Overall confidence in the recovery seems to wax and wane with each evening news report. In a Modern Distribution Management webinar hosted by Dr. Adam Fein, Ph.D., president of Pembroke Consulting Inc., Fein told attendees that many of them could plan for growth in 2010, 2011, and beyond, but to keep expectations in check because growth talk is growth from a much lower base.

It’s agreed. Women should work in the HVACR industry. That was an easy question. So simple in fact, many of the contractors The NEWS posed that question to were seemingly surprised we even asked. It was the qualifying question as to where women fit in the HVACR industry that produced some differing opinions.

There are quite a few crazy ideas in the HVACR industry’s history, but it’s the future that contractors, manufacturers, and distributors are trying to understand. For the HVACR industry, social and digital media aren’t the future though; they are the crazy ideas of today.

Direct Energy has completed its acquisition of Clockwork Home Services Inc. Following approval by Clockwork’s shareholders and U.S. regulatory approval, the combined Direct Energy Services and Clockwork Inc.® business is now considered to be North America’s largest provider of heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical services.

Economic hard times have changed the overall landscape of business in America. With companies learning to operate leaner, leaving many workers without a place to go, there is a growing trend of displaced workers starting their own businesses. Knowing this, The NEWS began asking contractors what it took to start, maintain, and grow a successful HVACR business.

I confess … before working for The NEWS I would never have suggested that someone enter the trades as a profession. My job as a former high school teacher was to prepare a white collar workforce and trade schools and community colleges weren’t where we were aiming students. In retrospect, I was ignorant.

After conducting an informal technology usage survey a few weeks ago, it was interesting to find that the HVAC industry appears to be rather divided between geeks and dinosaurs. Balancing these technology extremes begs the question, “What do you get when you cross a geek with a dinosaur?” Answer: Common sense.

Ding. Shut the car door. Ding. Fill the gas tank. These reminders are welcomed annoyances. They remind drivers of the standard maintenance tasks that will keep the vehicle running optimally.

From hero to hack, the HVACR industry and its customers hold varying opinions about the one-man shop. Some find these business entities to be trustworthy necessities while others consider them as black marks on the trade’s reputation. Find the balance in between and the industry just may have found where the one-man shop fits.

The modern U.S. electrical grid is one of the largest machines in the world and it’s learning to talk. As it learns to talk, it teaches other physical entities to communicate and together they intend to preach the gospel of efficiency to all, no matter the cost.