Like a small but mighty country, The NEWS’ seventh annual Dealer Design Awards’ Ventilation Products category wasn’t the largest, but each competitor stepped into the ring and packed a large punch. See the winners here.
Lining up in a large field of competitors, the Dealer Design Awards’ HVAC High Efficiency Residential Equipment category contestants found themselves in a race for the winner’s circle. Citing new electronic and innovative features, contractor judges dissected this category yielding a gold, silver and three bronze winners.
The digital revolution has come. It’s not
coming. It won’t be here in a few years. It has arrived. This revelation, be it
earth shattering or not, is a wake up call to every contractor who finally got
his company’s finances on the computer last year.
The only choice contractors have in natural disaster situations is to be prepared to continue in business once the storm or crisis has passed. Already learning some tough lessons in flooded Nashville, Tenn., Comfort Supply issued a warning to contractors who are working to replace flooded HVAC units for flood victims.
When considering new technology for HVACR, cutting edge education tools should not be last on the list of things to invent. In the age of smart phones, Wii, and iPads, a classic textbook with a few extra diagrams isn’t going to be enough to interest the next generation in spending long hours to learn how to repair or replace HVACR units.
Knowing when to let go can be a challenge. As I
raced back to Kroger to beat Redbox rental’s 9 p.m. deadline on the fifth day,
I thought to myself, it would have been cheaper to cut my losses and return it
on the first day and rent the movie later when it was a better time.
Technicians coming out of school can’t find a job. Laid off technicians can’t find a job. Contractors struggling to hire can’t find HVACR technicians. These are three common scenarios currently occurring across the nation. Contradictory at best, the issues bring to light a question that has surfaced again in the HVACR industry, “Is there a technician shortage?”
Facebook has launched its new Open Graph
protocol and within less than a month, over 100,000 websites have integrated it
into their site layout. Possibly threatening Google’s ranking system and moving
the web towards what some call Web 3.0, Open Graph is a curious invention.
It’s a legitimate question that every
participant in the HVACR trade should ask themselves and eventually answer.
Take entry-level technicians for example.
Statewide smoking bans are becoming more
prevalent as local and federal legislators determine that protecting workers
and customers against second-hand smoke is essential for increased public
safety.
