Columnists: Editorial
Thousands Will See Energy, Water Conservation
We’re pleased that Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry had the foresight to slate an exhibit on green homes. As we’re reporting on page 1 of this issue, a green home — designed by architect Michelle Kaufmann and factory built by a manufactured housing firm — is being assembled on the east lawn of the Museum grounds. The exhibit opens May 8....
What? Everybody doesnt agree with us?
Just about everybody in the industry thinks of himself as one of the good guys and the industry in general as being on the right side of the issues. After...
Contractors should match personalities, jobs
BY ROBERT P. MADER Of CONTRACTORs staff WASHINGTON Contractors should try to find out who their employees really are, consultant Bill Kimmel, Grandy &...
So much lies ahead, no reason to look back
By Bob Miodonski Publisher and Editorial Director In my time at CONTRACTOR, I've addressed you on an industry issue in this space every month since March...
35 years later, your value is still front-page news
By Bob Miodonski Publisher and editorial director The headline over the lead story on the front page of our May issue states that manufacturers should...
Improving image starts at top of company
BY BOB MIODONSKI OF CONTRACTOR'S STAFF SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. While many people talk about raising the image of the plumbing-and-heating industry, any action...
Builder's letters send wrong message
THE COMPLAINT that builders cut back on mechanical systems in favor of more visible features of a home a statuesque fountain or an ornate chandelier was...
Time for you to take green building seriously
On the day the latest UN report on global warming was released, my car refused to start when the wind chill dipped into double digits below zero in Chicago....
Bienvenu Brothers welcomes service challenge
WHEN STANLEY BERGER accepted the presidency of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America a couple years back, he noted that he was the first service...
New Year's Resolution: Plan for 2007
OF THE 90,000 to 100,000 plumbing and HVAC contractors in business today, less than 10% do any planning, consultant John LaPlant told us a couple months...
Work smarter, not just harder
BY BOB MIODONSKI PUBLISHER AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR WHENEVER THE government releases statistics that boast about how productive American workers are compared...
Find 'green' in green buildings
OF CONTRACTOR'S STAFF AUSTIN, TEXAS The other "green" in the green movement the folding kind is why construction firms should market their ability to...
Action plans bring business plans to life
OF CONTRACTOR'S STAFF BALTIMORE Saying that 90,000 to 100,000 plumbing and HVAC contractors are in business today, consultant John LaPlant added that...
California lead bill should be erased
BY BOB MIODONSKI PUBLISHER AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR TO PARAPHRASE a certain former governor of California, who famously remarked during a 1980 presidential...
Tapping into the inner idealist in young people
Young people can get from this industry so much more than just a paycheck. HOW TO ATTRACT young people into the plumbing business is an issue that confounds...
Tapping into the inner idealist in young people
Young people can get from this industry so much more than just a paycheck. HOW TO ATTRACT young people into the plumbing business is an issue that confounds...
Your options if budget cuts become reality
BY BOB MIODONSKI PUBLISHER AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR MOST CONTRACTORS I know hate the idea of big government. It means higher taxes and more burdensome regulations...
How you'll benefit from Home Depot's move
BY BOB MIODONSKI PUBLISHER AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR WILL YOU SEE better service from your local wholesalers as a result of The Home Depot's blockbuster...
Get ready to take advantage of change
WHAT'S MOST striking about Farmer & Irwin, our Mechanical Contractor of the Year, is how a company that turns 50 in October has been so adaptable to change....
Be ready to harness market forces in '06
AS WE END 2005 and look forward to the new year, we can't help but observe that market forces are lining up in ways that favor plumbing-and-heating contractors....
Higher heating bills let the sun shine in
ATURN OF a couple pages in this month's issue will take you from where this country is today with our energy supply to where we likely will be in the...
One national plumbing code just makes sense
Hurricane Katrina overshadowed another news story last month that promises to have far-reaching impact on the plumbing industry. We'd be remiss if we...
'Talk to Your Plumber' book speaks volumes
HAVING PICKED THE wrong checkout line in the grocery store, as I always do, I settled in for a long wait. Looking around for something to read to kill...
Stand by your word and never cut your prices
BY BOB MIODONSKI PUBLISHER AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ONE OF THE REAL benefits to me of our recently completed Comfortech RoadShow Series was the chance to...
Follow Giants' Lead to Prepare for Change
UNLIKE THE PAST few editions of our Book of Giants, the 2005 report carries good news for most of the nations top mechanical contractors. The chart that...
