During his 35 years working in various roles for Johnson Controls, Chip Dudley has watched technological advancements completely reshape his industry. He’s seen Building Automation Systems revolutionized by software, and racks of giant manuals in three-ring binders made obsolete by mobile phones.
Now he’s watching commercial trades companies deal with a challenge produced by that ever-improving technology: attracting the right talent to drive it.
“At any given time, Johnson Controls has 800 requisitions to hire in these technical fields, whether it's a chiller mechanic, or a controls technician, or a fire alarm technician—just a huge gap in what we need versus what we have,” said Dudley, speaking as part of a three-person panel during a seminar at the 2025 AHR Expo in Orlando.
A new generation of workers who grew up using laptops, tablets and mobile phones is hitting the workforce with skills these companies covet, but not necessarily the desire to work in the trades.
That perception frustrates panelist David Sciarrino, the Director of Healthcare Solutions at InSite, a software and professional services company.
“I know people right now that are very well-qualified developers—full stack (skills to work the front end and back end of a website or app)—they can't find work. The market's flooded,” he said. “And if you look at (the companies represented) in this room with us, they all need an HVAC tech right now.”
It’s not a sexy business, so messaging matters
Dudley says commercial trades companies in particular must adapt the way they promote themselves and their jobs to attract top talent.
“Many people know Johnson Controls for manufacturing chillers. We call it ‘heavy iron’ in the industry,” he said. “We manufacture a lot of big products, but we're no longer marketing ourselves as an HVAC company. We are a technical solution company for more sustainable, comfortable, and safe environments for your clients.”
He admits “it's not a sexy business,” but he believes if applicants know they are going to be using computers and updated technology, the opportunities are more appealing. And when job-seekers are on a company’s website, Dudley says they should see workers using a device.
Sciarrino agreed that potential new hires have expectations regarding technology.
“They grew up with screens in their face all day long,” he said. “They're going to expect to have an iPad or some sort of device that helps them interact with their environment and do their job.”
AI is opportunity knocking
All three panelists agreed that, with companies such as ServiceTitan incorporating AI to provide software solutions for the trades, leveraging the chance to work with it will be appealing to candidates.
Lenny Joseph, who has a background in mechanical engineering, began his career in the mid-1990s—about the time computers became fixtures in homes and businesses. He is confident the arrival of AI will have the same kind of seismic impact on the culture.
“Now you're seeing another shift that's happening where AI is coming in,” he said. “And every single time a shift happens, opportunities arise from it.”
He added that businesses built on older tools and systems need to have a plan for AI.
“I'm pretty sure there are people below the age of 30 who have never seen a typewriter before. So you've got to think about it from that perspective,” he said. “You've got to have a pathway to get toward AI, and you’ve got to take the tools you have and make it better and attractive for these people who are coming in.”
Sciarrino believes young talent entering the workforce will understand the impact of AI, calling it “a blank whiteboard” that will appeal to candidates.
Said Dudley: “They'll be on the forefront of it if they want to enhance the AI, if they want to have their opinion on how the AI is developed or used within their company.”
Skilled trades have always offered bright future
The way Sciarrino sees it, a job in the skilled trades sells itself.
“Electricians or any of the skilled trades, it's one of the very few careers you can have where you're going to be working with the latest technology that is foreign to most of the general public,” he said.
“You can do it with a year or two years of training, and you can take it anywhere you want—you can work for a company and work your way up into management, or you can take what you've learned and …
“Start your own business,” said Dudley.
“ ... start your own business. Yep,” said Sciarrino.
The thought made Dudley reflect on another selling point of the skilled trades.
“You know, you tell people stories about somebody they didn't go to college, they worked with an electrician, they started up a business, they grew it,” he said. “They sold it for $30 million when they were 42 years old, and now they're retired …
“You don't need a college degree.”
