They arrived in force to the National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers’ (NAOHSM) annual meeting in Hershey, Pa., from their school, the Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Westampton, N.J. Sixteen students with the highest grades ventured out to learn more about the oil heat trade and see the latest equipment and services available to oil heat professionals.
One of the keys to a successful HVAC contracting business is to have a healthy cash flow, that’s no secret. Having a good cash flow with up-to-date cash receivables can make or break even the most well-run businesses.
Learning the HVAC trade is a process, not just a quick study of textbooks and some lab work - and not something that can be done overnight. That’s the logic behind Lennox Industries’ “Build-A-Tech” (BAT) program, which is available to service technicians who want to include continuous education in their careers.
On May 4, 2007, Greensburg, Kan., was hit by an EF5 tornado, estimated to be 1.7 miles wide. One of the destroyed buildings was home to Adams Electric & Plumbing LCC. The business serviced many residential and commercial HVAC customers in the Greensburg area and, according to owner Robert Blasi, lost “hundreds and hundreds of customers.”
Members of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) had a chance to see the CEOs of four major HVAC manufacturers “let their hair down” at an informal chat session hosted by Mike Murphy, editor-in-chief of The NEWS who served as the “bartender” during the lighthearted yet informative gathering.
Being able to sell more than a piece of equipment is a trend
that will continue to grow in the HVAC contracting trade, and it takes some
specialized training to learn how to do it.
Have you ever done something while on the job and shrugged it off, saying, “Oh well, they’ll never notice it.” What you think is a little thing that will go unnoticed can become a very big thing. It does matter.
Are issues facing contractors in the San Antonio area any different than those faced in other parts of the United States? The NEWS assembled a group of contractors for a discussion of issues facing business owners in this region.
When it came time to build a better mousetrap, Shawn Stark, president of Stark’s Plumbing & Heating Inc., decided to go green - green technology that is - in his company’s newest venture: Green by Design.
The good HVAC contractors do an admirable job of listening
to what their customers want. After listening to their needs, contractors then
have the opportunity to address those needs. That same philosophy should spill
over into our search for young talent.