Dayna Hottle grew up hearing the language of ductwork and refrigerant before she could read.
C&C Heating & Air Conditioning was founded in 1948 by her grandfather and great-uncle, and it still operates from the same location.
At 53, Dayna's grandfather passed away without warning. Her father set aside his own career plans and took the helm — not because it was his dream, but because it was his family.
On sick days, Dayna didn't stay home. She went to the office and slept under her mom's desk. "I literally grew up here," she says.
While she initially considered a corporate path after studying economics in college, working inside the company during summers and networking events changed her perspective. She began to see the opportunity not just to continue the family business, but to grow it.
She joined the company full-time and learned every part of the operation: “I kind of started doing everything,” she says. “Dispatching, CSR, accounting, marketing, and just grew within the business.”
Today, Dayna is the general manager, while her husband Chad manages operations.
Leading with “Care Values”
As general manager, Dayna believes strong leadership starts with empathy and accountability.
At C&C, the company’s guiding principles are simple. “We call our core values our care values,” she says. “We care for our employees, we care for our vendors, and we care for the community.”
That philosophy shapes everything from hiring to customer service.
Dayna and Chad personally conduct first-round interviews to ensure every hire aligns with the company culture.
“We think it's really important to make sure the candidate fits our culture before giving them the keys to a truck or sending them to customers’ homes,” she says.
Chad credits Dayna’s leadership style as a major reason the company culture works. “The whole company relies on her guidance and the way she handles people,” he says. “Our employees love her. She’s just a great leader.”
Women are reshaping the HVAC industry
Over nearly 25 years in the industry, Dayna has watched the trades evolve first-hand: “When I first started going to industry events, there were only a handful of women there,” she says. “Now you see just as many women — especially at the leadership level.”
For Dayna, more women in the trades is good for everyone — customers included. "I think women bring a perspective that's very nurturing and supportive," she says. "Customers and communities value that."
At C&C, that's played out in practice. The company's female technicians have built a reputation for strong customer relationships — something Chad notices in how they communicate. "They're incredible with people," he says. "They follow up with customers, check in the next day, and really make sure they feel taken care of."
But Dayna also wants more women to understand that the trades offer opportunities beyond fieldwork: “People think to get into the trades you have to work in the field,” she says. “But there are so many opportunities — marketing, call center, dispatch, technician roles. It can become an incredible career path.”
Quiet acts of community care
C&C Heating & Air Conditioning has served Roseville, Michigan for decades — but some of its most meaningful work never makes the news.
When a local organization flagged a woman in Detroit with no heat, C&C showed up and fixed it for free. They've done the same for elderly residents during extreme heat waves, and quietly supported local high school teams, churches, and community organizations along the way.
"A lot of what we do is behind the scenes," Dayna says.
That's by design. "When the city calls and asks if we can help someone in need, we're always going to try," says Chad.
Technology powering a modern family business
While C&C is rooted in tradition, Dayna has always believed in adopting technology early.
Technicians at the company were already using mobile devices and remote systems as early as 2008.
That mindset made adopting ServiceTitan a natural step. “When we started looking at ServiceTitan, it was really a no-brainer,” she says.
The results were immediate: “Within the second year, we grew 40% year over year with ServiceTitan.”
Today, the company uses several ServiceTitan Pro products, including Marketing Pro and Phones Pro, to improve operations and customer communication.
Dayna also sees AI playing an increasingly important role in the industry: “It’s not about replacing people,” she says. “It’s about enhancing what they can do and making them more efficient.”
From AI call handling during peak demand to automation that streamlines customer communication, the technology enables the team to serve more customers without sacrificing service quality.
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A vision for the fourth generation
As C&C approaches its 80th year in business, Dayna and Chad are already thinking about the future. Their two young sons may one day become the fourth generation of leadership.
“Our goal is to stay family-owned,” Dayna says. “We want to run this company until our boys have the opportunity to decide if they want to take it on.”
If they do, the company could celebrate an extraordinary milestone. “We’re getting close to 100 years,” she says. “That’s the goal — to stay family-owned for at least 100 years.”
More than anything, Dayna wants the business to continue doing what it has done for nearly eight decades: support families, provide good careers, and serve the community. “It’s pretty amazing that this business has been able to thrive for 78 years,” she says. “And that we’re able to provide for so many families through it.”
And as the company moves toward its 100-year milestone, Dayna Hottle is ensuring that legacy continues — one family, one technician, and one community at a time.
Want to learn more about ServiceTitan’s Power the Nation initiative and the contractors making a difference across the country? Visit ServiceTitan’s Power the Nation home page.
