One of the highlights of the annual ACCA conference is the exchange of ideas from contractors during the “I’ve Got an Idea” session on the last day of the show.
In keeping with the theme of the recent Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) National Meeting — “Out of the Comfort Zone & Into a More Profitable Future” — the St. Louis and Southern Illinois ACCA chapters hosted a skills competition for HVACR students.
Ronnie Head Sr. sees a lot of business opportunities in mold. He’s not referring to detecting or eradicating it, but rather telling building owners about its origins and what steps they can take to avoid the pitfalls of a moldy environment.
“We don’t want anyone else telling us our business because we know it best.” That’s the message that Chris Colditz used to open her ACCA meeting seminar.
It was subtitled the “Power of Three” by Pete Gasiewicz, vice president of sales and marketing for International Comfort Products (ICP). He was referring to the manufacturer/distributor/dealer-contractor alliance that was evident during ICP’s “Power of Potential” meeting.
A virus with cold-like symptoms that originated in mainland China is now having global ramifications that could eventually draw in the HVACR community to offer solutions to prevent or reduce the growing health threat.
Contractor associations provide a great deal of information and business tools for their members. These groups also set examples for other contractors around the United States who look for leadership and guidance. That’s one reason why The News sought them out for their opinions on trends and issues affecting the HVACR trade.
Although HVACR contractors still list the “usual suspects” such as the labor shortage and a highly competitive market as two of the biggest issues facing the trade in 2003, there are other issues looming on the horizon.
It would appear that manufacturers are on the same page as their dealers when it comes to assessing the issues affecting the industry. The key priorities outlined by manufacturers jibed pretty closely with the concerns of contractors.
Ray Isaac speaks from experience when it comes to extended service agreements. His company's service agreements represent 60 percent of service sales volume. He told fellow contractors that it is time for them to get on the service agreement bandwagon.