Now Hiring: Business Development Associate
This role is for someone who makes friends in every room, remembers every name, and follows up before anyone has to ask.
Ameri-Ref is one of the top 200 EPA-certified refrigerant reclaimers in the United States, serving HVAC contractors, industrial buyers, and facility managers across Southwest Florida while shipping nationally. We’re growing our business development team; the person we’re looking for walks into a new conversation and walks out having actually connected: no scripts, no cold call lists, just the kind of genuine relationship-building that a niche industry like this one rewards more than any other approach. If you want to learn more about who we are, read about Ameri-Ref here.
Top 200 EPA-Certified Reclaimer in the U.S. | SW Florida Territory | $50K-$55K Base + Commission
Top 200 EPA-Certified Reclaimer in the U.S.
One of fewer than 200 companies nationally with this designation.
Relationship-Driven. Zero Cold Calling.
Every client interaction is face-to-face, relationship-first.
$50K-$55K Base Salary + Commission
Total compensation potential reaches six figures.
SW Florida Territory
Sarasota, Bradenton, Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers.
What the Business Development Associate Role Looks Like Day-to-Day
Face-to-Face Is the Whole Job
The business development associate role at Ameri-Ref is almost entirely in-person. You’ll spend your working time meeting with HVAC contractors, facility managers, and commercial buyers across the Sarasota, Bradenton, Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Myers corridor: lunches, jobsite visits, trade events, follow-up coffees. Refrigerant is a small-world industry where contractors talk to each other constantly; the relationships you build here outlast any individual transaction. Referrals happen because people trust the person they call, not because of a pricing sheet they once received.
Your Territory and How You'll Cover It
Your primary area spans Southwest Florida, with trips reaching up through Tampa and as far north as Orlando, south to Fort Myers; all travel within your assigned territory is reimbursed. For the right long-term fit, we’re also exploring a company vehicle option that includes a full vehicle wrap, putting the Ameri-Ref name in front of the right audiences as the role grows.
Who You Work With at Ameri-Ref
Day-to-day, you’ll work closely with Chris Mussey, Ameri-Ref’s founder and one of the more technically credentialed people in the refrigerant reclamation space. He holds EPA certification, an HFC allowance under the AIM Act, and has spent enough time in this business that your product questions will land somewhere useful rather than sitting in a queue. When a client needs something clarified or a deal structured differently, you have direct access to the person who can say yes. As a Section 608 EPA-certified reclaimer, Ameri-Ref carries credentials most refrigerant companies can’t match; that’s the context you’ll be working with when you talk to clients.
Success Here Is Measured in Trust, Not Transaction Volume
The First Conversation Is Never About Closing
The refrigerant industry has a long memory: HVAC contractors and facility managers talk to each other, recommend suppliers to their colleagues; the relationships built on honest dealing carry across years and company changes. The goal in this role is to be the name a shop manager thinks of first when they have surplus product to move or need a reliable supplier who picks up the phone, built through consistent honest interaction rather than quick-close tactics. That reputation takes time and consistency to build; we’re set up to support you while you build it.
What a Strong First Year Actually Looks Like
Within the first 12 months, we expect someone in this role to have developed a regular cadence of face-to-face contact across their territory, established working relationships with at least 15 to 20 active accounts, and generated enough referral activity or new business to show the investment is tracking. In the early months especially, what we’re watching for is whether you’re earning trust, staying organized, and building a pipeline that has real depth: hard sales quotas in the first quarter are less useful to us than evidence that the relationships are real.
The distinction between a closed deal and a genuine client relationship is meaningful to us: someone who has closed five large deals by month three through force of personality but has no real client relationships is less useful here than someone with 25 clients who genuinely want to hear from them.
Why We Train Rather Than Hire Solely for Industry Background
Chris has watched what happens when a company brings in someone with 20 years of refrigerant experience who comes with established opinions, prior relationships that belong to a different employer, and little interest in learning a different approach: that’s not what we’re building toward. The refrigerant product side of this job is something we can teach a genuinely curious person. The interpersonal instincts, the patience, the genuine interest in other people’s businesses: those you either bring to the table or you don’t, and no amount of industry background substitutes for them.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives working in specialized industrial markets earn median annual wages well above national averages, with experienced reps in niche industries often exceeding base projections significantly through commissions.
The Person Who Fits Here
Interpersonal Intelligence First
The person who succeeds here genuinely likes people, remembers names without a CRM reminder, follows up before being asked, and makes clients feel heard. Active listening, patience, and honest curiosity about how other businesses operate are the foundation of this role, not a bonus layer on top of it. Knowing what R-22 is on day one matters far less than knowing how to have a real conversation.
The Specific Profile We Have in Mind
Practically, here’s how we’d describe the ideal candidate for the business development associate role at Ameri-Ref:
What You Bring to the Table
- Outgoing, warm, and genuinely curious about how other businesses operate
- Comfortable with consistent local travel across Southwest Florida
- Strong verbal communication, natural at building rapport in person
- Patient and focused on building long-term relationships rather than chasing quick wins
- Organized enough to maintain consistent follow-up across a growing list of contacts
- Resilient; able to handle rejection or slow periods without it affecting your energy
- Honest and straightforward in all professional dealings
What You Don't Need
If you’ve spent time building client relationships in hospitality, real estate, construction supply, professional services, or any field where trust determines who gets the call back, that background transfers well here. A refrigerant background and an engineering degree are both teachable; what we’re ultimately assessing is whether you can do the one thing this job depends on: make someone want to keep talking to you, and then earn their trust over time.
The Full Picture on Compensation
Base Salary
The base salary for this position ranges from $50,000 to $55,000 annually depending on background and experience, and that’s the starting point rather than the full picture of what this role can pay.
Commission and Bonus Structure
On top of the base, there’s a commission and bonus structure tied to account growth and new business development. For a representative who builds a strong, active client book over two to three years, the total compensation potential reaches into six figures.
Travel, Expenses, and Vehicle
All travel within your assigned Florida territory is reimbursed. We’re also exploring a company vehicle option for the right long-term hire, including a full vehicle wrap that puts the Ameri-Ref name in front of the right audiences.
Who You'd Be Joining
Ameri-Ref is a Bradenton-based refrigerant reclaimer, reseller, and buyback company, and one of fewer than 200 companies in the United States holding an EPA-certified reclaimer designation. We also hold an HFC allowance under the AIM Act, placing us among the top refrigerant handlers in the country at a time when the industry is undergoing significant regulatory change driven by the AIM Act HFC phasedown schedule.
Small Enough to Know Your Name, Capable Enough to Handle Real Volume
We describe ourselves as the “smallest big boy” in the industry, which means we have the EPA certification, the technical capability, the in-house mixed-gas separation equipment, and the purchasing relationships to compete with national distributors while still being small enough that a client request gets handled quickly instead of routed through three departments. You’d be representing a company that can say yes to deal structures and timing requirements that corporate procurement departments typically can’t match.
The Refrigerant Industry in 2026 and Why It Matters
The U.S. is in the middle of an AIM Act phasedown reshaping supply and demand for refrigerants that were standard in HVAC systems for decades, creating considerable market upheaval after years of stability. Ameri-Ref exists to help contractors, facility managers, and industrial buyers navigate that complexity: get fair value for the product they need to move, and source reclaimed refrigerant that meets AHRI 700 standards through independent laboratory certification. Understanding this context doesn’t happen on day one, but over time it’s a real differentiator in conversations with clients who are trying to figure out their options.
Questions About This Position
Do I need to know anything about refrigerants before I apply?
The technical side of the refrigerant business, including what the different types are, how reclamation works, and what the regulatory environment looks like, is something we will teach you. What the role genuinely requires from day one is the ability to build and sustain professional relationships; the product knowledge develops from there.
Is this role remote, hybrid, or in-person?
The role is primarily field-based, involving regular face-to-face meetings, lunches, and site visits across Southwest Florida: Sarasota, Bradenton, Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Myers. There’s no cold calling component, but you do need to be genuinely comfortable driving the territory and meeting clients on their turf, which means a strong preference for remote or phone-based work would likely be a poor fit.
What does the commission structure look like?
We’ll walk through the full structure in the interview. The short version: it’s tied to account growth and new business, designed to reward the kind of long-term relationship building the role requires, and carries realistic six-figure potential for a strong performer over time.
How quickly are you looking to hire?
We’re reviewing applications now and will move quickly for the right profile. There’s an onboarding and training period before you’re expected to carry a full territory; the candidate we’re looking for is ready to start building real relationships, not someone who needs to close deals by week two.
Is there room to grow within Ameri-Ref?
Ameri-Ref is actively investing in its growth; a business development position that performs well creates its own trajectory within a company where contributions are visible and development isn’t constrained by layers of hierarchy above you. Where that leads depends on what you build and what opportunities emerge as the company grows; we’re not in a position to promise a specific title path, but the ceiling on this role is genuinely not low.
What does the application process look like?
Fill out the form at the bottom of this page and attach your resume; a person reads every application with no automated screening. If your profile is a strong fit, we’ll follow up to schedule an initial call within a few business days, and the process from there is relatively straightforward rather than a multi-round interview gauntlet.
Ready to Apply?
What to Include
If this role fits who you are, send us your resume and a short note about yourself (no cover letter required). Use the message field if you’d like to mention what drew you to this type of role or what’s relevant from your background; we’ll review it and reach out directly.
What Happens After You Submit
Every application here is read by a person, not filtered by an automated system. If your profile looks like a strong fit, we’ll follow up within a few business days to schedule a first conversation.