Getting the word out to end-users via promotional and marketing materials is one sure-fire way to boost unit sales and retain customers. But it is also a way to retain contractors as well. That’s the dual purpose of the VIP Contractor Program, sponsored by Lochinvar.

For the past winners of The NEWS’ “Best Contractor to Work For” contest there has been a good share of positive results. To them, winning recognition as a top HVACR contractor is much more than their name in print, a plaque for the office, and some local PR from the media.

How important is your tech’s appearance? For that matter, how important is any appearance to how your company is perceived? And are your competitors concerned about appearance, too? These are some of the questions we asked visitors to our recent “Survey Says” online survey at www.achrnews.com.

Patricia Schafer believes the reasons why businesses fail include poor management, wrong location, overexpansion, lack of planning, and lack of a Website. Huh? Did you say lack of a Website? A certain NEWS’ business editor has been harping about that for years. It looks like his harping has been validated, at least by Ms. Schafer.

Don’t laugh, there are lots of other fantasy games besides sports. With so much interest in fantasy-anything, what’s to stop people from playing FantasyHVAC®?

For many, it is essential to keep their business within the family. But what if there are no family members to pass the business on to or if there are no family members willing to carry on the business? Selling a family business is as much an emotional decision as a business decision and there are many factors that go into it.

It probably won’t rival Tony Bennett’s classic, but it is eye-catching. I have a new favorite name for a U.S. town. Bogue Chitto is located in east/central Mississippi.

A recent posting on an Internet Website sparked a flurry of replies from HVACR contractors, opening up a can of worms for many business owners who believe in turning a blind eye to a customer’s “potential” problem versus the business owners who believe in full disclosure. Let me explain.

A group of distributors and contractors, gathered together for the first of several Nordyne “Road Show” stops, sat down in Nashville for a roundtable meeting with The NEWS to discuss issues facing the industry and themselves.

A poor diet can become a real problem, especially for business owners. The high cost of medical insurance should be enough to scare employers into action.