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Online purchasing is where our economy is going, and HVAC has to change with the times. And, while this is most likely factual, let us investigate all the ramifications before we merge too quickly onto the information superhighway.

Every July, The NEWS highlights the absolute best HVAC equipment available through the DDA contest. What sets this contest apart is that the winners are chosen by a panel of independent HVACR contractors based on their interactions with the equipment. Gold, silver, and bronze DDA honors are awarded in 13 categories ranging from ventilation products to commercial controls and everything between.

The AHR Expo is the biggest event of the year for the HVACR industry. It’s a time when a large group of the industry gets under one roof and learns about new products and trends.

Conley said when he gets out in the field, he sees a lot of dysfunctional applications. In fact, he believes, more often than not, condensate traps are put in incorrectly.

It’s no secret the HVACR industry is facing a labor shortage — we’ve covered the topic quite a bit at The NEWS. However, offering good benefits packages can help companies attract and retain employees in this competitive industry. In fact, nearly four in five American workers would prefer new or additional benefits over a pay increase, according to a survey conducted by online job recruiter Glassdoor in partnership with Harris Poll.

While women may not be your top-of-the-mind choice when recruiting new technicians, I challenge you to broaden your horizons this year.

How many of us go to bed and wake up thinking about our industry? How many of us give a lot of thought to what we can do to better the industry we work in even though there might not be a direct correlation to improving our individual business’s bottom line? I know I don’t. But D. Brian Baker, the second-generation owner of Custom Vac Ltd. in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, did just that. 

While encouraging direct competition between employees each and every day can have both positive and negative effects, friendly competition outside of the workplace can have plenty of great rewards.

In my mind, the annual AHR Expo is always the unofficial start to the HVACR calendar year. The rest of the country has Ryan Seacrest and Carson Daly (or Mariah Carey looking annoyed and confused on stage) to help them ring in the New Year, but we have Wi-Fi thermostats and new geothermal products being displayed at the expo.

Sharing your passion for this industry might open the door for a future HVAC contractor or technician.