Excerpted from the NCI High-Performance Today October Issue article by Mike Well. Read the entire story HERE

In record-breaking numbers, High-Performance HVAC™ contractors landed in Pigeon Forge, TN this September as National Comfort Institute’s (NCI) 23rd Annual Summit got underway. More than 250 attendees and exhibitors mingled and shared experiences while crowding session rooms and table-top exhibits.

Once again, the Summit was open to the entire HVAC Industry to spotlight like-minded people willing to share their high-performance experiences with peers.

This gathering of contractors, preferred partners, and other industry luminaries gathered to network and learn. The event saw more first-time attendees than ever before and hosted live streaming and podcasting directly from the conference headquarters in the Dollywood HeartSong Lodge and Resort.

This year’s theme was Culture: The Heart of High-Performance HVAC. And the message resounding throughout the seminar rooms and general session halls was clear — the key to high-performance testing, measuring, and problem solving is building a strong team culture first.

This year’s keynote address was delivered by Mary Belden-McGrath, founder and chief relationship officer for an organization called Driven Leadership. Her message focused on business culture. For more than 25 years she has helped business owners and leaders build the type of cultures that enables teams to grow, thrive, and succeed. She told the packed general session room that “businesses don’t change until people do.”

Her message was loud and clear and set the stage for the next few days of learning, camaraderie, and fun.

This year’s breakouts, presented by both high-performance contractors and NCI instructors, continued pressing the theme of performance culture building with topics ranging from leadership, changing culture and technology to IAQ solutions, refrigerant-side performance and installation performance verification.

Two panel discussions engaged the audience. NCI CEO Dominick Guarino led a group of contractors to discuss Home Performance and High-Performance HVAC: Two Sides of the Same Coin and NCI’s VP of Training David Richardson moderated a lively panel who not only shared their experiences, but engaged the audience with stories and humor. Watch this video of the entire discussion on the topic of Culture — the Key to Implementing High-Performance HVAC.

Table top displays lined the hallways from which 20 exhibitors spoke with contractors about new products and services, and enjoyed a lot of one-on-one time with attendees. The tradeshow featured NCI partner manufacturers, distributors, and service providers, who exhibited the latest tools and technologies up close. They also participated in NCI’s Annual Preferred Partner Prize Drawing.

No Summit would be complete without the Annual Awards Banquet, where NCI recognizes outstanding achievements by High-Performance HVAC contractors across North America.

 CEO Dominick Guarino always says that the awards part of Summit is his favorite. “It’s an opportunity for us to shine a bright light on the real heroes of this group,” he explains.

A total of eleven awards were presented this year, including Small Contractor of the Year to Honest Heating and Cooling of Marshalltown, IA; Medium Contractor of the Year to Mission Critical Comfort Solutions  of Kathleen, GA and Large Contractor of the Year to Kalos Services of Clermont, FL.

Mark your calendars for the NCI’s Summit 2027. Due to popular demand, it returns to Pigeon Forge’s Dollywood Resort from September 7-9, 2027. We will have more information posted on GoToSummit.com.

Registration is open NOW. And if you register, you can participate for FREE in the 11-part Path To High-Performance Coaching sessions. Call NCI’s help line at 800-633-7058 for more information.

About the Author
Mike Weil

Mike Weil is the Director of Communications for National Comfort Institute, Inc. He has been in this role since 2014. He also serves as editor-in-chief of High-Performance HVAC Today magazine. He is focused on a contractor-first approach to editorial, specifically targeted to the High-Performance HVAC Contracting community. He also focuses on a customer-first approach to connecting these contractors to vendors and suppliers that address their needs. Weil spent 34 years at a Cleveland, OH-based business-to-business trade press publishing company, holding the position of Editorial Director for three HVACR Industry publications, the industry’s largest discussion forum, as well as an industry trade-show/conference. He can be reached via NCI’s contact page at ncilink.com/ContactMe.