Articles by Kristen R. Bayles

Data centers are moving faster than ever, and prefabrication is helping them keep up.

To start off the new year, editor Kristen Bayles reflects on 2025, and what's to come in 2026.

How ecommerce, AI-driven consumer behavior, and pricing transparency are transforming HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contracting — and why digital-first contractors are gaining a structural advantage.

Thoughtful, consistent branding can enhance reputation, recruiting, and retention, all while strengthening the bottom line.

Commander Air + Plumbing + Electric’s fleet design blends memorability with credibility

Software adoption has moved from being a competitive advantage to a core requirement — especially in the face of labor shortages, cost pressures and rising customer expectations.

 Instead of focusing solely on closing out a dispatch, companies should be intentional about building relationships: communicating proactively, documenting their work, and checking back in even after the invoice is paid.

When Ryan Edgington began exploring the value of Oxford Plumbing & Heating out of curiosity, the third-generation owner navigated the sale of a deeply rooted community business while preserving its people-first values. 

I'm grateful my family showed my brother the value of trades. After my great-grandfather's plumbing business closed, my dad became a welder and shared his skills with my brother during many afternoons in the work shed, like an apprentice learning from a master.

Did you know that plumbing apprenticeships can be dated all the way back to the European medieval period? Back in the 1300s-1500s, Masters of trades would take on young, unskilled workers and teach them their craft in exchange for their indentured servitude, wherein they would work for years without pay while they honed their craft.