The winners in The NEWS’ 2007 “Best Contractor to Work for” contest can certainly show the way, be it on Broadway, off Broadway, off-off Broadway, or anywhere else.

Each cast member certainly deserves a standing ovation, as each of these winning contractors definitely brings the house down in regard to making their respective employees happy, fulfilled, paid pretty darn well, and supplied with benefits - medical, dental, optical, financial, emotional, and everything else in between - most of us would love to have.

For the ninth straight year, The NEWS editorial staff laboriously combed through the hundreds of auditions (otherwise known as nominations from NEWS readers), systematically checking off specific, needed characteristics and requirements. Though it was difficult, here’s the curtain call (minus the blowing trumpets and noisy fanfare): WEST REGION: A.O. Reed & Co., San Diego, Calif.; NORTH CENTRAL REGION: Flame Heating Cooling Electrical, Warren, Mich.; SOUTH REGION: LPAC, Bradenton, Fla.; EAST REGION: Classic Air’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Virginia Beach, Va.; CANADA REGION: Combined Air Mechanical Services, Brampton, Ontario.

Given the shortage of techs and qualified employees, these companies go out of their way to not only find and pay their people fairly, but do an encore performance every single day to keep their people in their respective dressing room (otherwise known as happy and employed). Note how these businesses avoid tech burnout during the companies’ busy seasons. Discover how these firms guarantee a steady workload, flexibility, pay increases, tools, uniforms, and so much more.

Heck, over the past 12 months, find out what the average number of hours employees spend in training at each of these winning companies. It’s practically Tony Award-winning. This is neither an act nor a play. This is the best of the best. Again, bravo!

For complete coverage on the award-winning companies, see the following feature articles in this issue:

• LPAC Is a Cut Above the Rest

• Employees Happy, Relatives Latch On

• Classic Air’s One Hour Grows as a Team

• History and Experience Fans This Flame

• New Owner Breathes Soul Into Well-Oiled Machine

- Mark Skaer

Sidebar: Live at the Expo!

NEWS’ Business Editor John Hall introduces the Award-winning “Best Contractors To Work For” during an education session at 9 a.m., Jan. 22, in Room 1E20 of the Jacob Javits Center.

Publication date: 01/21/2008