English
June 26, 2025
How a Customized Pathway and Uplifting Culture Fulfill Denise Rodgers’ Dreams
Denise Rodgers, a Sales Administrator, has thrived in a supportive, inclusive environment, leveraging skills from past roles and customizing her career as she grows.
At Trane Technologies, we value our employees as their authentic selves and the skills they’ve gained through work and life experiences, whatever their career path. Learn how Denise has crafted a rewarding career by bringing skills that she acquired from prior roles, her reasons for staying at Trane Technologies, and how she is uplifting the LGBTQ+ community as an advocate for inclusion.
When Denise Rodgers, a Sales Administrator, graduated from high school, college wasn’t even an option, given its cost. “I’m only the second person to even graduate high school in my family,” she said.
After gaining initial experience in various jobs, Denise landed a customer service agent role in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) sector about 13 years ago. While she found the HVAC industry fascinating, she wanted to feel more valued by her employer so she soon moved to an executive services assistant job at a non-profit.
Shortly after settling in, a recruiter contacted her about a role at Trane Technologies. She hesitated to pursue the opportunity. “At first, I was saying ‘absolutely not,’ based on my previous HVAC industry history that didn’t meet my expectations,” explained Denise.
Welcoming culture impresses Denise
A second outreach call from the recruiter convinced Denise to pursue an interview at the Trane® sales office in Austin, Texas. Trane is one of the flagship brands of Trane Technologies and leads the industry in sustainable climate control solutions in the spaces where we live, work and play. “Within minutes, I fell in love with the entire team in the Austin office and the culture really spoke for itself,” she said. “And it was such a welcoming environment,” explained Denise. “I thought, ‘OK, I'm home; this is exactly where I want to be.’” That feeling remains today.
The HVAC industry opportunity in a positive office environment—with potential for career growth—impressed Denise for multiple reasons. “As a single mother, this job opened the trades to me and offered another path,” she said. “It was a path I didn’t know about, one that I had never been exposed to, so that was very exciting,” she said.
Customized career pathway supported
Since joining the company, she has felt ongoing support for her professional development and growth. “Over the last nine years, my leaders have worked with me to tailor a path to gain the experience and skills I need to pursue the roles I want,” she said.
For example, she worked for nearly four years as a contracting project coordinator, supporting a dozen-plus project managers. “I got to work on construction sites, which was really exciting and something I really enjoyed doing,” she said. “I also was able to attend conferences for women in construction and women in engineering, which gave me professional development opportunities I had never had before,” she said.
Denise’s current role includes serving as a sales administrator and office manager for the Austin office while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in human resources. “Trane Technologies’ tuition support program made that a possibility for me,” she said, explaining that one of her managers who was pursuing his college degree in his fifties encouraged her to attend college. Once she receives her degree, she looks forward to pursuing other roles, although she appreciates the opportunity to continue in her established role while she focuses on her more formal education.
Trane Technologies is the first place I’ve worked where everyone is truly working to make it an inclusive environment from the top down and the bottom up,” she said. “People not only ‘talk the talk,’ they also ‘walk the walk.
Denise Rodgers
Sales Administrator, Trane Technologies
Pride BRG group photo
Making an impact as an advocate for inclusion
For the past five years, Denise has also served as the enterprise co-chair for the Pride Business Resource Group (BRG) for Trane Technologies. The BRG, which is open to all employees, has grown substantially under the leadership of Denise and her co-lead Christin Anniannis, Environmental, Health, Safety and Security Director. “We are a BRG community open to all 45,000 employees globally-all walks of life. I’m very passionate about helping people succeed, so I do whatever I can to make that happen,” she shares.
She and Christin also helped lead an effort to make sure company benefits are available globally to those in domestic partnerships. “Trane Technologies’ purpose is to ‘boldly challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world,’” said Denise. “It was important for us to influence and inspire this change from a benefits perspective because it makes Trane Technologies an employer of choice for everyone,” she said.
Getting to show up as her authentic self
Denise remains at Trane Technologies because she thrives in the welcoming environment. “Trane Technologies is the first place I’ve worked where everyone is truly working to make it an inclusive environment from the top down and the bottom up,” she said. “People not only ‘talk the talk,’ they also ‘walk the walk,’” said Denise.
The positive and supportive environment makes a real difference for Denise. “When you know you’re working in a safe space, you can truly show up as your authentic self, and that’s powerful and essential for genuine connection and belonging.”
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