I have said it here before and I will say it here again: Since the average child watches 1,680 minutes of TV per week, we need to get an HVACR-related TV show on the boob tube. The idea here is to capture the attention of young ones to this industry.

Believe it or not, they gave the stage to Mark Breslin more than once. Even though he was not necessarily kind in his remarks concerning unions, contractors, labor, and management, organizers of the 2008 Partners in Progress Conference had him sit in on the regional breakout sessions and report back to the general assembly.

No one can accuse Mark Breslin of holding back. On more than one occasion during the 2008 Partners in Progress Conference at Caesars Palace, the CEO of the Engineering and Utility Contractors Association (EUCA) let those in attendance have a tongue lashing.

If you can save them money through energy savings, building owners are interested in what you have to say. Just ask contractors, consulting and specifying engineers, as well as facility managers who have embraced the technology and benefits of variable-frequency drives (VFDs).

Building owners and facility managers continually look for ways to save energy and money. Since HVAC systems in particular are huge energy consumers, highly efficient systems offer the opportunity for great savings. And savings are achievable with variable-frequency drives (VFDs).

It seems like just yesterday I presented my boss with a story idea: Why not follow an HVACR student on his way to an associate’s degree? Is it tough? What are some of the obstacles, if any?

This industry is going about reaching today’s youth in the wrong way. Since the average child watches 1,680 minutes of TV per week, let’s set our focus on getting exposure on the “boob tube.”

Last year, the Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMWIA) and United Transportation Union (UTU) announced plans to merge into a new 230,000-member union called the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART). However, to date, not all is going as planned.

In the eyes of Kalen Cartwright, operations manager at Current Mechanical, contractors should not hesitate in offering summer employment for HVACR students. Cartwright is one case in point. He interned for two summers for Ted Current. When all was said and done, Current liked what he saw and made an offer the then 22-year-old could not refuse.

I was recently invited to take a tour of the headquarters of a firm in St. Louis that provides solutions for mission critical facilities throughout the United States. This firm was proud of its new office surroundings.