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If the country is not already in recession, it appears likely one will arrive in 2023. Here are six ways to turn the downturn into an opportunity.

Mike Rowe, the “Dirty Jobs” guy, caught a bunch of flak for saying, “safety third.” Seems folks took that to mean Rowe did not consider jobsite safety a priority when, in fact, he was attempting to point out the absurd notion that posted “safety first” signage was a farce. No one is really going to be constantly looking out for an individual’s safety and Rowe was simply trying to convey the message that everyone has to be responsible for their own safety on jobsites.

Businesses are facing major changes in the way they operate and the way they interact with clients, partners and suppliers. These changes, which are rooted in uncertainty, often challenge our business confidence as leaders at the highest level.

I love all the advances taking place in the world of hydronics, but I’m still seeing plenty of steam systems out there in our older cities, so knowing about dry steam will help you if you’re replacing a steam boiler. The dryer the steam is, the better you’re going to look to your customers.

Many legacy hydronic heating systems use a fossil fuel boiler to supply fin-tube baseboard heat emitters in some areas of a building and lower-temperature radiant panels in other areas. 

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.

The Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) is developed to establish minimum requirements for the health and safety of occupants utilizing a building’s plumbing system.

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.