Sustainably Speaking

‘You have got to have a sense of humor!'

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:19:00 +0000

Last month I was in San Diego, Calif., for the QSC Power Meeting XXXVIII. While flying back to Chicago, I realized how much knowledge I gained by attending the meeting… Of course my primary purpose for attending these industry conferences is to report back to you — Contractor magazine readers — all the beneficial information discussed during these events.

Sustainably Speaking

Copper thieves

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:33:00 +0000

Just Google “copper theft” and you will find article after article about copper being stolen from construction sites, abandoned homes, vacant buildings, communication towers, electrical sub-stations, etc., etc. No city or town is immune to it. Every city I Google, I find newspaper and magazine articles, along with television reports of copper being stolen.

Sustainably Speaking

Education is a two-way street

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 15:40:00 +0000

Wow — It’s already December. It’s hard to believe that the year is coming to a close already. Looking back, there have been many interesting topics CONTRATOR has covered, from the newest U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum certified buildings and a variety of impressive residential projects, to can’t-miss industry trade shows and conferences, plus, best practices to help you run a successful business, and much more.

Sustainably Speaking

“The Upside of Fear”

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:41:00 +0000

Last month I had the pleasure of meeting Weldon Long. He was the keynote speaker at the Radiant Professionals Alliance’s first annual meeting during the Mechanical Systems Week Conference.

Sustainably Speaking

Every drop counts

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Researching rainwater harvesting systems last month was close to overwhelming, to say the least, but in a good way. It’s a very interesting topic, which I plan to follow closely, but there is so much information on the topic, including subtopics, that I had to pull the plug on my research unless I was going to turn the feature article into a thesis.

Sustainably Speaking

A career in plumbing can lead to many paths

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:46:00 +0000

In the past few weeks, I’ve crossed paths with a variety of individuals involved in the plumbing industry. About a month ago, I had a conference call with Mr. Rooter LLC President Mary Kennedy Thompson. I was interviewing her for an article, which will be in the August issue, about The Dwyer Group saluting veterans and public protectors through franchise opportunities. Click here to read the online article.

Sustainably Speaking

Students benefit via hands-on learning

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Last month I was reminded of the importance of education. I’ve always believed education plays a pivotal role in shaping an individual. Education and experiences create knowledge, and even sometimes wisdom, and it opens up different doors and paths one can take in life.

Sustainably Speaking

My identity was almost stolen

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Identity theft is one of those things that you know happens, but usually you think it won’t happen to you. However, it can happen to you.

Sustainably Speaking

Live burn demonstration is eye-opening

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:29:00 +0000

This month I had the opportunity to see, in person, a burn demonstration at Xylem’s Little Red School House. It was a very eye-opening experience to see how fast a fire spreads and how fast a sprinkler system can put a fire out. In theory I have always thought that fire sprinklers make sense when it comes to protecting lives and property, and seeing the burn demonstration verified my thoughts on this.

Sustainably Speaking

An all-electric vehicle for Precision Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:32:00 +0000

Since joining the staff of Contractor magazine, I have become the magazine’s automotive correspondent. It’s rather ironic since I grew up in the Metro-Detroit area, but never worked in the automotive industry or had much of anything to do with the automotive industry until moving to Chicago for an associate editor position with Contractor magazine. That’s when I started writing articles about vehicles for the contractor community.