Many home service companies say they have a strong culture. But as teams grow, that culture can be hard to keep clear. A rule can be written down. A training meeting can be repeated. A company value can be placed on a wall. But real culture is often learned from the people beside you. It is seen in how they talk to a customer, how they help a teammate, and how they handle the work when no one is watching. For a family owned air conditioning company in Arizona, that kind of shared standard can become one of the strongest signs of trust.
That idea shaped a recent PowerChat interview hosted by Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, with Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO of Chas Roberts. The conversation looked at what makes a long standing company stay strong, but one moment stood out. Sissie shared that some companies avoid hiring family members because they worry it will cause problems. Chas Roberts sees it in a different way.
“We say there’s no better employee than a family member because the family member tells them this is how we treat people, this is how we do it.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That quote gives this PowerChat its deeper lesson. Family is not only part of the company story. It is also part of how the culture is carried. Sissie explained that Chas Roberts has husbands and wives, brothers, cousins, and family teams working inside the business. When the culture is healthy, those family ties can help reinforce the company’s way of serving people.
For an Arizona family owned A/C, heating, and plumbing company, that matters because trust is passed from person to person. A new employee does not only learn from a manual. They learn by watching how the team treats homeowners, how leaders treat employees, and how the company talks about doing the right thing.
Sissie also tied that culture to care inside the home. She made it clear that the goal is not to make one sale. The goal is to keep the homeowner happy for the life of the home. That means family culture is not just an internal detail. It can shape the service a customer feels at the door.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry. Through PowerChat, Power100 gives leaders like Sissie Roberts Shank a place to share the real values behind strong companies. Her interview with Greg Cummings shows why strong Arizona HVAC leadership is not only about size, age, or service lines. It is about trust, shared standards, and the people who help carry those standards forward.
Sissie shared that some companies worry when family members work together. They may see it as a risk. They may fear tension, conflict, or trouble inside the team. But Chas Roberts sees it in a different way.
Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO of Chas Roberts
When the culture is clear, family can help carry the standard. A family member can teach another person how the company treats people. They can show what is expected. They can help make the company way feel real in daily work.
“We say there’s no better employee than a family member because the family member tells them this is how we treat people, this is how we do it.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts.
That line gives the conversation a strong lesson. Family does not become a strength by accident. It becomes a strength when the company has a clear way of doing things. People must know how to treat homeowners. They must know how to treat coworkers. They must know what the company will protect.
For a company, that shared standard matters. The work is personal. Teams go into homes. They speak with families. They help solve problems that affect comfort, safety, and trust. When employees carry the same care, the homeowner can feel the difference.
Sissie’s point also showed that culture is not only a rule book. It is not only a meeting. It is not only a phrase used by leaders. Culture is passed through people who live it each day.
That matters because new employees often learn by watching. They watch how leaders speak. They watch how long time team members handle pressure. They watch how coworkers treat a homeowner when the job is not simple. In a strong company, those daily examples teach the standard better than any written rule can.
“They kind of police themselves if you’re doing a good job in your culture to begin with.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That does not mean people are harsh with each other. It means the culture is strong enough that people help protect it. They remind each other what matters. They correct small things before they become big things. They care enough to keep the company standard alive.
That is a strong message for Arizona HVAC leadership. As companies grow, leaders cannot be in every room, on every call, or at every home. The culture has to travel through the people. Sissie’s view shows how family members, long time employees, and trusted teammates can help carry that culture forward.
The PowerChat also showed why internal growth matters. Sissie said the company has tried hiring from the outside and growing people from within. Both can work, but she made one thing clear. It can be hard for someone new to understand the full culture right away.
The reason is simple. Some values are learned over time. A person may understand the job in year one, but they may understand the deeper company way in year five. They see how decisions are made. They see how homeowners are treated. They see how leaders think about employees and the future.
“It’s easier to get that through when they see it themselves.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
Sissie shared examples that show this in real life. The VP of construction started as an installer in high school. The VP of service started as a service tech. Those stories matter because they show that leadership was not only placed at the top. It was grown through the work.
For Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO of Chas Roberts, this is part of the company’s strength. Internal leaders can protect the culture because they have lived it. They know what the company stands for because they have carried the work themselves.
Sissie made it clear that culture is not only for the people inside the business. It reaches the homeowner too. When employees understand care as the company standard, they bring that care into the home.
Sissie Roberts Shank, CEO, and daughter Rachel Stiak, Marketing Director.
She said the company does not want to be there only for the original install. It wants to be there when the system breaks down. It wants to be there for maintenance. It wants to be there for replacement later in the life of the home.
“It’s not about making a sale today. It’s about keeping that homeowner happy for the lifetime of their home.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That is where the family culture becomes more than a warm idea. It shapes how employees make choices with real people. Sissie also shared that the team talks about treating each home like it is a grandmother’s home. That means do not oversell. Do not undersell. Explain what the person needs and help them where they are.
For customers searching for Arizona air conditioning repair, replacement, maintenance, and emergency service, this kind of culture matters. Homeowners want skill, but they also want trust. They want to know that the person in the home is guided by care, not just pressure to close a sale.
Strong culture is easy to talk about. It is harder to prove. In the PowerChat, Sissie shared one of the clearest proof points. Chas Roberts has 34 employees who have been with the company for more than 30 years. It also has more than 100 employees who have been with the company for more than 20 years.
That kind of loyalty says something. People do not stay that long only because a company has a name. They stay when they believe in the work. They stay when they feel seen. They stay when they know the company cares about more than money.
“That’s why I think we have so many people that have stayed here so so long.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
This adds weight to the family culture story. It shows that the company is not only a place where relatives work together. It is a place where people build long careers. It is a place where many employees choose to stay, grow, and keep serving.
For a trusted HVAC company in Arizona, that kind of employee loyalty can help build customer trust too. Homeowners feel more secure when a company has people who know the work, know the market, and know the company standard.
Greg also pointed out that the company’s culture can be seen outside the walls of the business. He mentioned Chas Roberts’ community involvement, including youth support, women focused programs, Habitat for Humanity, and other local efforts. His point was that the company’s care is not only spoken. It is shown through action.
Sissie said the reason is simple. In Arizona, the heat is real. Some people struggle. Some families may not be able to afford the help they need. The company wants to support people where it can, even when those people may never become customers.
“It’s not about the notoriety.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That line helps explain why family culture matters here. The company does not see care as something that stops with employees or homeowners. It reaches into the community too. When employees see that, they understand the company is trying to do more than sell service. It is trying to leave the community in a better place.
For Chas Roberts this makes the family culture feel real. It shows up in how people work together. It shows up in how homeowners are served. It shows up in how the company gives back.
That is the deeper lesson from Sissie’s interview. A strong culture is not just claimed. It is carried by people, proven over time, and shared through the way a company serves.
The family culture Sissie Roberts Shank described in the PowerChat does not stop inside the walls of Chas Roberts. It shows up in how the company serves Arizona families, supports local groups, and steps in when people need help most. That is what makes the company’s community work fit so naturally with Chas Roberts culture. The same shared standard Sissie talked about inside the business also reaches the people outside it.
One of the clearest examples is the Cool Play A/C Giveaway, the company’s flagship giving program with the Arizona Diamondbacks. For more than 18 years, the program has helped local families and nonprofits facing hardship, illness, job loss, and emergencies by giving them free A/C and heating systems, including full installation. In Arizona, that kind of gift is not small. A working A/C system can affect health, comfort, safety, and peace of mind for a family in a hard season.
Past Cool Play winners show why this work matters. The program has helped a military family with a child battling Leukemia. It has also helped a frontline Certified Nursing Assistant who cared for COVID 19 patients. These are the kinds of stories that show what a company believes when no sale is attached. The work is not only about home comfort. It is about seeing people, honoring what they are carrying, and using company resources to make life better.
That care also shows up in other parts of the community. Chas Roberts has installed air conditioning systems for Habitat for Humanity and HomeBase Youth Services homes. The company also provided a free A/C system for a local girl with cancer who received a home through Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in 2005. It has sponsored youth athletic teams and community events, including the Original Taste charity event. Over the years, employees have also donated thousands of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours to local and national charities.
This kind of giving adds proof to Sissie’s message about culture. In the interview, she explained that the company cares about more than ownership. It cares about employees. It cares about homeowners. It cares about the community. That is why community work is not treated like a side project. It is part of the larger company story.
“You know, I just think the more you are involved in a community, the better. It’s not about the notoriety.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That line gives the impact section its heart. Chas Roberts has been recognized among the 40 Most Philanthropic Companies in Arizona, but the deeper point is not the recognition. The deeper point is the reason behind the work. Sissie’s view is that giving back is tied to the people the company serves, the employees who take pride in the mission, and the Arizona communities that helped shape the business.
For an Arizona family owned company, that kind of care is hard to separate from the service itself. When a team learns that “this is how we treat people,” that standard can show up in many places. It can show up in a home visit. It can show up in an employee relationship. It can show up in a donated A/C system for a family that needs relief.
That is what makes this part of the Chas Roberts story so strong. The company’s family culture is not only something people talk about. It is something people can see. It is seen in long term employees, family teams, shared standards, and community programs that help Arizona families when comfort and care matter most.
Sissie Roberts Shank’s PowerChat made one thing clear. Family inside a company is not automatically a problem. When the culture is strong, family can become one of the ways the standard is taught, protected, and passed forward.
That is what gives this story its warmth. Chas Roberts is not only a company with family roots. It is a company where people help each other understand how the work should be done and how people should be treated. That shared care can shape the team, the home visit, and the trust a homeowner feels.
Sissie put that belief into simple words during the conversation.
“We say there’s no better employee than a family member because the family member tells them this is how we treat people, this is how we do it.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That idea gives the company’s culture a clear path forward. It shows that strong values are not only spoken by leaders. They are carried by people who believe in them, repeat them, and live them in the work.
Chas Roberts has built a culture where family is not treated as a risk, but as a reminder of how people should be served. Under Sissie Roberts Shank’s leadership, that family culture helps protect employee trust, strengthen homeowner care, and carry the company’s values into the next generation.
Power100 covers more than sales numbers. Its platform ranks and tells stories about CEOs, companies, and strategic partners across the home improvement industry, with a focus on growth, community, and culture. Its ranking system also looks at team health, hiring, employee growth, customer experience, and community impact. That is why this PowerChat with Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO of Chas Roberts matters. It shows how family culture can shape trust inside an Arizona family owned A/C, heating, and plumbing company.
Power100’s own framework says culture is one of the hardest parts of a company to fake, and it weighs culture over time when looking at great leaders. That connects directly to this Powerchat because Sissie explained how culture travels through people, family members, long time employees, and shared standards. When a company’s people believe in the same care standard, that can shape how homeowners are treated during service.
Chas Roberts says Chas and Alice Roberts founded the company in 1942, and the business has been family owned and operated ever since. Today, the company says it is the largest HVAC and plumbing provider in Arizona, serving Metro Phoenix and Tucson. That makes family owned air conditioning company in Arizona more than a phrase. It is part of the company’s history, leadership, and public identity.
In the PowerChat, Sissie said some companies do not want family members working together because they think it creates trouble. Chas Roberts sees it differently. She said family members can help teach the company standard by saying, “this is how we treat people, this is how we do it.” That means family can help carry the culture when the culture is already clear.
Yes. Sissie said the company does not want to be there only for the first install. It wants to be there when the system breaks down, for maintenance, and for replacement later. She also said the goal is not making one sale today, but keeping the homeowner happy for the life of the home. For customers searching for Arizona air conditioning repair, replacement, maintenance, and emergency service, that culture matters because it points to long term care, not one time pressure.
Chas Roberts lists A/C and heating replacement, repair, maintenance, warranty plans, emergency A/C service, commercial A/C and heating, plumbing services, drain cleaning, plumbing leaks, water filtration, water heating, and emergency plumbing services. The company says its technicians are licensed, bonded, insured, and trained through the Chas Roberts Customer Service Training Program. That makes Chas Roberts A/C and plumbing a strong search phrase for Arizona homeowners who need home comfort help.
Yes. Her official Chas Roberts profile lists Roberta “Sissie” Roberts Shank as President and Chief Executive Officer. It also quotes her saying it is wonderful to be part of a family business and that the team works so well together they are like a big family. That matches the PowerChat message that culture is carried by people who know the standard and help others live it.
Chas Roberts has shown care through community work as well. Its Cool Play A/C Giveaway has provided new air conditioning and heating systems to Arizona families in need, with installation by Chas Roberts and support from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Sissie said in the company’s announcement that as a local family owned business, Chas Roberts has always understood the importance of helping people in need. In the PowerChat, she also said giving back is not about notoriety. It is about being involved in the community.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry. Built for CEOs, contractors, partners, and brands across home improvement, home services, and outdoor living, Power100 shares rankings, PowerChat interviews, leadership stories, and real business lessons that help great companies earn trust, build stronger teams, and raise the standard for homeowners. Through its platform, YouTube channel, and free Inner Circle, Power100 gives industry leaders a place to learn from real operators, share what is working, and grow with purpose.
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Power100 is the nation's premier CEO ranking and media platform for the home improvement industry. Using a proprietary 5-layer evaluation system, Power100 identifies and celebrates the top CEOs, companies, and strategic partners driving innovation, customer satisfaction, and leadership excellence across the country.
