Johnson Controls celebrated National Skilled Trades Day by confirming a second cohort of schools receiving funding as part of its Community College Partnership Program. Last year, Johnson Controls agreed to fund $15 million over the span of five years to help support the community college’s HVAC, fire, security and digital academic programs.

What does a looming housing shortage, a significant increase in energy prices and 52% of home buyers ready to heat and cool their homes with electricity have in common? They’re all remedied in the same way: All-geothermal residential developments.

Educational sessions will offer continuing education units (CEUs).

The new standard will provide guidance for implementing RVI for energy code compliance and for energy and water efficiency performance.

Plumbers are typically independent and work alone from a service truck, but there are significant benefits to joining groups. These can include learning from peers and expanding your customer base. Consider joining these six groups as a plumber.

Online reviews are essential for contractors, as low ratings can hinder local leads. To boost visibility, it's important not just to gather reviews but also to incorporate mini case studies into your marketing strategy.

Figure 1 shows the piping layout for an actual installation. It uses two boilers, fired in stages, to supply three areas of a building. 

Regardless of how long you’ve been in the trades, I’m sure you know how important learning is to your journey. Let’s take a deeper look.

The skilled trades industry is booming, and a new generation of passionate individuals is eager to join the workforce. Let's support and guide them to become the leaders of tomorrow. With my optimism and ideas, we can pave the way to their success. So, let's dive in and explore these ideas together!

Last month, I introduced the core elements of our training: organizational charts, scorecards, and processes. These form the foundation of your business, providing clarity and accountability. This month, we'll focus on scorecards and how they contribute to team success.

Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke sits down with Legionella expert Dr. Janet Stout, PhD, to discuss best practice strategies in the plumbing industry for implementing risk assessments and Water Management Programs.

Caleffi's new AutoFill has a fill rate of 5.5 GPM and maintains stable system pressure, ensuring consistent results without the need for constant monitoring.

There has never been a better time to be part of the RPA. If you are not a member, you should join.

Within the halls of our recent meetings, the RPA community witnessed a defining moment. Committees were not just formed; they were crafted as engines of change.

Viega’s Hydronic Mixing Block is a mixing device and boiler control with a built-in circulator and microcontroller.

In a radiant heating and cooling system, water circulates through PEX pipes in the concrete slab to control the slab's temperature for heating or cooling.

Heating contractors attended the event to learn about high-efficiency heating equipment, including the Ambient Air-to-Water Heat Pump, Citadel commercial condensing boiler, Alta self-adaptive boiler, and the Ambient electric boiler.  

The event also offered ASPE-accredited Continuing Education Units (CEUs), enhancing participants' knowledge and professional development.

REHAU announces the addition of CPVC and copper press adapters to their proprietary EVERLOC+ compression-sleeve fitting system.

Ogilvy’s global CEO talks about award-winning work at Cannes, how different parts of her network contribute to client work and much more.

Flow direction is crucial in hydronic systems. Most designs have a fixed flow direction, but there are situations where reversals can occur. It's important to address these proactively to ensure smooth operations.

As businesses and homeowners across the nation wrestle with inflation and stretching their dollars for maximum value, one area that can’t be overlooked is the heating system.

Have you remodeled a bathroom recently? If so, maybe you’ve noticed problems with the toilet.
To get more specific: Is it rocking noisily when the homeowner takes a seat? Or maybe they've noticed water pooling at the base. Perhaps the flooring surrounding the toilet feels soft. Or water spots have appeared on the ceiling located directly below the toilet.

RainStick Shower co-founders Alisha McFetridge and Sean McFetridge share a longtime passion for water conservation. In 2019, the two began building the North American Market’s first water circulating shower. Supply House Times Chief Editor Natalie Forster sat down with Alisha McFetridge to dive into RainStick Shower’s backstory and plans for the future.

Packaging solution automatically shortens cartons to match their highest point of filling and then glues a lid securely in place, reducing material usage and costs.

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.”