Articles by Herb Woerpel

The popular projection is that 2019 is poised to be a challenging year for HVACR distributors. So, what does that mean for your business? Are you doomed for failure regardless of how well your company performs in 2019?

In the summer of 1985, from a garage in Anaheim, California, Dion Quinn drafted the budgets for his first company using an Apple II computer. Thirty-four years later, his company, AC Pro, a family-owned HVAC distributor and manufacturer based in Fontana, California, employs 400 employees across 17 locations in Southern California and southern Nevada.

Smart home services are in high demand. According to Statista, the smart home market is expected to grow 14.9 percent over the next four years to a market value of $34.6 billion in 2022.

As we prepare to flip the calendar and turn our focus to the future, I feel moved to share a few of my predictions that are sure to come true in 2019.

While ductless HVAC is not without its flaws, the technology has evolved exponentially to now provide customers with numerous configurations at affordable prices appropriate for nearly every application, which is music to the ears of entrepreneurial contractors.

DT spoke with a handful of contractors and distributors who experienced exceptional success in 2018 and asked them what worked in 2018, what didn't, and how things are shaping up in 2019 and beyond.

“I hope to continue to learn the trade and become the guy people go to when they have tough questions that need answering," Reihm said.

“No matter what position you hold, you must always treat people right,” Reeves said. “People are a resource. Serve your fellow man/woman to the best of your ability, and the service will always be returned.”

“Like many other leaders, I’m an ambitious person and always looking to advance my career; however, I truly aspire to be known throughout the company and the industry as being a great leader, mentor, and coach,” Raimondi said. “If there is any advancement in position, it should be a result of that achievement.”