Articles Tagged with ''contractors''

As the water receded from Lake Mead this past year, all the major news headlines focused on the human remains it revealed. Very rarely did any mention the ecosystem in crisis as trees, fish and other aquatic creatures, birds and other species are dying out as they are left out to dry.

It’s no secret that there is a major shortage of skilled workers in the plumbing industry right now. According to one report, the booming real estate market, combined with piqued interest among homeowners in renovation projects during the pandemic, substantially increased customer demand for home services that isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Let me clue you in on a poorly kept secret: Traditional advertising is expensive. I know, this isn’t exactly shocking. Depending on your market, a month-long rental of a billboard could cost five figures. A week’s worth of 15-second radio ads can run up to $8,000 — and that doesn’t include the cost of producing them. And television? Forget it.

Why are some plumbers winners, while others struggle? It is not the market, location of the company, the role of government, customers’ attitudes, the availability of manpower or any of the other excuses bandied about. Winning plumbers share a set of intangible traits that affect how they approach the world, how they see the world, and thus, how the world responds to them.

In last month’s column, I touched on air-to-water heat pumps because they are rapidly becoming very saleable to consumers. In some areas of the U.S., electric heating, cooling and production of DHW are no longer an option and fossil fuels have been outlawed.

Whether you’re bringing on new team members or looking to build a more cohesive group within your current team, the first box you need to check is whether or not you’ve clearly defined each role. This foundational step not only keeps everyone on the same page and working toward the same goals, it also makes your team easier to manage.

Does anybody else feel like 2022 just flew right by, or is it just me? It seems too early for Christmas decorations and music — just a few short weeks ago, Michigan was still having 70-degree weather! But ‘tis the season!

This past year has been an unprecedented year for the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) space, hitting $5 trillion in volume in 2021 through over 40,000 transactions. The number of transactions in the distribution and manufacturing space has caused owners to take a closer look at their options regarding selling and/or acquisition options.

The National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) reported in what’s referred to as the "nation’s report card" in September 2022 that recent long-term reading and mathematics assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that “average scores for age 9 students in 2022 declined five points in reading and seven points in mathematics compared to 2020.

Ninety percent of seniors would rather remain in their own homes than move to assisted living, according to AginginPlace.org. Given the costs of assisted living, aging-in-place makes financial sense as well. Yet, many homes are not ready, which presents an opportunity for plumbing contractors.