If there was ever a set of initials that changed the face of communications as we know it, it is LOL (laugh out loud). This combination of letters, hatched out of the text messaging/e-mail era, exemplifies how little people personally communicate with each other anymore.
Are you whiling away the time just kicking stones? I don’t doubt that some of you are feeling the effects of an economic slowdown and you’d like to be busier. There are plenty of things to do during the slow times - productive things that could keep you or your staff busy as you prepare for a busy fall season.
Many HVACR distributors say that their name is the most important brand they sell. Contractors say that too. But a brand name also carries vital name recognition and peace of mind to customers who are continually bombarded with generic brands backed by generic service.
In the competitive HVACR aftermarket product business, there are many giants - distributors that spend a lot of time marketing to and educating their contractor customers. It stands to reason that building a solid aftermarket business is key to the survival of not only the distributors, but their customers as well.
Is there really a profound difference in how contractors operate their businesses based on the demographics of rural or urban communities and the laws that govern these communities? The NEWS wanted to find out so we asked some readers if they felt there were distinct differences in how businesses in each setting are operated.
Sioux Falls is growing. In fact, Kevin Severy, president of Winair in Sioux Falls, describes the community as “one of the fastest growing in the United States.” This HVACR distributor is one of 57 Winair locations that specialize in HVACR wholesale-distribution across the United States.
DATELINE: Columbia, Missouri, late July 2008. “Police are investigating four weekend reports of someone stealing Freon from air-conditioning units in The Pines subdivision in southwest Columbia.
The most profitable HVACR contractors are those who monitor their expenses and cut costs whenever possible. Never has that been more evident than in an economically challenged state like Michigan. The NEWS recently sat down with three Michigan contractors to discuss cost-cutting measures.
The air conditioning season lasts almost the entire year in sunny Arizona but that doesn’t mean contractors have more than enough work to stay profitable. Cutting expenses is still a priority, several Arizona HVACR contractors told The NEWS during an informal roundtable meeting.
A lot of mechanical contractors can boast about their use of mobile computing but one, EMCOR Services Mesa Energy Systems, claims to be the “first major HVAC contractor to utilize handheld field devices for technician work orders and time cards in the U.S.”