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Most of us know not to ever buy anything on the Internet from Ghana, and forget about the nubile Nigerian prince with his hand out in the name of Jesus Christ, but who is getting duped by energy con artists?

If there was ever a set of initials that changed the face of communications as we know it, it is LOL (laugh out loud). This combination of letters, hatched out of the text messaging/e-mail era, exemplifies how little people personally communicate with each other anymore.

Every September The NEWS sponsors a very unique industry summit meeting called HVAC-MechanicalXchange. The event focuses entirely on a SMALL number of mechanical contractors.

What does rap music and industrial safety have in common? Three employees of ITT Corp. in Morton Grove, Ill., found a novel way to communicate a message about workplace safety.

There was a time not too long ago that this industry was … well … rather disjointed. Manufacturers did their thing. Contractors did their thing. Wholesalers did their thing. Or, so it seemed.

DATELINE: Columbia, Missouri, late July 2008. “Police are investigating four weekend reports of someone stealing Freon from air-conditioning units in The Pines subdivision in southwest Columbia.

HVACR wholesale distributor Meier Supply Co. has taken a vested interest in the health - yes, health - of its workers. On July 18 it launched its eight-week Biggest Loser competition.

When it comes to getting things accomplished, I am a firm believer that two heads are better than one. It beats going alone all the time.

I was visiting with an HVAC contractor recently who had moved his business from a small shop in the city to his home in a beautiful rural setting. He took a gamble that the move would be better for him.