In the home service industry, many companies try to fix problems from the top down. Leaders add new tools, change systems, or roll out new plans before asking the people who use them each day. That can slow teams down. It can hurt trust. It can also make it harder to serve the homeowner well. For an Arizona family owned A/C, heating, and plumbing company, the better answer may be simple. Listen first to the people closest to the work.
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 focused on how an 84 year Arizona legacy business keeps moving forward without losing the values that helped it last. Greg pointed to the company’s long history, strong employee culture, and steady role in the Arizona market. But the deeper story was not just that Chas Roberts has been around for more than 80 years. It was why the company has stayed strong.
For Sissie, that reason starts with a clear belief. Lasting improvement does not come from leaders guessing in a room. It comes from asking the people in the field what they see every day. It comes from hearing what slows a job down, what makes a process harder, what helps a homeowner, and what could make the work better.
“So I would say, you know, early on, we were always thinking, how do we do this process better, this process better? And I think what’s been great for us is to say, hey, you people in the field, you people that are out doing the work, we need your input to help us build this. You’re out there seeing it every day.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That field first mindset gives this PowerChat its main lesson. Chas Roberts has not stayed relevant by chasing every new idea. It has stayed relevant by asking better questions. What will make the process faster? What will make it more efficient? What will make it less costly? How does the change affect the next team in line? Most of all, how does it help employees take better care of the people inside the home?
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 a platform to leaders like Sissie Roberts Shank who show how strong businesses are built with care, trust, and steady improvement.
Her interview with Greg Cummings shows why the best Arizona HVAC leadership is not only about growth. It is about building a company where the field team has a voice, the homeowner is treated with care, and every process is shaped with the people doing the work in mind.
Sissie shared that Chas Roberts has always believed in getting better. That mindset started before her time as CEO. She said her father and grandfather were always asking what was next and how the company could improve. But the way the company improves is what makes the story stand out.
Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
Instead of building every new process from the office, Chas Roberts asks the people in the field what they see. These are the people who know where time is lost. They know what slows a job down. They know what makes service harder. They also know what helps a homeowner feel cared for.
“We need your input to help us build this. You’re out there seeing it every day.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That line shows the heart of Sissie’s leadership. She is not building from theory. She is building from real work. For a company that offers Arizona air conditioning repair, replacement, maintenance, and emergency service, that kind of field input can shape better service, stronger teams, and smarter decisions.
It also gives employees a clear message. Their voice matters. Their work matters. Their daily experience is not ignored. It is used to help build the next version of the company.
Sissie also spoke about the danger of trying to be first at everything. In today’s market, many companies feel pressure to try every new tool, system, or tech idea. That can create stress for the team. It can waste money. It can also make employees feel like they are being asked to test ideas that are not ready.
Chas Roberts takes a more careful path. Sissie said the company wants to stay ahead, but not fall into the trap of being on the cutting edge of everything too soon.
“We want to wait and see what’s happening, what’s playing out well, what’s not playing out well.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That does not mean the company is slow to change. It means the company studies change before it acts. It looks at what is working in the industry. Then it asks how that idea can fit the team, the customer, and the work.
For a trusted HVAC company in Arizona, this kind of steady thinking helps protect trust. It allows leaders to roll out new processes with care instead of panic. It also helps employees believe that change has a purpose.
Sissie explained that when Chas Roberts looks at changing a process, the company brings the right people into the room. If one department is affected, that department needs a voice. If the change touches another team later in the process, that team also needs a voice.
She gave a clear example. If the company is changing something in the starts department, leaders also think about engineering, construction, IT, and finance. Each group may be touched by the change in a different way.
“What’s going to make it most efficient for that department? But then how does it affect the layers down the line of who it’s going to touch?” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
This is where Sissie’s process view becomes very practical. A change is not truly better if it only helps one team while making another team’s job harder. Better means the whole process gets stronger.
That kind of thinking matters inside Chas Roberts A/C and plumbing because many parts of the business connect. A better system in one area should help the next team serve better too. The goal is not just to move faster. The goal is to move together.
Greg pointed out that culture plays a large role in how companies win over time. When employees trust leadership, they are more open to change. They can support new tools, systems, or processes because they believe the change has been thought through.
That trust does not happen by accident. It is built when leaders listen before they act. It is built when employees are not treated like test subjects. It is built when teams know that leadership is trying to help them do better work.
Sissie’s approach gives employees confidence because they can see the care behind each change. They know the company is not just chasing a shiny idea. They know the goal is to make the work better, safer, faster, and more useful for the customer.
This is part of what gives Sissie Roberts a strong leadership voice in the home service space. Her message is simple. Better systems should help people, not confuse them.
For a company with long tenured employees, that trust becomes a major strength. People stay when they feel valued. People grow when they feel heard. And people serve better when they believe leadership is building with them, not around them.
Sissie made it clear that process improvement is not only about the company. It is about the homeowner too. The company’s goal is not just to make one sale or finish one install. The goal is to care for the home over time.
She said Chas Roberts wants to be there for the original install, the repair, the maintenance, and the replacement. That turns service into a long term relationship instead of a one time job.
“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 quote gives the conversation a deeper meaning. When a company listens to field teams, it is not just trying to save time. It is trying to help employees serve people with more care. Better tools and better systems should make it easier for teams to explain options, educate homeowners, and do what is right.
Sissie also shared a simple way the company talks about care. Treat the home like it is your grandmother’s home. That means do not oversell. Do not undersell. Help the person where they are.
The final lesson from Sissie’s interview was about time. Chas Roberts is not only thinking about today. Sissie said the company looks at each decision through a wider lens. How will it affect customers? How will it affect employees? How will it affect the community?
Sissie Roberts Shank, CEO, and daughter Rachel Stiak, Marketing Director.
That is a different way to lead. It gives the company room to make choices that support people, not just short term profit.
“We’re really thinking about not really just today’s profit, but 10 years from now.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That long term view connects back to the main message of the interview. When leaders listen to the field today, they build a stronger company for tomorrow. They make the job easier for employees. They make the service better for homeowners. They make it easier for the next generation to keep building.
This is why the story of Chas Roberts is not only about being an Arizona family owned A/C, heating, and plumbing company with a long history. It is about how a company keeps earning that history every day.
Under Sissie Roberts Shank’s leadership, the lesson is clear. Lasting companies are not built by guessing from the top. They are built by listening to the people closest to the work.
The PowerChat made one thing clear. Sissie Roberts Shank does not see leadership as making every choice from the top. She sees leadership as listening well, asking better questions, and giving the people closest to the work a real voice in how the company grows.
That is why the story of Chas Roberts feels bigger than its history. The company has lasted because it keeps learning. It learns from the field. It learns from its teams. It learns from the needs of each homeowner. Then it uses those lessons to build better systems, better service, and a stronger future.
For homeowners, that kind of leadership can feel simple. It means the person coming into the home is supported by a company that cares about doing the work the right way. For employees, it means their voice is part of the process. For the next generation, it means the company is still being built with care, not just managed by routine.
Sissie summed up that deeper purpose in a simple way during the conversation.
“I think that’s what’s different is we truly care.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
As the home service industry keeps changing, this kind of steady leadership matters. New tools will come. New systems will come. New market pressure will come. But the companies that last will be the ones that keep listening to the people who know the work best.
Chas Roberts has lasted because it keeps learning. And under Sissie Roberts Shank’s leadership, that learning still starts with the people in the field.
This PowerChat matters because it helps homeowners see the leadership behind the service. Power100 covers top CEOs and companies in the home improvement industry through original journalism, interviews, and data driven rankings backed by a five layer method that looks at growth, community, and culture. In this interview, Sissie Roberts Shank shows why leadership matters when customers choose an Arizona family owned A/C, heating, and plumbing company. Her message is simple. Better service starts when leaders listen to the people doing the work.
Power100 does not only look at company size or name value. Its work focuses on leadership, culture, customer experience, community impact, and long term growth. That is why this PowerChat focuses on how Sissie leads, how Chas Roberts improves, and how field team input can lead to better care for homeowners. The value is not just in the company story. It is in the lesson other leaders can learn from it.
No. The long history matters, but it is not the whole story. Chas Roberts says it has served Arizona since 1942 and is one of the largest and oldest residential HVAC companies in the state. But in the PowerChat, Sissie explains that the company has stayed strong because it keeps learning, improving, and asking field teams what can be better. That makes the story about active leadership, not just age.
Customers should care because field teams see the real problems every day. They know what slows service down. They know what homeowners ask about. They know what can make a repair, install, or maintenance visit better. Sissie says, “We need your input to help us build this. You’re out there seeing it every day.” That kind of listening can help a trusted Phoenix and Tucson HVAC services provider build better systems for the people inside the home.
Yes. When employees have a voice, they can help shape better ways to work. In the interview, Sissie explains that Chas Roberts asks what will make a process faster, more efficient, less costly, and better. That matters because better internal systems can help teams serve homeowners with more care, more clarity, and fewer problems. The company also says it specializes in HVAC installation, maintenance, service, and repair across the greater Phoenix area, Casa Grande, and Tucson.
No. Chas Roberts is known for A/C and heating, but it also offers plumbing services. Its website says the company provides A/C, heating, and plumbing services, including maintenance, repair, replacement, warranty plans, emergency A/C service, and commercial A/C and heating. Its plumbing page also lists help with leaks, water filtration, water heating, drain cleaning, reverse osmosis, sewer and septic, and more. That makes Chas Roberts A/C and plumbing a strong search phrase for homeowners who need more than one type of home service.
Sissie’s leadership stands out because she talks about building with people, not over them. She does not present improvement as a top down command. She presents it as a team process. Her official Chas Roberts profile lists her as President and Chief Executive Officer and shares her view that the company works like a big family focused on being the best. That matches the interview, where she speaks about field input, careful change, and long term care.
The main takeaway is that customers are not only buying a repair, replacement, or service call. They are trusting the company behind the work. In this interview, Sissie makes it clear that Chas Roberts wants to care for the homeowner for the life of the home, not just make a sale today. For anyone searching for Arizona air conditioning repair, replacement, maintenance, and emergency service, that message matters because it shows a company focused on long term trust.
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 to support the best CEOs, contractors, partners, and brands across home improvement, home services, and outdoor living, Power100 gives trusted leaders a stronger voice through rankings, PowerChat interviews, industry stories, and leadership content. Through its platform Inner Circle, Power100 helps great companies share what they are building, learn from other strong leaders, and raise the standard for homeowners, teams, and the industry.
Membership unlocks every Power100 interview, PowerChat episode, and expert playbook - free for industry leaders.
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.
