technical (Ep. 20, “Super Tight Walls and Ducts” with Bryan Barnes of Aeroseal). What is the advantage to this approach?
BS. The episodes flow like my thoughts: all over the place! The advantage is that it is not too hard to do. It is often stream-of-consciousness and very authentic. There is no scripting. I’m just chatting with my friends!
GH. America’s trade workforce is aging — the National Association of Home Builders estimates the average construction worker is 42 — and one in four Americans listens to podcasts. How do you see this new media format contributing to the renewal of the blue-collar workforce?
BS. I think it is absolutely essential to reach people where they hang out. And now, a lot of people “hang out” in podcasts. Techs and contractors often spend a large part of their days going to their work. I’ve found a lot of these folks are very thoughtful people and are tired of music, talk radio and shock jocks. They are eager to learn — or at least have their opinions challenged — and put their brains to work listening to podcast during windshield time.
I’ve found a lot of these folks are very thoughtful people and are tired of music, talk radio and shock jocks. They are eager to learn.
GH. You’ve had several Habitat X-ers on the show: Larry Zarker, Steve Baden, Chris Dorsi and others, and you, of course, are a longtime attendee and supporter. What is the secret sauce that keeps you coming back to Habitat X?
BS. The secret sauce is the people, and the people make the agenda pretty much in real-time in front of your eyes. (There’s) nothing else like it. And Chris Dorsi is the best emcee there could be for an event like this.
GH. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
BS. Steve Baden liked his interview so much, I am now contracting with RESNET to produce the RESTalk podcast, which launched on June 11!
