{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"EP259 Donkey Wrangler to HVAC Whisperer: Brad Adcox on Fundamentals That Win (January 2026)","description":"Pithy quotes \u201cYour product can be great, but if you\u2019re hard to work with, nobody\u2019s going to buy it.\u201d \u201cTake a deep breath, go back to the fundamentals, and ask: what\u2019s the biggest value I can add today?\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re allowed to say, \u2018I don\u2019t know. I\u2019ll figure it out for you.\u2019 People respect that more than the runaround.\u201d Brad Adcox joined the Building HVAC Science podcast with Bill and Eric and, within minutes, earned the unofficial title \u201cdonkey wrangler\u201d after sharing a story about his donkey. The laughs kept coming, including a side quest into hobby-farm life on a 40-acre \u201cfamily compound\u201d outside Dallas with cows, donkeys, mini horses, and a long-running plan by Brad\u2019s dad to eventually acquire a camel. The banter was fun, but it also set the tone for who Brad is: practical, observant, and very people-focused. Brad\u2019s HVAC background runs deep and wide. He grew up around wholesale, started at Winsupply in the warehouse and as a delivery driver, then moved through outside sales and even a stint selling and building Cisco server infrastructure. He eventually joined SUPCO, helped scale territory coverage and rep networks, and was part of launching TradeFox, the influencer-inventor program that surfaced a pile of real-world products, including the magnetic umbrella that Bill notes TruTech sold in big numbers. Brad later spent time at NAVAC teaching fundamentals like pulling a proper vacuum, and today he\u2019s in a \u201cfree agent\u201d phase, running consultant-style sales and service training for contractors in the DFW area. The core of Brad\u2019s message is fundamentals, especially customer service and relationship transfer. He\u2019s worried the industry is headed for a knowledge cliff as experienced wholesalers, reps, and counter people retire without passing down relationships or practical know-how. He also sees a drift toward \u201cparts changers\u201d and automated, text-only customer interactions that reduce real human connection. In his local classes, he pushes techs to slow down just enough to add value: communicate like a neighbor, do a fuller system check while you\u2019re already there, explain what you looked at, and offer small, memorable extras. He\u2019s also blunt about wholesale basics: greet people when they walk in, be willing to say \u201cI don\u2019t know, but I\u2019ll find out,\u201d and stop hiding behind \u201cthat\u2019s just Facebook\u201d when customer sentiment is being broadcast publicly. Brad\u2019s: LinkedIn:https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/brad-adcox-1a070467\/   This episode was recorded in January 2026. ","author_name":"Building HVAC Science","author_url":"https:\/\/www.buildinghvacscience.com","html":"