When Dana Marr graduated from college, she agreed to work temporarily as a service dispatcher in her family’s business - Wooldridge Heating, Air & Electrical - as she prepared for what she thought would be a career in banking. Twenty-four years later she’s still there, having carved out a career in a male-dominated industry.

With the new regional efficiency standards for residential furnaces, air conditioners, and heat pumps set to become effective beginning in May 2013, many in the industry are wondering: How does the Department of Energy (DOE) intend to enforce these standards?

Contractors across the nation are finding that although the HVAC industry has experienced change in the recent economic crisis, its need for skilled labor and certified technicians has not been completely abated by the influx of displaced workers from the economic downturn. Other trade industries have noticed this problem, too.

I was lucky to see a classified ad from Rheem Manufacturing Co. in the Chicago Tribune way back in 1970 because it led me into a career in a unique industry with a group of really great people.