ARLINGTON, Va. - The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has announced that it will offer an expanded and wide-ranging educational program at its 2004 Annual Conference & Indoor Air Expo, Feb. 25-28, at the New Orleans Marriott in Louisiana.

"This year's conference will offer the largest and most comprehensive, cutting-edge educational program the contracting industry has ever seen," stated Paul T. Stalknecht, ACCA president and CEO. "The focus of the sessions is not going to be on abstract theory or motivation. We'll be offering contractors real, usable information that they can put to use as soon as they return to their businesses."

The association noted that, due to the popularity of last year's "Training Track" schedule, which offered a series of educational workshops grouped by subject, this year tracks will be expanded to include: Residential Contracting; Commercial Contracting; Refrigeration; Marketing/Management; and Legal Issues. There will also be a series of contractor panels on best practices.

Some of the topics planned include:

Increase Top Line Revenue Without Increasing Expenses

Under 15 Employees: Growing and Improving

Mold: Trends in Litigation & Insurance

Performance-Based Compensation: Making It Work

Training Your Competitors (Yes, You Read That Right)

Developing the Ultimate Service Technician

What a New Service Technician Wants

Assessing Your Company's Insurance Needs

Flat Rate Pricing: Friend or Foe

Make Energy Star Work for You

Fuel Cell Technology

Email Marketing: How & Why

Wage & Hour Issues for Contractors

Diversity in HVAC: Expand Your Customer Base

Launching a New Product/Service

The New Contractor/Distributor Relationship

Family-Owned Businesses: Successes & Failures

Women in HVAC: Getting Started

Your Company Is Worth More Than You Think

Commercial Facility Management Controls

Determining Your True Operating Costs

Financial Ratios: Decoding the Mystery

Selling Commercial Projects

Using New Technology to Make Sales

Understanding Service Maintenance Agreements

Thermal Energy Storage

Early-bird registration for the conference is available online at www.acca.org/register or by calling 703-575-4477.

Publication date: 10/13/2003