There are several things to consider when making a determination as to services to add to your offerings. Does the new product/service fit within the culture of your company? What are the start-up cost risks in performing that new service? Are there any significant potential future risks or liabilities that you may be incurring?

I have always considered myself an optimistic, positive person. Therefore I was somewhat surprised to find myself halfway through a column which was very negative about the near future of our industry.

I have always considered myself an optimistic person. So I was surprised to find myself halfway through a column which was very negative about the near future of our industry. After giving it some thought and tearing up that copy, I still have serious concerns. However, I have decided to attack the problem in a different manner.

We here in the Midwest are just finishing up one of the hottest summers we can remember. We actually finally had some 100°F days again. If you are like many of us, you have reduced your staff in the last couple of years to help you through the serious economic downturn.

We here in the Midwest are just finishing up one of the hottest summers we can remember. If you are like many of us, you have reduced your staff to help you through the economic downturn. That means your staff has had to work exceptionally hard to take care of your customers. Have you been properly appreciative?

Is contractor licensing a good thing for the public or just a restriction on the number of contractors? When I started writing for this publication about 10 years ago, I agreed to leave the political subjects to the real writers.

Is contractor licensing a good thing for the public or just a restriction on the number of contractors? As a contractor, I have been involved in this licensing question for quite some time now, and thought it would be good to obtain your viewpoint on this issue.

Well, it’s that time of year again. Thank heaven! The phones are ringing with customers wanting service and with leads for replacement systems. These are the times we look forward to all year.

Well, it’s that time of year again. Thank heaven! The phones are ringing with customers wanting service and with leads for replacement systems. So now we have a different problem to deal with than trying to keep our technicians and installers busy. All of this is good if we handle it properly.

Several months ago I wrote about the need for us as contractors to do the right things to encourage young people into choosing our trade. Lately, however, I have become aware of the fact that there is another area of need that we in the industry are going to have to address - interest.