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Recently, I spent half a day at perhaps the most intense gathering of HVAC entrepreneurs that I've ever had the occasion to witness - a MIX Group® meeting. MIX Group meetings are the domain of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America.

The NEWS' "Salary and Service Rates Editorial Study" asks readers what they pay their employees; what they charge their customers; and about practices such as flat-rate pricing, service agreements, dispatch options, etc. The most recent study shows a disturbing trend - at least in my view.

Every few months, I break bread with Paul Wadsworth of P. K. Wadsworth Heating & Cooling. I called to ask if he knew anyone who could install a humidification system in my home. He said he had just the right person to send over.

This industry just is not doing a good job in promoting its value to the world. In the long run, if you can't beat ‘em, why not join ‘em? If sex does sell, then let's get on the bandwagon.

Recently, companies in two unrelated fields gave me the impression they didn't need any new customers. This made me stop and think about our operation. Are we making sure that we are not giving the impression that we "aren't taking any new clients"?

An interesting (and disturbing) news item caught my eye recently - about the "hole" in the ozone layer. And after that, another news item caught my eye that could have an impact on the first one - the unreclaimed refrigerant from Katrina-damaged equipment.

Anytime I think the HVACR industry is only what happens in the United States, I just need to read through some of the publications I get from beyond U.S. borders.

HVACXchange, held at The Lodge at Deer Valley, Sept. 11-13, 2005, was a unique, invitation-only event designed to bring buyers and sellers together for strategic discussions to benefit their respective businesses.

Is it just me, or does it seem that many industry associations and contractor groups are adding a lot of "non-industry" topics into their respective meetings and annual conventions?

Why is it such a stretch to believe that children, especially of the pre- and elementary school age, have certain traits that are hidden from us - and from themselves? Sometimes it takes a little nudge to activate those traits.