How to hold an Oldest Water Heater contest
In the early 1990s, I created an Oldest Furnace contest as a home show promotion, generating more than 400 leads the first time it was run. The contest has since been applied to water heaters and other appliances, and has even been run as a standalone contest, not part of a home show. You can run an Oldest Water Heater contest for your business too. ...
Employee or independent contractor?
The Internal Revenue Service is being given funds for an additional 100 new "enforcement personnel" in the 2011 budget as part of a $25 million plan to crack down on the misclassification of workers as independent contractors...
Asset management tools yield big savings
Historically, the construction industry hasn't been an early adopter of new technologies, so wary HVAC and plumbing professionals can take comfort in the fact that the three technologies presented here are not new at all...
Software helps calculate residential HVAC loads, duct sizes
Developers and owners of residential homes are generally keen on keeping heating and cooling costs as streamlined as possible without sacrificing performance. A properly sized system costs less to run and provides the highest level of comfort....
A time for renewal at RPA — Part 2
Editor’s Note: This is the continuation of last month’s article, an interview with the new executive director of the RPA, Ted Lowe....
Of punchlisting and project management
The risks of an outdated estate plan
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, said it: "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The next best thing is the wrong thing. And the worst thing you can do is nothing."...
When did saving energy get so convoluted?
Saving energy is good. Convince homeowners to install energy-saving home improvements by throwing some rebates their way. Contractors get the work. The homeowners and the country save energy. Everybody wins, right? Leave it up to Congress to do this and the result gets Kafkaesque. ...
Keep selling heat pump water heaters after tax credit expires
Step right up! Get your tax credits here! Well, at least up until Dec. 31, 2010. Due to expire at the stroke of midnight, the 30% up to a maximum of $1,500 Federal tax credit, www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index, has been a boon for business these past two years and a huge advantage for selling tax-credit-eligible products. With less than half a year to go, we’ll need to sharpen our sales skills if continued sales of more expensive, higher-efficiency equipment are to continue at, or near to, the same pace. ...
Let's get organized: how to handle project details
It would seem that the dam may be starting to spring a few leaks. According to my sources here in the Southwest, it looks like the worst of the economic tsunami we’ve been experiencing may be over and there may be a light at the end of the tunnel for the construction industry … let's hope the light is not a train....
'Gentlemen, this is a pipe wrench'
At the start of each season, legendary football coach Vince Lombardi would call a team meeting, hold up a football and declare, "Gentlemen, this is a football." Lombardi focused on the fundamentals, on blocking and tackling. So should you....
Federal project funds: understanding the laws, requirements
Doing business with the federal government is different. While it can be lucrative, it requires a working knowledge of a procurement system which is a world unto itself — as far away as you can get from the world of "in the old days we just worked on a handshake." Aside from the paperwork, inspections, delegation-of-authority issues, etc., every contractor working on federal work is presumed to know all of the laws and regulations that it must comply with....
For the love of an old radiator
Denver plumbing and heating contractor Dave Stroman collects old radiators. He has more than 100 of them. He has become well known for having what is needed and for knowing how to move them around. Why collect radiators? ...
A versatile service management solution for the field
FieldOne Systems Pro Edition, www.fieldone.com, is a secure, scalable service management system with many functions specific to the service industry, including dispatching and scheduling, service management, invoicing, inventory management, equipment tracking and customer care. The software offers a lot of flexibility in how a business handles day-to-day operations. ...
Spring … a time for renewal at RPA
I attended what is known as the annual rite of spring for hydronic heating contractors ¯ the Radiant Panel Association’s Annual Conference. ...
Aristotle teaches project management
Based on the headline of this column, you’re probably wondering how an old Greek guy who lived a couple thousand years ago could know anything about modern project management. Believe it or not, Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, understood human nature and how to focus on requirements that are essential to completing a project on time and on budget....
What they didn’t teach you at trade school
Whether it’s engineers, plumbers or HVAC professionals, being a proficient tradesman has almost nothing to do with actually running the business, but that’s exactly the trap that many contractors fall into....
Comprehensive system delivers your wealth to your family
Would you invest four hours to stop the IRS from taking one-half of your wealth? Over the years I have asked this question hundreds of times when giving one of my many tax-saving seminars or when a reader of this column calls me. ...
Will we heat houses with water heaters?
Last month I had the privilege of hearing two really smart guys (who don't know each other) arrive at exactly the same conclusion. John Siegenthaler, P.E., speaking at the Radiant Panel Association's Building Radiant conference and show in Reno, Nev., and Gary Klein, speaking at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy's Hot Water Forum in Ontario, Calif., said the future of space heating is an efficient water heater....
The ‘dance steps’ of getting paid — Part 2
My previous column dealt, generally, with the problems many contractors experience with getting paid. ...
Expanding your circle of influence
If you lived in Lewisville, Texas, a Dallas suburb of 100,000 people, and I could show you how an hour a week could help you get to know the mayor, police chief, county commissioner, the presidents of four local banks, a candidate for U.S. Senate, the owner of the town’s leading property management company, one of the area’s top developers, general managers from two auto dealerships and a host of other business and community leaders would you invest an hour?...
Leveling the playing field between owners and contractors
I met with a client this week who was encountering difficult soil conditions while laying sanitary sewer pipe. What he encountered was very different than what was shown on the soil borings, which had been made part of the contract documents. In fact, he encountered a landfill that he believes is full of old tires, paint cans and contaminated water in all the voids. It will be expensive to move and may involve toxic substances. ...
Special projects may be the flavor of the day
If every job is unique, then doesn't that make them all "special" and by inference not really all that special? ...
Wrap-up programs: How you can protect your profits
There are hundreds of ways for contractors and subcontractors to lose money in wrap-up insurance programs. Protecting profits requires a great attention to detail and extreme vigilance....
iPhone applications take to the road
Dedicated iPhone applications enable field service personnel with an ever-growing array of functionalities. Here are two solutions for technicians to take on the road....
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