Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion

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Though smart home technologies have been around for quite some time, it is only over the past five years or so that the market has really taken off.

I’ve traveled quite a bit during my five-plus years with BNP Media — first covering the HVAC industry, and now plumbing.

Market disruption. It’s a hip, sexy new term that I hear everywhere nowadays. In fact, the last three industry conferences I attended all had sessions on how to become a “disrupter” or how Amazon has successfully disrupted numerous markets.

The days when a business owner could place a “help wanted” ad in the local newspaper and secure a bunch of applicants are long gone.

The plumbing industry made national headlines last month when Texas lawmakers failed to extend the life of the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, which was due to shut down by Sept. 1, 2020.

A few weeks ago on one of the rare days I wasn’t traveling for work, I was driving into the office and came to a stop at a red light behind a plumbing company’s vehicle.

Just over 10 years ago, when I graduated from college with my shiny new journalism degree in hand, never in a million years did I think I would be writing about the skilled trades — first HVAC, now plumbing.

The other day, my husband and I ventured over to our local hardware store to purchase a Big Green Egg grill and smoker. You see, it was a deal between the two of us: Last year, I got my bucket list Italian vacation and this year, he gets his smoker.

Four years ago, I attended my first AHR Expo in Chicago. And no matter how many times my colleagues warned me to bring my walking shoes, I was blown away by the sheer size of the event. I put in my daily 10,000 steps — and then some — walking back and forth between the halls learning about ductless mini-splits, cooling towers, boilers, water heaters and more.