Later this year will mark my 20^th year with The ACHR NEWS. It has been a great run that has included five different positions over the years. It has gone by quickly.

Certainly, a lot has changed over the last 20 years. But the biggest change that happened was going from the young guy on staff to the older one. Or maybe I should say — the old one.

Let me tell you, it was a quick journey. I am sure some of you are familiar with the situation. You make a band reference and then realize your employee was not even born when you were going to their concerts. Or everyone is talking about their weekend plans while you are carving out 14 hours to smoke some pulled pork for the family. That is who I have become.

But as I did years ago, and as individuals are still doing currently on our staff, younger people bring great value to an organization. I still feel like I bring something to the table, but these skills might be different than the younger employees.

In the journalism world, editors are now raised on things like podcasts, video editing, and social media. Those topics were never brought up when I was getting my education.

The HVAC industry is no different. Undoubtedly, the younger generation is bringing important and different skills than the older generation of HVAC workers. And I don’t need to tell you that we have a fair amount of older HVAC workers in the industry.

In a seamless segue, I want to announce that The ACHR NEWS is once again getting ready to choose the HVAC Top 40 Under 40 list. This is the 10^th year we have held this contest, and past winners are the best of the best in the industry, now and as their careers advance.

Do you know someone under 40 who is doing great work in the industry? Nominate them at www.achrnews.com/top40. It does not matter whether that person is a contractor, technician, engineer, teacher, distributor, or employed by a manufacturer. The contest is open to those working in every aspect of HVACR. Each channel of the distribution channel could use young talent. The nominee just has to excel in the workplace and give you a blank stare when you mention the TV show “Cheers.”

Perhaps you know a technician who can solve any issue and is oftentimes requested by homeowners. Maybe you know a young gun who has gone out on their own and started their own HVAC company to great success. Or it could be an engineer who is the sharpest on staff and deserves to be recognized. Those are the types of individuals you should be nominating.

In addition to giving great people some much-needed recognition, this contest can also help your business. The younger generation loves to be recognized, and this is a fantastic opportunity to reward these individuals for their hard work and fresh ideas. One of the goals of highlighting the youth of this industry is to help recruit more talented individuals to the trades. The next time you are interviewing a 20-something applicant, you could mention that your staff features one of the up-and-coming individuals in the HVAC industry. Or perhaps more than one.

When you do nominate your person, I will give you a friendly hint. On the entry form, please share as much information as possible. You know these individuals much better than we do. The more we know about your nominee, the more reasons we have to put them on the list. This is one of those rare occurrences where bragging is encouraged. Those chosen for the list will be featured in an upcoming issue of The ACHR NEWS, with both a picture and a write-up.

I am excited to see who is nominated, and I hope you are as excited to share these young employees’ achievements with the rest of the industry.