ORLANDO - Exhibitors at the 2007 Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Conference & Indoor Air Expo know the value of lasting relationships and rubbing shoulders with the best of the best. Maybe that’s why so many see the value of having a presence at each ACCA meeting. They know that they will have an attentive audience during the expo and, in return, the contractors who visit their booths will leave with an armful of information, including literature and a few takeaway gifts.

But mostly, both sides feel enriched by the opportunity to visit each other again. Luckily, many contractors will take all of the time they need to rekindle personal and professional friendships with booth exhibitors. The ACCA expo is big enough (137 companies and 199 booths as of mid-February) to get a good blend of product information, yet small enough for a visitor to spend more quality time with his or her favorite manufacturer’s rep.

“The ACCA expo is an excellent venue for top dealers to meet fellow professionals from all over the country,” said Dave LaGrand, president and chief executive officer of Nordyne. “It’s also an opportune time for dealers to share their best practices and the industry challenges they encounter day-to-day in the heating and cooling marketplace.

“Dealers are provided a real opportunity to see manufacturers’ products and services up close during the trade show hours and ask in-depth questions to the various participating companies.”

There is a definite link between successful contractors and ACCA, which does not go unnoticed by expo exhibitors. “The ACCA expo is a great opportunity for Emerson Climate Technologies to support and interact with leading contractors, OEMs, and other industry leaders,” said Tim Fletcher, manager a/c aftermarket programs, Emerson Climate Technologies.

“This conference always attracts the industry’s best contractors, so it’s a great place to introduce them to new Emerson products and programs, as well as to gather their input so that we can continue to create innovative products and solutions that help them succeed.”

“The strength of ACCA has always been the quality of their contractor members,” said Terry Johnston, vice president, marketing and product management for Lennox International Inc. “The show is an extension of that quality commitment. It is important for manufacturers to be engaged in this national forum to connect with the leaders of the contracting community. If you are not there, you are not participating in the future of our industry.

“We believe ACCA plays an important role with the success of our dealers, and we believe we can’t be successful without having the best dealers possible. Our attendance at the ACCA expo helps demonstrate our commitment to our dealer’s success.”

Johnston said his company plans to show its new generation of lower-cost PureAir. Lennox will also be showing its Healthy Climate 16, featuring the Slim-Line cabinet and MERV 16 media filter.

Lisa Aach, marketing communications manager for Wrightsoft, said the ACCA expo is “an ideal place for us to make new relationships and continue our existing relationships while introducing new products like our latest, Right-Suite Universal (RSU). The award-winning RSU combines both residential and commercial design applications in one package, allowing the contractor to work more efficiently, saving them both time and money.

“As the original technical software partner of ACCA, Wrightsoft was the first HVAC software company to create a computerized version of their Manual J, Manual D, and Manual N calculation methods. Over 20 years later, we continue our commitment of offering innovative software solutions to the HVAC contractor and value our partnership with ACCA.”

Another software designer, Service Automation Inc., makes the ACCA expo a regular stop on its schedule, too. Company vice president of sales and marketing, David Haycraft, said, “ACCA is a great organization and Service Automation Inc. is a proud member. Many of our customers are ACCA members and they participate in the ACCA Mix Groups, which I personally feel are very helpful to the contractors for sharing ideas.

“The ACCA conference itself is great for us as a software vendor because it brings us in front of an elite group of contractors seeking better solutions to manage their companies.”

And it isn’t just the equipment manufacturers and software makers that are singing the praises of ACCA. Rex Boynton of North American Technician Excellence (NATE) believes that this conference is a must for his organization. “The ACCA meeting is a can’t-miss event for us,” he said. “The contractors who attend are market leaders and important spheres of influence. They walk the talk on raising the bar of technician excellence and see to it that their techs are NATE-certified professionals.”

Publication date: 03/05/2007