I recently had the opportunity to talk to three different generations of a family-owned HVAC business. During my interviews, I got to talk to the second-, third-, and fourth-generation family members. During my conversation with the youngest member of the family, I was particularly struck by the comments he made.
With the business growing, so would the demands on my time unless there was a fundamental shift. I eventually came to understand that the shift would come when my business partner and I learned to stop being revenue producers and become producers of leaders within our company.
Eight HVACR and water heating industry associations have announced the formation of the HVACR Workforce Development Foundation. The Foundation will work to raise awareness of the industry, attract new members to the workforce, and enhance the quality of the available workforce in the industry.
According to HVAC Excellence, 65.6 percent of service technicians in the HVACR industry will not be in the industry in eight years. The next generation is now in the classroom learning skills to match the demands of the market, and there is a growing sense of the need to recruit those who will serve as the technicians of the future.
These remarks include a comment on Joanna Turpin’s article “Going Against the $29 Tune-Up,” from the April 2, 2012 issue, and a comment on how to motivate more young people to go into HVACR.
