What I'm doing about 10 things that bug me
BY MARK MATTESON INDUSTRY CONSULTANT JIM ROHN WAS Tony Robbins' first personal development coach. He is a seasoned and impact-full motivational speaker...
Spring means it's pool heater mania time
BY DAVE YATES PLUMBING CONTRACTOR EACH SPRING WE get referrals from several local pool companies to install underground gas lines to pool boilers they've...
System must offer comfort, efficiency to barn
BY MARK EATHERTON HYDRONIC HEATING AUTHORITY THE NEW OWNERS of the barn intended it to be their last home ("The most unusual home I've ever worked on,"...
Steam velocity kills a heating system
BY PATRICK LINHARDT STEAM HEATING AUTHORITY THE CALL: One of my favorite customers called me about a job we looked at years ago. I like this customer...
It's home show season!
AH, SPRING. The birds sing. The flowers bloom. The home shows commence. Home shows represent great selling opportunities for plumbing companies. It's...
QuickBooks Contractor Edition gets quicker
MANAGING THE BOOKS is one of the necessary nuisances that all contractors need to deal with. For offices not large enough to warrant the overhead for...
The most unusual home I've ever worked on
BARNS ARE UNIQUE buildings. Each one has a character all its own. There was a time in our recent history when barn building was a community event. People...
The lost art of blind soldering
DANN WYMAN WROTE: "I just read your page on 'The lost art of making lead joints' on www.contractormag.com. I was actually searching the Web trying to...
When does a contractor become a designer?
I THINK THAT you all understand what "design/build" is and the risk that goes along with being the sole party responsible for an entire project. One of...
We come to the rescue of distressed taxpayer
JOE, A 79-YEAR-OLD widower, is feeling economic and tax pain. Don't feel sorry for Joe, he's generally a healthy and happy guy. Still goes to work every...
New mantras for residential design
EVEN THOUGH FRIDAY'S still payday and poop still runs downhill unless an ejector pump is involved, many of the old rules of residential plumbing and HVAC...
Attitude affects your customer, your income
RECENTLY MY youngest son, Evan, said, "Dad, I need some new headphones, can we go to Fred Meyer?" Off we went to the Seattle retailer. While Evan was...
Use the word 'free' strategically for more leads
SOME TRUTHS NEVER change, and here's one that's never the most popular: "You've got to give to get." Consumer giveaways can come in the form of free gifts,...
Stay the marketing course
BY ADAMS HUDSON SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR Third in a series As we enter this next marketing phase, one thing should become abundantly clear: None of this...
Build your marketing momentum
8 ways that Basnett Plumbing and Heating generates leads and retains customers. BY ADAMS HUDSON SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR Second in a series Why do they even...
Don't overlook an ugly duckling
ASK ANY PLUMBER, he'll tell you. Kids today don't want to get their hands dirty. They want to work with computers. They are lazy, want flexible hours...
Good sportsmanship applies to contracting too
AS OUR BOYS grew up, they were active in Little League Baseball programs. We participated as parents often do: as spectators, assistant coaches, scorekeepers...
What to do about pending labor shortages, part 3
WE COVERED alternative hiring practices, such as hiring veterans, women and immigrants in last month's column (February, pg. 24). This is the last of...
What to do about pending labor shortages, part 3
WE COVERED alternative hiring practices, such as hiring veterans, women and immigrants in last month's column (February, pg. 24). This is the last of...
Office '06 helps manage small contracting firms
MICROSOFT OFFICE Small Business Management Edition 2006 (www.microsoft.com; $569 new user; $399 upgrade; both prices reflect $100 rebate that expires...
Why a project's matrices matter to you
MATRICES WITHIN A typical construction schedule are not, contrary to popular belief, a Bulgarian remake of a popular Keanu Reeves movie. They are a series...
Federal prosecutors use the nasty 'K' word
CONSTRUCTION ATTORNEY CONTRACTORS ARE USED to hearing four-letter words, but one particular double four-letter word is striking fear in their hearts....
How you can avoid impact of the estate tax
WHEN IT COMES to the wealth-robbing estate tax, almost every reader of this column who calls me asks this or a similar question, "Irv, can you help me...
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...
Some ways to lessen retention's damage
SINCE RETENTION IS typically paid sometime after a construction project is completed, a contractor's place within the phases of a project can affect the...
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