According to David Squires, president of Contractor’s Online-Access Inc., Web consulting firm, and a 33-year HVAC veteran, a Web presence is more than just a colorful page with graphics and some words. Establishing and maintaining a profitable Website is an exercise in dedication, and the contractor with a thriving Web presence concentrates on two things - visibility and usability.

The HVAC industry is not immune to changing forces, especially in the distribution link of the supply chain. With this in mind, the Heating, Airconditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) devised its 2007 annual fall conference, “Facing the Forces of Change® in HVACR Distribution.”

The Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI’s) Energy & Technical Services Conference, being held this week through Wednesday, Sept. 12 at the Marriot Denver Tech Center, offers strategies to reduce energy bills and cut operating costs as well as opportunities to learn about the latest technologies from leading vendors.

Combatants spent 13 days in 1836 battling at the Alamo. The Refrigeration Service Engineers Society’s (RSES’s) 70th Annual Conference attendees will spend three days exploring the Alamo and determining some of the more effective troubleshooting techniques in refrigeration.

Elvis, Wayne Newton, and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) will all be on stage this fall in Las Vegas. SMACNA’s 64th Annual Convention and Product Show, Oct. 21-25, will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and at The Hotel, Las Vegas.

Today’s contractors know that knowledge is power. It is the power to increase profits, maintain employee relationships, and expand businesses. With the proper tool, contractors can process the raw and unfiltered information that yields this power, and use it to efficiently manage their fleet of service and installation vehicles.

Cooling things down and heating them up isn’t a problem for the winners in The NEWS’ fourth annual Dealer Design Awards’ HVAC Light Commercial Equipment category. Flexibility and easy maintenance highlight the themes manufacturers exemplified as they competed for top honors.

The air people breathe is no longer taken for granted as environmentalists and doctors raise the alarm about contaminants and particulates that cause global and personal harm. In light of these air quality developments, The NEWS’ Dealer Design Awards’ Indoor Air Quality category winners have brought to this competition their best offerings for cleaner, healthier air.

Automation is becoming the new standard in convenient and efficient commercial applications. Uniting commercial equipment in one purpose and one goal is what made the products in The NEWS’ fourth annual Dealer Design Awards’ Commercial Controls category winners.

An HVAC contractor without components and accessories is like a football player without his gear - it just won’t work. By far the largest category in The NEWS’ fourth annual Dealer Design Awards, Components and Accessories winners fought to earn a place on the pedestal.