Every December, the HVACR distribution channel converges in one place to take stock of the year behind it and plot the year ahead. This year, that place is San Diego, where HARDI’s 2026 Annual Conference will be held Dec. 7-10. More than 2,200 attendees are expected to gather under this year’s theme, “Frontier.” It’s a fitting choice: With consolidation reshaping the channel and new investment accelerating the pace of change, HARDI members face a landscape full of opportunity but not always easy to read. The conference is designed to help distributors make sense of it, compare notes, find common ground and chart a confident course forward.

Behind every successful conference is a roster of volunteer leaders, and at the top of that roster is Lauren Roberts, president and CEO of cfm Distributors. Roberts was elected HARDI’s incoming board chair at last year’s conference in Las Vegas, and she has spent 2026 guiding the Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International through a pivotal stretch for the channel. 

We sat down with Roberts to talk about what drew her to HARDI leadership, where the association is headed and what attendees can expect in San Diego.

The Wholesaler: Tell us about your career in the HVACR industry and your business, cfm Distributors. 

Lauren Roberts: I started my career in the HVACR industry in 2004 at cfm Distributors while attending business school at a local university in Kansas City. I started as an accounting assistant and shortly thereafter moved to marketing as an assistant there. I worked my way up through the ranks of various marketing and management roles until becoming president and CEO in January 2018. 

Outside of my roles at cfm, I’ve always been passionate about serving our industry and helping everyone get better together and keep two-step distribution relevant, so that’s led me to leadership roles in Women in HVACR, BLUE HAWK and HARDI, where I’ve served on various committees and councils and, ultimately, served as president or chairperson for all three organizations over the years.

TW: What led you to become involved with HARDI and ultimately take on a leadership role? 

Roberts: I began my involvement with HARDI when I was in marketing and was invited to join its newly formed Marketing Council. I spent a few years contributing there before becoming council chair for three years, where we shared marketing best practices, trends and new technologies for distributor members and helped hire marketing speakers for HARDI events. 

Then I joined the first class of the HARDI Emerging Leaders program and the task force that helped build the program.  I graduated from that program after three years and joined the HR Council and Charitable Works Council, where we helped raise money for Homes for our Troops. 

Eventually, I was asked by prior board members to consider running for the board of directors. Ultimately, I was selected to join the board in 2020. In my seventh year on the board, I’m now serving my first of two years as chairwoman. I spent the last three years as lead director, serving as the board chairperson’s backup when the chairperson was absent. 

TW: Looking back over the past year, what HARDI accomplishments or initiatives stand out, and where have you seen the organization make the greatest impact for its members? 

Roberts: In the last year, the HARDI staff has done a tremendous job of intentionally expanding the group’s offering to members. They expanded the Market Intelligence and Training and Development offerings to meet the current needs of membership; they brought on an AI consultant to help HARDI members navigate the new frontier of AI; and they’ve added support staff to better serve members and be able to identify and respond quicker to membership needs, etc. 

TW: What are the most pressing issues facing HVACR distributors today, and how, specifically, is HARDI taking a leadership role in addressing those challenges? 

Roberts: A few pressing issues come to mind on this one. In no particular order, the fast and furious pace of AI and understanding how to harness it in our industry; the continued progression of historically HVAC-only distributors expanding into multiple trades under one roof; managing business through uncertainty of tariffs, war, continued supply chain issues, labor issues and more are some of the top priorities HARDI is helping members address. 

TW: With those challenges in mind, what HARDI tools, resources or programs do you believe are especially valuable to members right now? 

Roberts: The HARDI State of the Channel report and all benchmarking programs are critical to keeping an eye on the ever-changing landscape of HVACR distribution. Its training programs are second to none in helping distributor members have turnkey resources to educate our teams to be best in class at serving our contractor customers. And its events continue to provide the best networking and education opportunities in the industry. Last but certainly not least, its advocacy efforts on the state and local levels are tremendously helpful in protecting our industry against harmful regulations and continuing to do what’s best for distributors and contractors we as distributor members serve.

TW: As the industry evolves, where do you see the greatest opportunities for suppliers and distributors to strengthen their partnerships and better serve contractors and end users? 

Roberts: I believe there’s still a huge opportunity with talent development and training with the skilled labor shortage. Also, helping contractors be more efficient by supporting them in selecting and implementing new technology and software is paramount. And not new at all to our industry, there’s a huge need for distributors to continue to emphasize the importance of contractors offering consumer financing to make the products we sell affordable for the average family.

TW: HARDI’s Annual Conference is always highly anticipated and widely celebrated. Tell us the highlights attendees can expect from this year’s event. 

Roberts: HARDI always puts on the best events with highly relevant, world-class speakers. I’m especially excited about the Frontier theme, as we are all heading into a new frontier with plenty of uncertainty. From the keynoters to the breakout speakers, all will help HARDI members navigate this new frontier with great success.

TW: As you look toward 2027, what are HARDI’s top priorities? And what would you say to distributors who are not currently members about the value of joining HARDI? 

Roberts: HARDI continues to explore new ways to best serve members and understand the unique challenges for the coming year(s). I think HARDI members can expect to see more exploration of AI and how we can harness it, a deeper understanding of how HARDI can best support multi-trade distributors, and further expansion of federal, state and local advocacy and code work, just to name some of the many priorities for 2027. 

With this lightning-fast pace of change in our industry, I highly recommend distributors of all sizes get involved with HARDI to have all the resources to be successful right in your back pocket.Checkout hardinet.org for more informaiton.