LAS VEGAS — The journey from a niche market to a highly respected market takes a lot of work. Geothermal contractors were doing just that as they discussed how to better market their industry when they gathered in Las Vegas for the 2013 International Ground Source Heat Pump Associations’ (IGSHPAs) technical conference and expo.

“We are forever telling people how the systems are made,” said Jack DiEnna, executive director of the Geothermal National and International Initiative and the chairman of the IGSHPA marketing committee. “Unless you are an engineer, nobody cares. What is it going to do for me? That is what the end user wants to know. They deliver comfort. That is what we are selling, using the energy under your feet, the energy you already own, to heat and cool your facility.”