ABOUT HVACR Trends
HVACR Trends is a B2B trade publication covering the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration channel. We focus on the business side of the industry — the strategies, relationships, and market forces that shape how products move from manufacturers through distributors to contractors and end users.
Our coverage spans the topics that matter most to channel professionals:
- Distribution strategy and operations
- Manufacturer and rep agent channel dynamics
- Technology adoption across the supply chain
- Workforce development and recruitment
- Sustainability, refrigerant transitions, and regulatory changes
- Mergers, acquisitions, and industry consolidation
Our audience includes distribution executives, manufacturer channel leaders, rep agents, and contractors who want to stay informed about the trends driving their business. We reach approximately 15,000 industry professionals through our website, newsletters, and sponsored content.
HVACR Trends is published by Channel Marketing Group.
ABOUT THEAUTHOR
Chuck Labow is Vice President of Channel Marketing Group, where he leads advisory work across the HVAC-R, Electrical, and industrial Supply channels. He works with distributors, manufacturers, and rep organizations on growth strategy, sales performance, data quality, and go-to-market execution.
His perspective on distribution comes from operating inside it. He has held full P&L responsibility as President of a specialty manufacturer, where he doubled revenue and drove significant margin improvement. Earlier in his career, he managed distributor branches for Graybar Electric and GEXPRO, leading teams through turnarounds and growth cycles. He has implemented CRMs, cleaned up product data, rebuilt sales organizations, and worked directly with contractors on material flow and job performance.
Today, much of his work centers on artificial intelligence and its implications for distribution. He advises distributors navigating AI adoption and works with AI platforms serving the channel on go-to-market strategy, giving him perspective on both sides of the adoption equation. He wrote this eBook because too much AI content is either hype or generic—and distributors deserve practical guidance grounded in how their businesses actually operate.
Chuck is known for translating complex topics into plain language and for challenging conventional thinking without losing sight of operational reality.
Chuck is based in the Orlando, FL area. He can be reached at:
clabow@channelmkt.com | www.channelmkt.com | 302.757.3130
ABOUT CHANNEL MARKETING GROUP
Channel Marketing Group (CMG) is a strategy, research, and advisory firm focused exclusively on the wholesale distribution ecosystem. Founded in 2000, CMG works with distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, associations, and channel-focused technology providers across HVvvACR, electrical, plumbing, and industrial markets.
CMG’s work combines market research, strategic planning, voice-of-customer insight, and go-to-market advisory services. The firm is known for translating market complexity into practical guidance that leadership teams can act on. Every engagement is tailored to the client’s market position, competitive environment, and operational reality, with an emphasis on measurable outcomes rather than theoretical frameworks.
In recent years, CMG has expanded its advisory work to help distributors explore and implement artificial intelligence in practical, business-relevant ways. This includes helping leadership teams understand where AI can realistically improve quoting speed, pricing discipline, product content, sales enablement, marketing execution, and internal workflows, as well as where caution, governance, and sequencing matter. CMG’s approach to AI is grounded in distributor economics, data readiness, and organizational adoption, not vendor hype or one-off pilots.
In addition to consulting and research, CMG publishes three industry platforms that serve as ongoing sources of insight for channel leaders: HVACR Trends (HT), Industrial Supply Trends (IST), and Electrical Trends (ET). These publications feature original analysis, executive perspectives, and market research on industry structure, technology adoption, and emerging trends. Together, they keep CMG closely connected to the real-world challenges distributors face across multiple verticals.
CMG also contributes regularly to Electrical Wholesaling, tED Magazine, Modern Distribution Management, and Industrial Supply Magazine, offering research and analysis on the trends reshaping distribution.
Through its advisory work, research, and publications, Channel Marketing Group helps channel organizations anticipate change rather than simply react to it. Its mission is straightforward: help decision-makers think more clearly, execute more confidently, and grow with discipline in increasingly complex markets.
Be an HVACR Trends guest contributor
Email HVACR industry-related articles to editor-in-chief Chuck Labow. By submitting content you give Channel Marketing Group permission to edit and publish with no conditions.
