Niagara’s Shadow 0.8 GPF with Stealth Technology is an award-winning toilet that is WaterSense certified and has a MaP Premium Score of 1000g.

The SANICOMPACT COMFORT is a self-contained dual-flush toilet system used to install a half-bathroom up to 9 feet below the sewer line or even up to 120 feet away from a soil stack.

Sloan’s Gravity Toilet features an innovative tank design with a slightly inverted taper for a modern aesthetic and a raised deck that eliminates rocking.

Sloan’s Gravity Toilet features an innovative tank design with a slightly inverted taper for a modern aesthetic and a raised deck that eliminates rocking.

The Laars NeoTherm XTR condensing natural gas boiler or volume water heater is available in several MBH sizes all with Laars Linc.

The NFB-C is available in two sizes: NFB-301C (301 MBH) and NFB-399C (399 MBH).

The Noritz NRCB residential combination boiler allows simultaneous hot water and space heating.

Rheem’s ThermaForce Combi Boiler features a patented labyrinth heat exchanger.

Rinnai's RCB SERIES Commercial Wall-Hung Boiler is a compact building heat source that delivers reliable, energy-saving performance.

The Vitocrossal 200 CI2 is the most advanced, compact floor-standing gas condensing boiler designed for large residential and commercial applications.

Armstrong introduces Design Envelope Permanent Magnet pumps (up to 60hp), delivering 20% lower operating costs and highly accurate flow metering (+/- 5%).

The Little Giant 16G Series 1 HP grinder pump is designed for tough wastewater applications. It has a silicon carbide mechanical seal for longer life and a 1 HP motor to prevent clogging.

Taco Comfort Solutions/Hydroflo VT Series vertical turbine submersible pumps provide excellent reliability and ease of installation.

Featuring built-in intelligence and a sustainable-forward, compact design, the e-1510X Smart Pump marries the proven efficiency of the e-1510 end-suction pump with Xylem’s innovative hydrovar X Smart Motor.

It’s déjà vu all over again” is a famous quote by the late, great Yogi Berra. I’ve lived this scenario, and I’m betting you have, too. I’m talking about callbacks — the woe of the contracting industry.

Once you know your learning style, you can start to create real change within your company.

Planning ahead helps ensure you get the most out of the events you attend.

When I was the last of the three brothers to enter the family business, my dad said to me, “I owe you an opportunity, not a guarantee.”

For more than 17 years, I’ve been helping contractors learn and practice good habits. It has improved their lives, their employees’ lives and even the lives of the customers they serve.

What does getting employees to “released” mean?

I’m lucky enough to work with a lot of good-hearted contractors. What I know is contractors in general, despite the skewed view of the media to the contrary, want to do the right thing for their customers and their community.

I got an email from a client the other day that instantly reminded me of how I once delivered “poop sandwiches” to my own employees.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with some great contractors over the years. I shared what I had learned along the way at my own company, and I brought those insights and systems to their companies to help them grow and succeed.

It was still hot and sweaty in the midday sun just a couple of days after Labor Day in New York, and at first glance, you’d think we were out in the yard in the dead of winter.

The old adage goes, “Do something good for someone and they’ll tell 10 people. Do something bad to someone and they’ll tell 100 people.”

A client called me awhile back because he wanted to know what my family did with the scrap metal from jobsites, and he wanted to know what the other companies I work with do on this matter too.

"It’s a drug and we’re hooked!” is what I said to my brother, Richie, about the fix I felt we got from doing the really big monster commercial and residential jobs for what we felt were lots of dollars.

One of the nice things about my job is I’m usually busy. I like when I look up at the end of the day and see that the day has flown by. 

I’ll admit it. I’m not a giant fan of reading financials and management reporting.

Why is it that your staff isn’t quite as excited as you are when you discuss a new project, a new process, new policy or a habit you want to change?

There are only two types of companies I’ve ever worked with in my 18 years of being a consultant to the contracting industry.

It was working when I left!” 

Everything in business is important! Not everything in business is urgent — thank heavens!

“Hire willing people and provide them the skills — as opposed to hiring spoiled, experienced people with skills and behavior problems.” 

What is finally going to fix things at your company? 

One of the most common things I see when I begin my work with a new contracting client is the resistance to train employees. 

Bad attitudes are everywhere, or so it would appear. In most cases, it is based on nothing other than your opinion. 

With every new consulting client, I begin our work by asking the following: “How are you judging your staff’s performance?”

The conversation typically goes like this: The owner tells me, “Al, I don’t know if I can get buy-in here for the operating manuals.”

I’ll admit it. I was skeptical that distance learning could be a worthwhile experience for service contractors. 

By the time you read this, most people’s New Year’s resolutions or goals will be a distant memory, and they’ll be back to doing the same things they said they weren’t going to do. 

You may think you are too small to have a fleet manager, or so big you need a full-time fleet manager, and neither of those things is necessarily true.

When we see a testimonial, we know someone else has already tested the waters for us. Especially in today’s crowded marketplace, you need something that sets your contracting company apart.

There’s an ancient proverb that says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.

Energy independence, anti-dumping laws aid slow return to power.

Amazon is doing well, though a volatile political climate threatens small businesses’ growth.

Housing market, inflation rates and the upcoming midterm election will influence the economy in 2018.

Infrastructure will continue to be an issue in 2018 and beyond.

Meanwhile, the fate of the estate tax could affect small businesses for years to come.

Don’t make these seven sales mistakes.