Members of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) gathered in St. Louis March 28-30 for the organization’s annual Conference & Expo. The three-day event featured workshops aimed at helping HVAC contractors improve their operations, an expo hall for vendors to present their latest offerings, and plenty of opportunities for networking. The latter included an evening event put on by Emerson that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Copeland brand. Major topics discussed at the event included the consolidation trend driven by private equity investors and the transitions to new refrigerants and efficiency standards for air conditioners.
Gerry O'Brion, creator of The Power of Because Framework, said during his keynote speech that HVAC contractors need to figure out what they’re willing to do that their competition can’t or won’t. He gave an example from a presentation he gave to a group of plumbers that asked the same question. One plumber answered that he gave a two-hour window to customers rather than the traditional four-hour window. Another responded he went a step further and showed up at a set time.