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Handling customers is at the heart of the matter. Who’s controlling your thermostat?

There has been a long-running battle between pro-smoking and anti-smoking opponents. Much of the argument is based on whether ventilation and air-cleaning systems are able to remove enough tobacco smoke to create an environment that is clean enough to be safe.

Contractor questions R-22 shortage prediction.

It does not matter what line of work you may have come from, from where you might have gained your experience, but it is a virtual guarantee that somebody in your organization cares about the difference between features and benefits. If they didn’t, you probably wouldn’t be bringing down a paycheck.

I am writing this, my last column of 2009, only moments after I finished the rough draft of a nearly 2,000-word story that appears elsewhere in this issue. That story was written to meet this issue’s focus, “Refrigerant Revolution – An 11th Hour Update.” One of the most interesting things about these refrigerant predictions is that nobody really knows for certain what will occur.

Mr. Pete Williams e-mailed The NEWS recently to complain about an article in our Oct. 12 issue. I often call such fans of the magazine. The conversation with Williams spurred a few ideas, which are now shared with you.

The older I get, and according to relatives the more difficult to buy things for, the more often I receive gift cards. The whole issue of gift cards made me think how they might apply to our business. I have been trying to figure out a way that we could integrate the sale of gift cards into the culture of the HVAC business.

Knowing that the approaching R-22 phaseout could be a challenge, The NEWS began compiling legal and technical information on a Countdown to 2010 microsite earlier this year. With the countdown clock still running, we have refocused the site to help contractors answer the question, “Are you ready?”

Sometimes you can back into a story that proves most interesting. I had been following the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for a number of years. But the recent backing started in the summer while attending an environmental event some 100 miles from Chicago.

Dealing well with units and customers. Raise your standards.