Higher learning institutions and educational/workforce programs focusing on HVACR offer extensive hands-on training and lab applications alike for students looking to get started on a career in the industry and/or gain further certifications. Advancements in online learning have also been realized.
Todd Zeplin, co-owner, Collier’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Ossian, Ind., said, “We’ve always focused on geothermal. Since the mid-90s we focused strictly on geothermal, and actually branding our business. That created our whole market up here in Indiana. If they recognized Collier’s, they thought about geothermal.”
There are book smarts. And, there are street smarts. What about an impressive collaboration of the two sets? Think about it: You’ve got your technicians studying for North American Technician Excellence (NATE) or similar certification. Unless they are practicing what has been preached, where does this knowledge base go?
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that it has adopted regional credits as part of LEED 2009, the new version of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. These LEED credits encourage that specific regional priorities be addressed when it comes to the design, construction, and operations of buildings in different geographic locations.
Technological advancements and new products are the main impetus for furthering education and training within the HVAC industry. With manufacturers well aware of the age-old axiom that “time is money,” the longer a serviceman/contractor is out of the field and in a classroom will end up costing his/her outfit more money, right? Not necessarily.
In our industry, too many people act as if earning a free lead is a matter of being nice or less expensive than the competition. But a true referral is different. Referral leads are emotionally based and therefore require that you think about the customer’s experience not in terms of service, but in terms of experience.
It may surprise some people, but your business doesn’t have to be a casualty of the economic downturn. Just ask Paul Bigham. Some of his technicians are having their best year ever in 2009, with revenues through March ahead of the previous year.
This is the fourth article in a five-article economic series offering tools and suggestions to help contractors cope during these tough and changing economic times.
More than 1,400 leaders at the front lines of energy management and efficiency were polled through an online survey conducted in April of this year. According to the new research commissioned by Johnson Controls in partnership with the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), energy efficiency has never been more important.
If the rising costs of energy over the last few years haven’t been enough to get your customers interested in finding ways to cut their utility bills, here’s something that might. President Obama would like to implement a cap-and-trade plan that includes cutting greenhouse gas emissions 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. Experts agree this would result in significantly higher energy costs.
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