Articles by Kelly Faloon

Kevin Maston, president and CEO of CK Mechanical Plumbing & Heating, started his company in 2004 out of his garage. His mission: To help people and provide top-notch service.

With so much focus on energy efficiency these days, home-owners may be confused about how much energy is consumed in their homes and what appliances or equipment need to be monitored.

When I first began writing about the plumbing and heating industry in 1998, succession planning was an issue because many owners of contracting businesses weren’t looking ahead to retirement, especially those who owned smaller shops.

Nexstar's 2013 Super Meeting, Oct. 3-5 in Indianapolis, opened with a keynote address by football great Emmitt Smith. He explained that much of the advice his coaches and mentors gave him over the years transferred into the business realm after he retired from football.

I grew up in Cadillac, Mich. And no, it’s not near Detroit. My parents still live there, and I like to go back and visit — especially when the high-speed pace of Chicago gets to me.

Business owners in the plumbing and mechanical trades are having difficulties finding the skilled, professional workers they need. Yet this is nothing new for the construction industry. It was a problem before the Great Recession and is escalating as Baby Boomers in the industry retire and no one is waiting in the wings to pick up the pipewrench.

Best-in-class service keeps this New England wholesaler top-of-mind for its contractor customers.

Earlier this month, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act went into effect, requiring nearly all Americans to have minimum health-insurance coverage. Employers were required to give all their employees a notice of coverage options by Oct. 1, which also is the date when the individual and small-business health insurance exchanges opened for enrollment.  

Emmitt Smith, next generation of leaders, women in the trades