It turns out that 2005 wasn't just a good year for manufacturers, it was also a terrific year for distributors. According to Heating, Airconditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), the 104 distributors that responded to the organization's survey reported that their sales in 2005 were up a collective 11.65 percent over 2004.
HARDI noted that all regions showed positive median numbers, with the highest median coming from the Southeastern region with an increase of 17.63 percent and the lowest reported median from the Northeastern region at 6.27 percent. Bud Healy, director of education, HARDI, believes the positive trend will continue, noting, "We probably won't have a double digit increase in 2006, but our forecast is saying about 7.5 percent."