Efficient Material Handling on the Job
In these days of shrinking profits because jobs are being taken close to the break-even point just for cash flow, every nickel saved can mean the difference...
When Mind-Reading Fails to Work in a Retrofit
ONE OF THE interesting aspects of designing a retrofit mechanical system for the older apartment complex that I described last month (November, pg. 30)...
Set Up Electronic Invoicing, Markers, Contacts
HERE ARE THREE dedicated software solutions for billing clients, marking pipe, and managing contacts. The first is a billing solution that eliminates...
Get Your Financial Tools, Employees In Order
IT IS RESOLUTION time again. I propose you devote 2004 to a personal and business campaign to become a strong businessman. I am convinced that most of...
The Gift of Christmas Past
BILL APPROACHED marriage the way he dealt with life head on. His sweetheart had a son (7 years old at the time) and Bill pondered how to get the little...
Magazine Milestone, Industry Challenges in 2004
BY BOB MIODONSKI, Publisher and Editorial Director CONTRACTOR MAGAZINE will celebrate its 50th year of publishing in 2004, an accomplishment of which...
Tax-free Life Insurance Strategy Gets Even Better
JOE HAD JUST gone to the big business in the sky. His wife had preceded him two years earlier. Joes son Sam called me looking for some post-death-tax...
Now That You Have a Track Record, What's Next?
AS LONG AS there are projects to be managed, there will be a need for project managers. Executives in many contracting firms dont want to get their hands...
Performing a 'DHW-ectomy' in a Retrofit
ONE OF THE BIGGER challenges in replacing the domestic hot water system on a multifamily housing project is maintaining service to the users while installing...
You Can Set Up a Wireless Network
DATA NETWORKING, e-mail sharing and surfing the Web, all from any computer in the office and without cables? The time and price are right. For small offices...
Schedules of Values: More Valuable Than Ever
ANY CONTRACTOR who does commercial or complex residential work has had to either prepare or give input for a schedule of values. As used in many standard...
It's Time To Get Serious About Sprinkler Retrofits
For the second time in the last eight months, CONTRACTOR magazine has published a front-page story about a tragedy occurring in an older, unsprinklered...
A Checklist for Operating Your Business
THE AIRLINE COCKPIT crew always has a checklist to recite. The checklist really does make flying safer. Consider this CONTRACTOR magazine column as a...
Congratulations, Your Water Heater Had Twins!
HERES A QUESTION to ponder: Which is the best method for piping two water heaters together parallel or series? In a number of homes, weve had to correct...
High-Performers Focus on Customers
ALMOST ALL contractors complain that they are already doing great in their operations, but they need more sales and marketing. Some even go a step further...
Ask Questions for Commercial Boiler Retrofits
MANY OLDER apartment complexes, which were built more than 30 to 50 years ago, are coming up for major boiler and component replacement. Unfortunately,...
Perform Hydronics What-ifs and Simulations
FOR HEATING contractors, sizing and specifying equipment for hydronic systems often entails time-consuming calculations, especially when trying out variables....
Bank Assignment Letters Are Serious Events
AS ECONOMIC TIMES get tougher, we are seeing more and more instances where banks are getting nervous about large outstanding lines of credit to their...
Labor Law Lacks Personal Accountability
WITH CONTRACTING companies at the top of the list of businesses with drug and alcohol problems, New York states Labor Law 240 strikes us as a particularly...
'Tis the Season to Talk About Clogs
THE HOLIDAY SEASON is fast approaching. One of the gifts you can expect to receive if you are a service plumber is a substantial increase in the number...
Dead (shower) Pan Expression
A CONCERNED homeowner wrote: My husband and I had our house built eight years ago. We developed a leak in our shower stall and the plumber that we had...
The Last Third: Job Closeout Procedures, Pitfalls
IVE ALWAYS MAINTAINED that the first third of a typical new construction project is most important because it sets the tone for the rest of the job. It...
Clock is Ticking on Split-Dollar Insurance
THE SAD BUT TRUE fact is that the IRS changed the rules on split-dollar insurance in the middle of the game. If you or anyone in your company has what...
Tablet, Pocket PCs Challenge Notebooks
TECHNOLOGY has come a long, long way from back in the days when cutting- edge handhelds meant calculators and mini-tape recorders. Today, some of the...
Don't Get Stuck Paying for Supplier's Warranty
LAST WEEK, A CLIENT called, pretty distraught, because an owner wouldnt release its retention until the contractor submitted a manufacturers warranty,...
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