“App” has become such a common word that it will likely find its way into the dictionary soon. It certainly has found its way into everyday personal and business use by millions of Apple iPhone or Google Android smart phone users.
The NEWS’ eighth annual Dealer Design Awards’ Contractor Services and Software category brought ease, accessibility, and free to the table with its winning lineup of an online training course and two brand new apps.
With a down economy, customary tensions at a workplace can be magnified, making now a vital time for those in the construction industry to analyze the potential for workplace violence, and how to prevent it. Awareness and communication are vital, said Rick Maltz, president of the Maltz Group.
HVACR instructors are facing a host of challenges these days, from teaching with new technologies to recruiting for full enrollment to dealing with funding cuts. Yet many are rising to meet these challenges with success and are optimistic about the future.
Recent industry trends have given rise to a new generation of building design tools known as building information modeling, or BIM. BIM goes further than traditional CAD drawings by providing intelligence to building components (such as HVAC) as well as providing system- and building-wide information and awareness (system flows or building loads) in addition to spatial relationships.
While service marketers are paddling diligently to stay ahead of the changes in online marketing, a new wave is about to come crashing in. Those who see it coming and act on it quickly will ride it to the top and leave the competition in their wake.
In North Carolina, contractor Greg Crumpton likes to stay
ahead of the curve when it comes to technology. His company, AirTight, is based
in Charlotte, and serves commercial, industrial, and mission critical customers
within a 100-mile radius.
As more and more consumers are purchasing smartphones and
tablets for both business and personal use, more software applications are
being developed specifically for these devices. One company that has decided to
focus solely on designing mobile applications for the HVAC industry is Carmel
Software Corp.
An Android phone, Gmail, and 500-plus followers on Twitter.
That doesn’t sound like the typical description of an HVAC contractor, but it
sums up Rob Benefiel in a nutshell. In an earlier era, Benefiel, owner of
Certified Comfort Heating and Cooling, would not have been able to start and
run his business the way he does today.
It may be hard to believe, but Apple launched its iPad less than a year ago. Since then, its popularity has soared. As the iPad has taken the world by storm, it has also made its way into the HVAC industry. Read this article to learn how a contractor and a distributor are pioneering the use of the iPad as a key tool in their businesses.