With the business growing, so would the demands on my time unless there was a fundamental shift. I eventually came to understand that the shift would come when my business partner and I learned to stop being revenue producers and become producers of leaders within our company.

The National Association of Oil & Energy Service Professionals (OESP) held its 59th annual convention and trade show, May 20-24, in Providence, R.I. The event celebrated technology with the theme “Energy — It’s a New Frontier … Get Connected!”

Nearly 250 manufacturers’ representatives, architects, and engineers participated in this year’s ClimateMaster national sales meeting, held recently at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. 

HVAC Mechanical Systems (#210) presented by Johnson Controls Training Institute.

A number of the industry’s certification and accrediting organizations are busy crafting training programs that will define the industry’s next generation. Many are quick to acknowledge that technology is, and will continue to be, the leading factor guiding present and future development.

According to HVAC Excellence, 65.6 percent of service technicians in the HVACR industry will not be in the industry in eight years. The next generation is now in the classroom learning skills to match the demands of the market, and there is a growing sense of the need to recruit those who will serve as the technicians of the future.

Should a state-endorsed apprenticeship council be allowed to limit the number of training programs, and their locations, within a certain state? Is this power unconstitutional? That question will soon come before a judge in the state of California.

Numerous associations, institutions, and organizations offer accreditation and certification across the many sectors of the HVACR industry. For technicians, certification classifies a worker as a top performer. The same holds true for accredited HVACR associations, schools, and training programs.

At its recent meeting, the board of directors of North American Technician Excellence (NATE) renewed the organization’s contract with Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) to provide in-house services. The board also formed a committee to conduct a search for a new president.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) will soon award 22 schools with HVACR grants totaling $100,000.