The recession doesn’t exist in Cincinnati; at least not at Thompson Plumbing Heating and Cooling. Successfully operating and expanding in the face of adversity is what tipped the scales in favor of Wesley Holm, president of Thompson, as The NEWS’ Best Contractor to Work For contest winner in the North Central region.

Well, now that 2010 is here, it is time to say goodbye to the 2009 Dealer Design Awards. Thank you for entering last year and joining the product party online. Don’t get too upset about the end of the 2009 DDs, the 2010 competition has officially begun. See that blue box to the right of this blog? That is a direct link to where you can enter this year’s competition. Our online entry system is ready. Good Luck!

Capitol Hill was busier than usual last year as recession recovery efforts, health care, and climate change legislation dominated the national stage. But California quietly continued to move towards greater energy efficiency and stronger environmental legislation. Since the trends of California are often followed by the nation, contractors outside the state are taking note.

Legislation coming from the current administration is making a distinct effort to create jobs. Green jobs to be more precise, and in the fourth quarter of last year, Vice President Joe Biden, in concert with the Middle Class Task Force and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), released the Recovery Through Retrofit program.

Has anyone seen where global warming went? Last I checked I was trying not to freeze to death while I shoveled my Michigan driveway for the third or fourth time in a little over a week. There hasn’t been any evidence of global warming in my daily commute the past few weeks either.

It’s official; I am not making any New Year’s resolutions this year. Since I have yet to arrive at perfection, I will tell you what I am going to do instead. I’m going to make some conscious changes to improve myself.

What is a man’s place? What is a woman’s place? Do they each have a place or can they exist in any place they choose?

What do a 23-year-old female, 13 men, and a Hampden trainer have in common? They were all in the same HVAC technician classroom participating in Lennox Industries’ BuildATech™ program. Hampden trainers and 13 men one would expect, but the presence of 23-year-old Allison Scalchas might take a little more explanation.

Health care reform has become the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s presidency, which has made it a hot topic across this country. It is also a big issue in HVAC circles as contractors are concerned about the skyrocketing prices of group health care, but also wary of how legislation will affect small businesses.

The changing landscape of the HVACR industry continues to introduce new business and marketing tools challenging contractors to move beyond the traditional. Social media, the Web 2.0 buzzword of the millennium, is one of those tools that not only offers contractors a way to advertise, but also a way to interact with customers.