If the HVAC industry’s push into data centers feels a little like a gold rush… Well, it kind of is!
The US has more data centers than any other country (as of May 2026, there were 4,280) and there are no plans to slow down. JLL’s market outlook projects a 14% CAGR in the data center industry through 2030, primarily driven by the widespread popularity and increased demand for AI and cloud computing resources.
Research by McKinsey estimates a global spend of $6.7 trillion by 2030 to upgrade existing data center infrastructure and build additional facilities. Sources say ~25% will be designated for power generation and cooling infrastructure, with another 15% spent on land and constructing new facilities.
Yeah, that’s a lot of numbers. But, in summary, there are plenty of sales opportunities that companies are eager to tap into it. Everyone wants their piece of the pie, after all, and if they can manage to snag a bigger slice, all the better. This is especially true of HVAC manufacturers, equipment suppliers and contractors who can benefit from both new construction and facility renovations.
They just have one thing standing in their way: finding the right talent.
The Lay of the (Current) Land
It should be straightforward. You find salespeople with experience selling to your customer’s niche who know the key players, understand the market, and can navigate the complex buying process. Only there’s a slight problem. The group of people with that level of know-how is relatively small, far smaller than many companies when kicking off a search. Plus, everyone’s vying for their attention, and it’s hard for companies to make themselves heard above all the clamoring.
That perfect storm puts HVAC companies in a tough spot. Demand for this talent is high, supply is low, and companies realistically only have two options: “buy” or “build”. Naturally, each comes with its own challenges.
It Ain’t (Just) About the Money, Honey
Some companies are used to the idea that if they throw enough money at a problem, it’ll go away. A competitive commission, lucrative bonus structure and high base salary. Bump up the car allowance, throw in a phone… In their defense, money usually helps. But these data center salespeople have hiring managers and recruiters practically banging down their doors. You’ll quickly find above-and-beyond money and benefits aren’t always enough.
Frankly, many of the sales professionals currently working in the data center space aren’t interested in making a change. They’re sitting on incredibly strong pipelines of booked business, some with projects scheduled for delivery years down the line. They’ve already locked in long-term commission and bonuses in their current roles. Not much can incentivize them to leave the work they’ve already put in.
To leave would mean walking away from a level of security they’ve already established. They, understandably, want to reap the rewards of their hard work, making recruiting them particularly challenging.
Building From the Ground Up
Companies who’ve spent a while searching for this niche sales talent are starting to hit a wall. Candidates who check every single box and are willing to leave their current roles are sparse, at best. At worst, they’re practically nonexistent.
Some companies are taking a different tack by looking inward. It’s entirely possible to train a current member of the sales team to target data centers. It can be a great strategy. But training requires investing time and money into resources to get them up-to-speed. Someone starting from scratch may spend months learning who the decision-makers are, how projects are specified, and where the company’s products or services fit into the data center purchasing cycle.
Many organizations don’t want to wait that long. Between that and the struggle to find specialized sales talent, the search can feel like a dead-end. Luckily, it isn’t.
Adjusting Our Talent Perspective
Companies are trying to hire professionals who can step into the role immediately. It’s like building a football team: even if they end up on the same team, there’s a difference between drafting a player versus bringing on a free agent. You’ll pay more for the free agent, but there’s an expectation they’ll bring the expertise and flexibility to hit the ground running right away.
The trick is finding someone with the right experience to build new expertise on. The fun part for us recruiters is knowing that sometimes the right salesperson isn’t a salesperson at all…yet.
Get the Inside Scoop
We’ve seen it before where someone without sales experience turned out to be the perfect fit for a sales role. Simultaneously, it takes many people to successfully develop, build, operate, and maintain a data center. That includes professionals involved in design, construction, commissioning, and operations.
We’ve even seen engineers decide to step in the sales “limelight,” realizing they prefer a more customer-facing career to sitting behind their desk forever. And the technical knowledge they bring to the table is incredibly beneficial, allowing them to “talk shop” with customers to show they understand their needs and pain points on a deeper level.
Looking beyond that, site managers, facility supervisors, and maintenance leaders spend their careers keeping critical infrastructure running. They understand uptime requirements, equipment reliability, service expectations, and long-term facility needs. Those insights can be invaluable for HVAC companies trying to build credibility with prospective data center customers.
All those professionals are intimately familiar with the inner workings of data centers, most importantly who makes purchasing decisions and how those decisions get made. Most don’t have a traditional sales background, but they possess unique insights into stakeholders, technical requirements, and decision-making processes a salesperson can’t glean from outside the industry. That experience can translate well into a business or market development role for companies targeting data centers.
Rigid Expectations Severely Limit Potential Hires
The way we see it, the only things HVAC companies can expect from hunting the same talent as everyone else is frustration, disappointment, and an unfortunate amount of wasted effort. It’s time to get strategically creative about hiring.
Salespeople with deep industry relationships, established accounts and direct data center sales experience are still the “cream of the crop,” but don’t limit yourself.
Seek out talented professionals who already understand the data center environment, even if they haven’t carried a sales quota before. The right person coming from commissioning, construction management, engineering, or facility operations will require less industry education than a salesperson entering the market from an unrelated field. They often sell even more effectively because they deeply understand the problems data centers need to solve.
Broaden your horizons. You’ll increase your chances of finding the best hidden talent before competitors. In a market where nearly everyone is chasing the same candidates, looking one layer beyond the obvious may be the smartest move.
