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...
Continuing education: A cautionary tale
INDUSTRY EDUCATOR ONLY TWO YEARS old, Connecticut's continuing education requirement for plumbers has suffered a series of setbacks: First, the program...
Alternative snow-melt system heat sources
HYDRONIC HEATING AUTHORITY AS HUMBLE BEINGS on the face of this fine planet of ours, it is important for all of us as citizens to seek out ways to reduce...
Market To The Woman Of The House!
Market To The Woman Of The House! By Mark Matteson In the summer of 2004, my wife, Debbie, "told me" we were going to hear Michael Bubl, the 25-year-old...
Flooded basements and sump pump safety
Second in a series. CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS are a funny thing sometimes. A recent submersible sump pump installation triggered a series of angry phone calls....
Even more answers on snow-melt insulation
Third in a series. I SET UP MY own unscientific re-search to compare different insulation products used in snow-melt systems, as you'll recall from last...
Nifty hardware devices for added convenience
HERE ARE THREE handy hardware devices that can ease your way through the day in the office and on the go. Portable snapshot printer Kodak EasyShare photo...
Is a mechanic's lien worth the trouble?
ONE OF THE MOST valuable tools in a contractor's tool-box, many believe, is his ability to use mechanic's liens to get paid for work. Given the complexities...
The 'Pygmalion' manager
DID YOU EVER see "My Fair Lady?" It was much more than a musical. It captured 11 Academy Awards in 1962, including Best Picture. It features many fine...
Get real estate out of your corporation tax free
DO YOU HAVE real estate in your corporation? If so, raise your hand and then keep reading. About once a month, we get a call at the office asking a question...
Integration and synergy in project management
CONTRARY TO POPULAR beliefs within the trade, integration has nothing to do with forcing your bosses to actually show up on the jobsite every once in...
The fastest way to lose customers you paid for
YOU'D BE SURPRISED. Not by the fact that customers leave, because there is always someone who just doesn't quite get how magnificent you are. But by the...
Are we looking at the right numbers?
NUMBERS, NUMBERS, numbers. Here we go again. When we monitor the success of our salespeople and technicians, what numbers are we looking at? Let's look...
Take off the tool belt: The foreman as manager
THE FIELD IS where a construction contractor makes a profit. The quality of the foreman is directly linked to the level of gross profit a contractor enjoys....
Immigration reform puts the burden on you
CONSTRUCTION ATTORNEY IT MIGHT COME as a surprise to many business owners to learn that they have to comply with immigration laws, even if they have never...
A dizzying result
BY ADAMS HUDSON SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR Some thought it could not be done. Some thought I was a big loser dummy with no sense of well-being. OK, at least...
Think fast, what's your business worth?
GIVE THE RIGHT answers and you can win big bucks on many TV game shows. Typically, the host only allows about 15 seconds for the contestant to give the...
E-communication on contracts holds risks
THE YOUNGER YOUR workforce is, the better the odds that it was taught in school to communicate electronically. These workers tend to assume that e-mailing...
Big valuation victories for the good guys
FIRST, A SIMPLE question: How much would you pay for property worth $ 100,000, if you must spend $30,000 to fix it ( commissions, special taxes or whatever)...
The difference between the truth and the facts
THE DIFFERENCE between "the truth" and "the facts" is not philosophical hair-splitting; it's actually quite orthodox. While something is either true or...
Change your Yellow Pages ad and budget
Second of two parts. YOU SHOULD BE spending less money on a smaller Yellow Pages ad, and we talked about the reasons why in last month's column ("What...
'We don't need no stinkin' books!'
PLUMBERS KNOW more about Thomas Crapper than Blaise Pascal. Commonly credited with inventing the toilet, Crapper's legend pops up in trivia books. Pascal...
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...
Add hydronics to your contracting firm
IF YOU'RE CONSIDERING adding hydronics to your business mix, here's a chance to learn from my experiences. In 1976, my wife and I started a residential...
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