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Home » Topics » Plumbing & Mechanical Top Stories

Plumbing & Mechanical Top Stories
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A laptop and several colorful charts.

AI Is Exposing the Cracks in Contractors' Operations

Before contractors embrace AI, they need clean information, connected systems and consistent workflows, or risk automating the wrong processes.
Kristen Bayles 200x200 headshot
Kristen R. Bayles
June 29, 2026

Artificial intelligence won't fix broken workflows. It will simply expose them, says Powerhouse Consulting Group's Jenny Benbrook.


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Two People Discussing Marketing

The Marketing Materials Your Sales Team Actually Needs

Strong brands attract attention, but practical sales resources help customers make decisions and move forward
Alicia Branham
Alicia Branham
June 27, 2026

As companies begin evaluating budgets and planning for the future, many leaders focus on lead generation and brand awareness. While those initiatives are important, it is equally important to examine what happens after a prospect enters the sales funnel.


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An infographic with "Water Heater Shipment Data" over a chart.

AHRI Data Shows Water Heater Shipments Remain Soft in 2026

U.S. shipments of residential gas storage water heaters for April 2026 decreased -1.6 percent, to 361,801 units, compared to 367,604 units shipped in April 2025.
Kristen Bayles 200x200 headshot
Kristen R. Bayles
June 26, 2026

The latest numbers show that water heater shipments continued to soften in April, reflecting many of the same economic pressures affecting residential construction and remodeling activity. 


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A contractor and apprentice look over documents on a jobsite.

Nearly 60% of Gen Z Is Considering Skilled Trades Careers

Gen Z is increasingly interested in skilled trades careers, but attracting and retaining this generation will require new approaches to training, mentorship and workplace culture.
Kristen Bayles 200x200 headshot
Kristen R. Bayles
June 24, 2026

Industry leaders say Gen Z sees something previous generations may have overlooked: the trades offer purpose, opportunity and a chance to make a tangible impact every day.


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Home improvement

Visibility Matters for Contractors During Home Improvement Season

Heather Ripley
Heather Ripley
June 23, 2026

For contractors, summer is the perfect opportunity to build trust and establish themselves as the experts homeowners can turn to when those projects become more complicated and they need professional support. Home service professionals who have already built credibility and visibility are far more likely to earn that business.


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HVAC Technician Installing Large Modern Heat Pump

HVAC Technician Day: Recognizing the Industry's Everyday Heroes

National HVAC Technician Day, celebrated every year on 6/22, offers an opportunity to recognize the essential role these technicians play in maintaining comfort, safety and business continuity.
Kristen Bayles 200x200 headshot
Kristen R. Bayles
June 22, 2026

National HVAC Technician Day serves as a reminder of the vital role these professionals play every day. While the industry continues working to strengthen its workforce pipeline, technicians remain the people who keep buildings running, businesses operating and communities comfortable.


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PM2026 Column Headshots Web Hannah

The View From the New Desk

Reflections on joining Plumbing & Mechanical and the industry I'll be covering alongside you
Hannah Belloli-Oster
Hannah Belloli-Oster
June 22, 2026

In her first editor's note, Hannah Belloli-Oster shares how a carpenter father, a journalism degree, and a few career leaps led her to Plumbing & Mechanical, and why she's excited to learn alongside the industry she now serves.


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Contractor with Customers

What Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Get Wrong About the Cost of Finding New Work

Business development in plumbing and mechanical contracting is rarely handled by a dedicated sales function.
Joe Horwitz, CEO of Synter.
Joe Horwitz
June 22, 2026

Relationship-based business development should be assessed against its fully loaded cost, including principal and estimator hours, travel, entertainment, association memberships, prequalification time, and the carrying cost of bids that do not convert. 


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Technician working on pipes

The Execution Gap: Why Great Ideas Die in the Field

Kenny Chapman headshot with a white round border frame, 200x200
Kenny Chapman
June 18, 2026

Here is the truth I have seen time and time again: most businesses do not struggle with ideas, they struggle with execution. The gap between what we know and what we consistently do is where businesses either grow or stall.


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And So It Flows: Heat Pump Water Heaters in Real Life
And So It Flows Podcast

Heat Pump Water Heaters in Real Life

Contractors may want to start getting “heat pumped up.”
Kristen Bayles 200x200 headshot
Kristen R. Bayles
June 18, 2026
On a recent episode of And So It Flows, Kristen Bayles sat down with Gregg Holladay, business development manager for specialty markets at Bradford White, to discuss the growing role heat pump water heaters are expected to play in the residential plumbing market and why contractors need to start preparing now.
Read More
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