Approximately two years ago, the United States Navy issued a solicitation for innovative ideas on how to decrease the size of heat exchangers on mobile equipment. The solicitation eventually funded several heat exchanger proposals. Our company was one of many that submitted proposals that were not selected.

The HVAC trade has sounded off on its 2011 predictions - and it is overwhelmingly good. That is, according to 140 respondents to a recent poll at Linkedin.com, who were asked what they saw in their crystal ball for 2011. The HVAC trade - in particular, contractors - are very keen on a business uptick in 2011.

I have come to the conclusion - again - that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I’m referring to the hectic work schedule that HVAC contractors, especially those in my economically-challenged region of southeast Michigan, are trying to keep up with during the very hot summer last year.

The heating and cooling trade was not immune to the woes of the recent economic recession. The HVAC trade had to learn to deal with the reality of possible loss of profits from falling revenues, a shift in the market from replacement to repair, and an influx of new business owners bent on lowering prices and lowering credibility of the trade.

The tough economy has led many contractors to hunker down, conserving resources and cutting expenses. Other contractors are taking the opposite approach, investing in their companies and expanding operations to include additional profit centers. While there are different ways an HVAC contractor can go, most look to plumbing or electrical as natural extensions.

With a down economy, customary tensions at a workplace can be magnified, making now a vital time for those in the construction industry to analyze the potential for workplace violence, and how to prevent it. Awareness and communication are vital, said Rick Maltz, president of the Maltz Group.

The bottom line is that if there is no sale made or no money coming in, there is no company. One thing that seems to elude contractors at times is their ability to ask for the order. In other words, “close the sale.” Years ago I learned to plan your close in advance and build your sales presentation around it.

Attendees of The Unified Group’s Service Management Forum were given opportunities to take “The Leadership Journey.” The goal: to take leadership to another level. “You lead people and manage things,” pointed out Woody Woodall, W.L. Gary, Washington, D.C. “Everybody in the company has to be a leader.”

The Social Security Administration’s re-introduction of No-Match Letters, along with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s skyrocketing issuance of Notice of Inspections of I-9s, evidences the federal government’s increasingly aggressive stance to curb the hiring of unauthorized workers and to penalize employers who do.

Not long ago, according to Jack Beers of Metcalfe Heating & AC (Manassas, Va.), contractors all followed the old adage: “If you do a great job, your customer will tell nine people. Do a poor job, and they’ll tell 22 people.” But today, as more and more customers post online reviews, Beers explained, “The difference now is that if you do a poor job, they’ll tell 22 million people.”