According to reports from local news and health departments, shipments of tainted drywall from China are allegedly emitting sulfur dioxide that is causing ill effects on equipment and residents.

The six members of the Axis of Climate Evil - carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride - were declared based on a “rigorous, peer-reviewed scientific analysis by scientists around the world.”

Global climate change, commonly referred to as global warming, is shaping much of the policy currently being formed on Capitol Hill. These new policies are packed with more sunshine than can be soaked up by a California raisin.

According to an online survey conducted by Adam Fein, Ph.D., founder and president of Pembroke Consulting Inc., and sponsored by Lawson Software, when it comes to the distribution industry, “Many distributors plan to maintain or increase their technology spending in the coming year.”

I recently returned from Washington D.C., where the media spent much of its time prattling about AIG bonuses. Despite this temporary distraction, the overall clamor heard from Capitol Hill is that of change, and the clanging is much louder than the few coins you have left in your pocket after paying your taxes this year.

Contractors facing the current economy are finding that the new business landscape ahead has familiar terrain and treacherous territory. With 85 percent of Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) estimating at least another year of economic uncertainties, HVACR contractors continue to address the business challenges that have ebbed and flowed in the industry for years.

The past five years in the HVACR industry have proven to run the gamut. From record highs to a recently identified recession, distributors have studied their environment and adapted to the times facing each of them. As 2009 begins, distributors find themselves employing new tactics to continue operating at peak performance levels.

Considering 2008 and looking ahead through 2009, HVACR manufacturers are riding the same highs and lows that the rest of the nation is riding. Volatile building markets, increasing green trends, new regulations, economic insecurity, and future uncertainties all pose varying situations that will continue to test manufacturer strategies for profitability and success.

The HVACR industry stands to benefit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Bolstering equipment sales via improved tax credits and increasing demand in highly-efficient building requirements places a green equipment demand to be supplied and a green job market to be filled by the industry.

The changing landscape of the HVACR industry continues to introduce new business and marketing tools challenging contractors to move beyond the traditional. Social media is one of those tools that not only offers contractors a way to advertise, but offers a way to interact with their customers.