In the home service industry, many companies try to fix one part of the business without looking at the full path of the work. A new office process may save time for one team, but slow down the field. A new finance system may help with reports, but make planning harder for construction. A new tool may look good in a meeting, but create stress for the people who have to use it each day. For an Arizona family owned A/C, heating, and plumbing company, better systems have to work for more than one department. They have to work for the whole company.
That was one of the clearest lessons from a recent PowerChat interview hosted by Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, with Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO of Chas Roberts. The conversation showed how strong process change begins with a simple question. Who else will this touch?
Sissie explained that when Chas Roberts looks at changing a process, the company brings in people from the teams that may feel the change. If the starts department is involved, engineering may need a voice. If starts affects construction, construction needs to be part of the talk. IT and finance may also need to be included because each part of the work connects to another.
“I think that’s a good process we have is that we bring someone from each of the divisions that impact an area that we’re looking to change.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That idea gives this PowerChat its main value. Better systems are not built in isolation. They are built by seeing how one choice moves through the company. They are built by asking how a change helps one team, how it affects the next team, and how it supports the people doing the work.
Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
For a trusted HVAC company in Arizona, this kind of thinking matters because service is never one step. A homeowner may see the person who comes to the door, but behind that visit are many teams, systems, schedules, tools, and decisions. When those parts work well together, the employee can serve better. When they do not, the homeowner can feel the gap.
Sissie’s point was clear. A process is not truly better if it only makes one person’s job easier while making another person’s job harder. Strong change has to help the company move together.
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 choices behind strong companies. Her interview with Greg Cummings shows why smart Arizona HVAC leadership is not only about growth. It is about building systems that protect trust, support employees, and help homeowners receive better care.
Sissie made it clear that process change should never stop with one department. A change may look helpful at first, but the real test is what happens after it moves down the line. If one team saves time but the next team carries more stress, the system is not truly better.
“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
That question shows the way Sissie thinks as a leader. She is not only asking if a change looks good on paper. She is asking if it works in real life. She is asking if it helps the people who have to use it, carry it, explain it, and deliver it.
For Chas Roberts, that kind of thinking matters because service work has many moving parts. A homeowner may only see the final visit, but behind that visit are schedules, teams, tools, handoffs, and decisions. When leaders think about the full path of the work, employees can serve with more care and less confusion.
Sissie explained that when Chas Roberts looks at changing a process, the company brings in people from the teams that may be touched by that change. That makes the process stronger because the right people are part of the conversation before the change reaches the field.
“We bring someone from each of the divisions that impact an area that we’re looking to change.” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
She gave a clear example. If the starts department is involved, engineering may also need a voice. If starts affects construction, construction needs to be included too. IT and finance may also be part of the talk because their work connects with the same process.
This turns change into a shared build. People are more likely to support a new system when they helped shape it. They can see why it matters. They can speak up about what may go wrong. They can help protect the next team before a problem starts.
For an Arizona family owned A/C, heating, and plumbing company, this kind of teamwork can help keep trust strong inside the business. It tells employees that their work is understood and their input matters.
One of the strongest lessons from the interview was simple. Efficiency should not create a new problem for someone else.
Sissie spoke about the risk of making one person’s job easier while making another person’s job harder. That may look like progress in one department, but it can create more friction for the company as a whole.
“Because it’s going to make their job harder to make your job easier. That’s really not great for us, right?” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That line gives this PowerChat a clear business lesson. Real improvement is not about moving a problem from one desk to another. It is about solving the problem in a way that helps the full team work better.
In home services, this matters a lot. Planning, scheduling, construction, service, finance, and field teams all depend on each other. When one step is weak, the next step feels it. When one system is not clear, the customer may feel it too.
This is why Sissie’s approach feels practical. She is not chasing change for the sake of change. She is looking for changes that make the full flow stronger.
Greg Cummings pointed out that employee trust plays a major role in how a company grows through change. When people trust leadership, they are more willing to support new systems. They know the company is not just testing ideas on them. They know the change has been thought through.
That trust is built before the rollout. It is built when leaders ask questions early. It is built when teams see that their input can shape the final decision. It is built when people understand the reason behind the change.
This is why Sissie’s process matters for Arizona HVAC leadership. Her approach shows that better buy in does not come from telling people what to do. It comes from helping people see how the change supports the work, the team, and the homeowner.
When employees understand the why, they are not just following a new rule. They are helping carry a better system forward.
Sissie’s view of the process is not only about saving time or money. It is also about helping employees serve homeowners better. When systems work well, the team can move with more care, more focus, and more confidence.
She explained that the company does not want to serve a homeowner only once. The goal is to be there through the life of the home, from the first install to repair, maintenance, and replacement.
“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 connects the inside of the company to the customer experience. A homeowner may not see the process behind the work, but they feel the result. They feel it when a team is prepared. They feel it when the handoff is clear. They feel it when the service is honest and steady.
For homeowners searching for air conditioning repair, replacement, maintenance, and emergency service around Arizona , this kind of leadership matters. It shows that the company is not only focused on the job in front of it. It is focused on serving the person in the home the right way.
Near the end of the conversation, Sissie shared how Chas Roberts thinks about the future. The company does not only ask what helps today. It asks what will help employees, customers, and the community years from now.
“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 view gives this process story a bigger meaning. Better systems are not only about today’s workflow. They are about making work easier, safer, and clearer for the people who will carry the company forward.
For a trusted HVAC company in Arizona, that kind of care helps explain why the business has lasted. It is not only building for the next job. It is building for the next season, the next team, and the next generation.
Sissie’s message is steady and clear. Every change touches someone. So every change should be built with the people it touches in mind.
The impact of Sissie Roberts Shank and Chas Roberts can be seen in more than company history. It can be seen in the way Arizona business groups, construction leaders, and community voices have continued to recognize her work over time. Those honors matter because they point to the same thing this PowerChat made clear. Sissie’s leadership is not built around one role, one department, or one season. It is built around the full company, the people doing the work, and the community the company serves.
Sissie has earned a long list of leadership recognition, including the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award through the Phoenix Business Journal’s Most Admired Leaders program, the 2023 Subcontractor Executive of the Year honor from the Valley of the Sun Construction Financial Management Association, and the 2024 Women of Achievement recognition from Greater Phoenix In Business Magazine.
She was also named one of the Most Influential Women in Arizona in 2017 by AZ Business and AZRE magazines, CEO of the Year at the 2014 Arizona Corporate Excellence Awards, a finalist for Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and one of Phoenix Business Journal’s 25 Dynamic Women in Business in 2013. Public profiles also note her long record of leadership, her role as President and Chief Executive Officer, and her deep connection to the family business.
But the stronger story is what those awards point back to. They point to a leader who has helped guide a major Arizona home service company while keeping care, training, service, and community at the center. Chas Roberts has been recognized for strength and growth during hard economic times, including the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce IMPACT Award, which honored the company’s role in the Valley’s economy and communities. The company’s public history also points to its roots as a family owned business founded in 1942 and its growth as an Arizona HVAC and plumbing provider with multiple service locations.
That kind of recognition fits the message Sissie shared in the PowerChat. Better systems should help real people. Better decisions should look beyond one department. Better leadership should ask how a change affects customers, employees, and the community. In her own words, Chas Roberts does not only look at the bottom line when making decisions. It asks how each choice will affect the people the company serves.
The company’s community work also gives this story real weight. Greg Cummings pointed to the company’s support for youth groups, family focused giving, Fresh Start for women, Habitat for Humanity, and other local efforts. Sissie explained that giving back is not about attention. It is about seeing people in Arizona who may be struggling and choosing to help where the company can.
“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 view helps explain why the company’s culture has held strong for so long. During the interview, Sissie shared that 34 employees have been with the company for more than 30 years, and more than 100 employees have been there for more than 20 years. She tied that loyalty to a simple idea. People stay when they know the company cares about employees and the community, not only ownership.
For an Arizona family owned A/C, heating, and plumbing company, that kind of impact is hard to fake. It shows up in the awards. It shows up in the way employees stay. It shows up in the way the company gives back. And it shows up in the way Sissie talks about change, not as a task for one department, but as a choice that touches the whole company.
That is what makes this section of the PowerChat so important. Sissie Roberts Shank and Chas Roberts are not only being recognized for size, age, or name value. They are being recognized because the work behind the company has reached employees, homeowners, the construction community, and the wider Arizona community in a lasting way.
Sissie Roberts Shank’s PowerChat made one lesson clear. Strong process change is not only about speed. It is about care. It is about seeing how one decision touches the next team, the next step, and the next homeowner.
Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts with the Chas Team
That kind of leadership gives people confidence. Employees know their work is being thought through. Leaders know the full company is being considered. Homeowners feel the result when the team serving them is supported by clear systems and steady communication.
Sissie said it best when she shared how Chas Roberts thinks through change.
“How does it affect the layers down the line of who it’s going to touch?” Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO, Chas Roberts
That question is simple, but it carries the weight of a strong company culture. It shows that better systems are not only built to make work faster. They are built to make work clearer, easier, and more useful for the people who carry it forward.
Chas Roberts keeps improving because it does not treat change as a one department decision. Under Sissie Roberts Shank’s leadership, better systems are built by listening across the company, protecting employee trust, and making sure each change helps the people who serve Arizona homeowners every day.
Power100 looks at more than size. Its platform focuses on leaders, companies, and partners across the home improvement industry, with attention on leadership, culture, customer experience, and long term growth. That makes this PowerChat with Sissie Roberts Shank, President and CEO of Chas Roberts useful because it shows how better systems are built inside a strong home service company, not just how big the company has become.
Power100 gives members access to PowerChat episodes, feature interviews, expert insights, and business coaching through its Inner Circle content library. That matters because this conversation gives other leaders a real example of how one Arizona HVAC leadership team thinks through change before it reaches employees and homeowners.
Yes. In home service work, one change can affect many teams. A new process may touch scheduling, engineering, construction, IT, finance, field teams, and customer service. In the PowerChat, Sissie said Chas Roberts brings in people from each division that may be affected before changing a process. That helps the company see how one decision touches the next team.
Not when it is done well. Sissie’s point is not to delay change. It is to make change work better before it is rolled out. When the right teams give input early, the company can avoid confusion later. That matters for Chas Roberts A/C and plumbing because clear systems help employees serve homeowners with less friction and more care.
Chas Roberts says it was founded in 1942 by Chas and Alice Roberts and is now the largest HVAC and plumbing provider in Arizona, serving the Metro Phoenix and Tucson areas. The company’s long history matters, but this PowerChat shows that its strength also comes from how it keeps improving, listens across departments, and thinks about the full path of the work.
Better process helps the employee who serves the homeowner. When departments work together, service can feel more clear, steady, and prepared. Chas Roberts says it provides A/C and heating installation, maintenance, service, and repair in the greater Phoenix area, Casa Grande, and Tucson. For customers searching for Phoenix and Tucson HVAC services, the systems behind the work can shape the full home visit.
No. Chas Roberts is known for A/C and heating, but its website also says it specializes in plumbing as well as air conditioning and heating. That means homeowners can look to the company for broader home comfort needs, including Arizona air conditioning repair, replacement, maintenance, and emergency service as well as plumbing support.
The main takeaway is that strong change should help the whole company, not just one department. Sissie said leaders should ask what makes one area more efficient, then ask how that change affects the layers down the line. For an Arizona family owned A/C, heating, and plumbing company, that kind of thinking helps protect employee trust and better support the people serving homeowners each day.
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 industry lessons that help great companies earn trust and grow with purpose. Through its platform, YouTube channel, and free Inner Circle, Power100 gives leaders a place to learn from real business stories, connect with strong operators, and raise the standard for teams, customers, and the industry.
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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.
