Skip to content

Stories Client stories Showcase

Trust Before Full Understanding

Brooks Heating & Air · a story from Nathalie Brooks

Nathalie Brooks Co-Founder, Brooks Heating & Air · Women in HVAC/R Canada Georgetown, Ontario

Visit their site ↗

I recently got a call from a customer who thought she'd dialed our main competitor, a national billion-dollar company. Not bad for a six-truck HVAC contractor in small-town Canada!
— Nathalie Brooks

Outcome: Steady growth with CI Web Group — including ~25% annual increase over the last two years without raising Google ad spend — from website/SEO into AI-powered Webflow and now Hydra, alongside a friendship with Jennifer and Mike that started with a hard conversation about women in the trades.

The story

Nathalie Brooks cofounded Women in HVAC Canada to get more women into the trades. She and her husband Chris were at the EGIA conference in Las Vegas when she sat in on a marketing presentation Jennifer Bagley was giving. One of the first things out of Jennifer's mouth was something about the men in the room going home and telling their "wives" who run the office. Nathalie got hot and stormed straight out of the room.

How dare she say that women only amount to being the "wife" who runs the office — that went against everything Nathalie had spent ten years fighting for. Except, sadly, Jennifer was right. Nathalie was the only woman in the room at these conferences, one of the only ones standing as a true equal to her husband in running the business.

Jessica from Daikin caught her on the way out, saw she was visibly shaken, and talked her into staying to actually meet Jennifer — who she had clearly misunderstood. Jennifer found her afterward, apologized, and got exactly why she was frustrated. She said, "Let's figure this out together. Let's find a way for women to be recognized in this industry." Nathalie felt an instant kinship.

When Brooks Heating & Air signed on for a new website and SEO with CI Web Group, Nathalie often had no idea what Jennifer was talking about — but she trusted the team to build something great. Years later, when Jennifer recommended switching to an AI-powered Webflow site, she didn't hesitate. Once again she didn't understand AI yet, but she knew Jennifer would lead them into the next generation of marketing for their small HVAC company. In Jennifer's words, Chris and Nathalie decided to "Suck it up with a Smile."

The experience

Since joining CI Web Group, Brooks has been introduced to tools like OnePath, AI messaging, and other AI-powered solutions that made day-to-day operations easier.

The company has seen steady growth for years with CI Web — including a 25% annual increase over the last two years — without increasing Google ad spend. SEO got so strong that Nathalie recently got a call from a customer who thought she'd dialed their main competitor, a national billion-dollar company. Not bad for a six-truck HVAC contractor in small-town Canada.

Their venture into Hydra with Jennifer is the next step on the road. Chris and Nathalie's journey with Jennifer and Mike has blossomed into a real friendship rather than just a working relationship — and they are grateful to have them in their corner.

What stood out about the partnership

  • Kinship after a hard truth

    A presentation that sent Nathalie storming out became the start of a partnership — Jennifer apologized, understood the frustration, and invited her to figure out recognition for women in the industry together.

  • Trust before full understanding

    Website, SEO, AI-powered Webflow, then Hydra — Nathalie often didn't fully understand the technology yet, but she trusted Jennifer to lead Brooks into the next generation of marketing.

  • Growth without buying more ads

    About 25% annual increase over the last two years without raising Google ad spend — and a customer who mistook a six-truck Canadian shop for a national competitor.

  • Friendship, not just a vendor seat

    The work with Jennifer and Mike became a real friendship. Hydra is the next exciting step on a road they are traveling together.

In her words

"Chris's and my journey with Jennifer and Mike has blossomed into a real friendship rather than just a working relationship, and we are so grateful to have them in our corner."

Nathalie Brooks Co-Founder, Brooks Heating & Air · Women in HVAC/R Canada