Exciting New Changes Coming at HVACR Business Heather Langone 4 SEPTEMBER 2022 / VOL.17 / NO.9 The Importance of Process in Successful HVACR Management Chad Collins 12 Industry News .............................................................17 Trailing Profit and Loss Series Part 1 Ruth King.................................................................................18 Product Focus ...............................................................21 20 Questions with Jacob Gee COO of Gee Heating and Air....................................22 ALSO INSIDE » HVACRBUSINESS.COM Homeowner Stress – What HVACR Contractors Should Know Gregg Hicks 15 Is Your Fleeting?Fleet Emily Fleniken 9 We, the Family: The Benefits of a Family Constitution Keven Prather 20 TRIBAL CULTURE WHY IT MATTERS IN THE HVACR INDUSTRYPage6
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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2022 / VOL.17 / NO.9 FEATURES 6 Tribal Culture – Why It Matters in the HVACR Industry Why company culture or “tribal culture” is so important when building your HVACR brand By Erica Estes 9 Is Your Fleet Fleeting? The creative director at Lemon Seed Marketing explains why fleet marketing is the best long-term marketing strategy By Emily Fleniken 12 The Importance of Process in Successful HVACR Management Chad Collins, owner of Pride Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling shares how understanding processes is the key to building your business By Chad Collins 15 Homeowner Stress – What HVACR Contractors Should Know A contractor must-read – the homeowner survey info that you can’t afford to ignore By Gregg Hicks COLUMN 18 Trailing Profit and Loss – Part 1 A Better Way to Look at Profit and Loss Statements Ruth King teaches you how to analyze profit and loss by using trailing P&L statements By Ruth King 20 We, the Family: The Benefits of a Family Constitution Resident legal expert, Keven Prather, explains the importance of having a family constitution to preserve wealth By Keven Prather DEPARTMENTS 4 Editor’s Notebook The managing editor reveals the exciting new changes you can expect at HVACR Business By Heather Langone 17 Industry News 21 Product Focus For more info visit: www.testo.com/en-US/promo Under Pressure? The Next-Generation of testo AnalyzersCombustioncanhelp! *Offer valid 9/1/2022 - 12/31/2022 testoFREE510ior510ManometerviaMail-InRebate! Purchase a new Next-Gen testo 300 Combustion Analyzer Kit and receive a testo 510i Smart Probe OR purchase a testo 310 Combustion Analyzer Kit and receive a testo 510 FREE via Mail-In Rebate! 22 20 withQuestionsJacobGee Gee Heating and Air
Exciting New Changes Coming at HVACR Business A have been teasing for months, huge changes are afoot at HVACR Business Magazine. As with any major change, the journey has not been without its obstacles, delays, and surprises. But as a team, we have been determined to see it through so that we can better serve our readership and deliver more for all our loyal subscribers.
s we
First, there were a series of discussions and meetings… and more meetings. All of them aimed at figuring out what needed improvement. We asked a slew of questions, both of ourselves, and some of our most loyal readers. These questions included… Are we moving in a direction that serves the HVACR readership and its subscribers and advertisers? What is and isn’t working? What do our readers love about the magazine? What works well for our advertisers, our owners, and CEOS? All good questions, but the one “necessity” that kept sticking out like an albatross – and the most monumental undertaking because it would be the one that needed to happen first to support all the other changes – was the need for a new website. We would need to completely rebuild the website to serve our subscribers better, deliver more when it comes to products and information, and serve the companies who advertise with us currently. With our noses to the grindstone, we went back to work, this time armed with a little more clarity than when we started. With a clear objective, we diligently pressed forward to make the new site happen and achieve our goal of “better” and hopefully “best”.
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOKBY HEATHER LANGONE www.hvacrbusiness.comwww.HVACRBUSINESS .comwww.hvacrbusiness.com THE HVACR MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE TERRY Tanker ttanker@hvacrbusiness.comPublisher HEATHER Langone Managing hlangone@hvacrbusiness.comEditor MEGAN LaSalla Art mlasalla@hvacrbusiness.comDirector BRUCE Sprague Circulation bs200264@sbcglobal.netManager BARBARA Kerr VP bkerr@hvacrbusiness.comOperations ADVERTISING STAFF ERIC Hagerman National Sales Manager Tel ehagerman@hvacrbusiness.com216-409-3246 TERRY Tanker ttanker@hvacrbusiness.comTelPublisher440-731-8600 31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104 North Ridgeville, OH 44039 Tel: (440) 731-8600 Web site:(ISSN:www.hvacrbusiness.com2153-2877) HVACR Business, founded January 1981, is a monthly nation al trade magazine serving contractors, mechanical engineers, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, distributors, trade associations, and others in the heating, ven tilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) industry primarily in the U.S. The editorial focus and mission of HVACR Business is to pro vide business owners and managers with the very best busi ness management concepts available. Critical topics covered include leadership, management, strategy, finance, sales, mar keting, training, education, staffing, operations, human resourc es, legal issues, customer service and more. We are dedicated to helping contractors master these key management skills and provide them with the resources necessary to build strong, profitable companies. Every effort is made to provide accurate information, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of submitted advertising and editorial information. Copyright©2022 by JFT Properties LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced or retransmit ted in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any information storage retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Unauthorized copying may subject violators to criminal penalties as well as liabilities for substan tial monetary damages up to $100,000 per infringement, costs and attorneys’ fees. This publication should not be utilized as a substitute for profes sional advice in specific situations. If legal, medical, account ing, financial, consulting, coaching or other professional advice is required, the services of the appropriate professional should be sought. Neither the authors nor the publisher may be held liable in any way for any interpretation or use of the information in this publication. The authors will make recommendations for solutions for you to explore. Any recommendation is always based on the authors’ research and experience. The information contained herein is accurate to the best of the publisher’s and authors’ knowledge; however, the publisher and authors can accept no responsibil ity for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof. Subscription Rates: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified persons may subscribe at the follow ing rates: U.S. and possessions: 1 year $48; 2 years $75; 3 years $96; Canadian and foreign, 1-year $108 U.S. funds only. Single copies $8. Subscriptions are prepaid, and check or money orders only. Subscriber Services: To order a subscription or change your address, write to HVACR Business, 31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039 or call (440) 731-8600; or visit our Web site at www.hvacrbusiness.com. For questions regarding your subscription, please contact bkerr@hvacrbusi HVACRness.com.Business (ISSN 2153-2877) Copyright ©2022 is published monthly by JFT Properties LLC,31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039, Phone: 440731-8600. Periodicals postage is paid at North Ridgeville, OH and additional mailing offices. (USPS 025-431) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HVACR Business, 31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039. 4 HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022 www.hvacrbusiness.com
PUTTING WORDS INTO ACTION Words are easy for an editor. Give me the topic, and I will write about it. Putting words into action can be more challenging, especially when I have been promising HVACR Business Magazine readers – often shouting it high up from my editorial pulpit for months – that big changes are coming. But I love a good challenge and couldn’t wait to get to work. So, I joined this incredible team of professionals and tried to listen and learn all the idiosyncratic things I didn’t know about the HVACR industry and its owners. It’s an incredibly diverse but consistent industry and very close-knit, I discovered. Then…we all went to work.
A DESIGN WITH HVACR READERS IN MIND
Next, we asked many of you to answer some questions about your preferences for our forthcoming upgrade. We poured through endless analytics, designing, and redesigning pages as we went, to get it right. We have delivered every ounce of this site based on your direct feedback and maybe a tiny bit of our ingenuity sprinkled in there as well. All self-adulation aside, any idea or change that we kept “in” was always with you in mind. Each team member, at every brainstorming session, asked him or herself – does that serve our readers? We sifted through reams of data to determine what you deem our most popular stories. We determined what are the most popular columns based on your visits. Search tools that were missing before are now available, and product pages that weren’t Stay tuned, it’s about to get exciting. And, by the way…we hope it’s not just better. Our goal in 2023, is to be the best we have ever been!
THE HOME PAGE – MORE OF WHAT YOU LOVE ONLY BETTER While you can’t see these changes yet, we wanted to share with you a little of the behind-the-scenes. The website will launch on September 1st, and I can say with complete confidence, that it is going to be a giant upgrade. To be clear – the use of the phrase “giant upgrade” is not even one bit of hyperbole. It may be an understatement – but I’ll let you all weigh in when it launches. However, I can say from where I sit, you can be assured you were all a big part of the entire process. We brainstormed to figure out what you consistently applaud on the home page. All the things you love are still there, only better and bolder. The layout is better, navigation is easier, and all your favorite items are prominently featured. As for what was missing, we brainstormed for many weeks. The results – all of it, both the favorite mainstays and the missing components, made the cut based on your feedback. If it was a favorite, we kept it and made it better. If it was missing, we added it.
TIME TO GET DOWN TO BRASS TACKS IN 2022 2022 has been the year of upgrades and upheaval at HVACR Business Magazine. The first and most obvious was the onboarding of a new managing editor in January – uh, that would be me. That decision, in and of itself, might have been enough to disrupt a team that has been functioning so successfully as a collective for so many years – especially coming out of the pandemic. But our publisher, Terry Tanker, was honest about the need for all of us to move forward with progress and positive change in mind. And he expressed with full clarity, that there was more to come. He explained that we need to do more to serve our readership – loosely translated…that meant even more changes. “Buckle up,” we thought, “it could get bumpy.”
5HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022www.hvacrbusiness.com as highlighted as they could have been, are now prominently and beautifully displayed. And of course, the most popular content will now be featured up front on the home page with even more of what you love.
MORE CHANGES ON THE WAY… As we embark on this next phase, there is even more in the works. We plan to have a more consistent social media presence. You may have noticed we now have an Instagram page, and we will be posting much more regularly on all the platforms. Also, we will be delivering more polls and surveys to give our readers a chance to weigh in. And, we will be upgrading our industry newsletters, making them more topic-specific, and delivering them more often to keep you updated on all the goings-on in the industry. All of this, beyond being about big change, means you will get more of the stuff you like. For HVACR Business Magazine, it translates to consistently enhancing our readership. That translates to more traffic and more incentive for businesses to advertise to our unique subscribers. We are leaning into our success and getting better. Let’s face it, we didn’t survive the recent economic downturns and a pandemic for no reason. We are and have always been the most targeted magazine serving the HVACR industry in the editorial publishing universe. And we didn’t emerge successful by being complacent. No organization gets better without being ready for change. But no entity can decide what needs improving without listening to its most loyal consumers. We listened. We listened, and we are ready to deliver. Stay tuned, it’s about to get exciting. And, by the way…we hope it’s not just better. Our goal in 2023, is to be the best we have ever been! u
PRODUCTS & FEATURED BRANDS
A truly exciting addition for our HVACR owners and advertisers will be a product page that rivals anything available in the HVACR editorial industry. You will have the incredible opportunity to not only run ads but also to highlight your brand to the most targeted readership in the industry. Feel free to inquire about this new update at any time. We’d be happy to explain the imminent change and how you can benefit. You will want to be a part of this exclusive list of featured brands. So, don’t wait for the launch – email us now. We will be happy to walk you through it. As you can see, there are a ton of good updates on the way. We are sure you will feel the benefits at and for your company and even for your loyal customer base. As we near the end of this project, our site redesign, we are excited about the new bells and whistles. Is it beautifully designed? Yes, it is. Is it more technically proficient? Of course – it’s a behemoth upgrade. But the thing about which we are most proud is this – the site was designed for you and by you. We would never have been able to call it complete or “better” (and hopefully the best the industry offers) if you hadn’t been so loyal and honest with us throughout the years.
BY ERICA ESTES
2018. I left the corporate finance job that I loved so much, to purchase an HVACR company in my hometown. The opportunity to work in the HVACR industry sort of just fell in my lap. My husband worked as the controller for the previous owner who had begun talking about retiring. He asked my husband if he’d be interested in taking over the company. Knowing that I’d always wanted to run my own business and with my previous work in finance, my husband immediately thought of me. The owner said, “You're going to need an asshole to run this place.” And he responded, “I know the perfect person.” That’s how it all started. But I don’t want to oversimplify it. It took a few years. I did have experience in mergers and acquisitions, but it was a big risk. Still, we went for it. And as with everything, I learned everything I could. I was given the advice early, “This will be very different, but you can do it. You have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those that are a part of this company,” and I repeated this mantra to myself daily while making this giant transition. I knew going in, that I would be faced with many challenges, but my competitive nature loves a good challenge.
1. Challenge: Attitude and the lack of “Tribal Culture”
An HVACR Owner Shares Advice on Creating a Successful Company Culture TRIBAL CULTURE WHY IT MATTERS IN THE HVACR INDUSTRY
The HVACR industry does not have a very good reputation — I have since Changes were needed if I wanted my company to become the most customer-service-focused HVACR company in town. I knew that meant that the employees needed to be happy.
W hen working at my previous employer, in corporate finance, I was asked frequently to work with many Division VPs of Finance, third-party bankers, CPAs, and financial analysts. In my more than ten years with the company, I never once thought “there’s no way I’m working with them on this project”. We were a team. I wanted the company to be successful just as much as our CEO, CFO, Board of Directors, investors, and coworkers. I had “bought into” who we were, what we were about, and where the future was taking us. I loved myEnterjob.
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CHALLENGES WITHIN THE HVACR INDUSTRY
learned — for creating and maintaining positive work environments. There are guys (and a few gals) that have been in this industry for 30+ years. Many of them are set in their ways and refuse to accept any new methods for improving their job skills. Or they refuse to teach the newcomers the basics of how to work in this trade.
“I am responsible for taking action, asking questions, getting answers, and making decisions. I won’t wait for someone to tell me. If I need to know, I’m responsible for asking. I have no right to be offended that I didn’t get this sooner. If I’m doing something others should know about, I’m responsible for telling them.”
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One small thing we have received the most positive feedback on is, a handwritten card thanking them for their contributions to the company, along with whatever positive attribute(s) that employee brings to the table.
CREATING A BETTER COMPANY CULTURE
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ADVICE FROM A COMFORT ADVISOR One of our comfort advisors recommended a podcast to me in passing back in 2020. He knew that I wanted the culture to change around here, and he felt I would find a useful nugget of some kind when listening to it. He was right. The Podcast was LIVE the Outbound life, Episode 9. Garry Ridge (CEO of WD-40) on Building a Happy, Billion Dollar Tribe. What stood out to me the most, was when Garry stated that we must create this “positive, lasting memory” with our people. Think about it. If we create memories that are positive for our people, that makes their lives a little brighter. If they have more joyful lives, that joy is reflected in their job performance, including in the quality of work and customer interaction.
COMPANY RESPONSIBILITYPROFESSIONALPLEDGE: Garry Ridge has what he calls the “Maniac Pledge” in this book, and I have adopted this pledge. If you were to ask our employees, you would hear the following repeated often around our shop:
As such, we wanted that for our employees. We offer a benefits package that is unmatched for the trades in our area. Our pay is also much better than our competitors and we pay profit sharing bonuses a couple of times a year. Pay is not everything though. Pay is not what keeps employees long-term. Pay is not what makes those “positive, lasting memories”. Don’t get me wrong, they must be paid a wage that allows them a comfortable lifestyle, but most want more than just pay. Therefore, in 2020, we decided to move our company dinners away from our shop, where they have been held since the beginning of time. Now, we shut the office down early and everyone meets at a local restaurant for lunch. We have drawings for prizes (tools, TVs, Airpods, Gift cards, etc.). We have even brought in an ice cream truck and invited their families to join. Additionally, we started sending birthday gifts to spouses and children, and anniversary gifts to the employee and spouses. But the one small thing we have received the most positive feedback on is a handwritten card thanking them for their contributions to the company, along with whatever positive attribute(s) that employee brings to the table. We randomly give these out with a small cash bonus. We hear time and time again that the card means more than the money. After making some of these changes, I wanted to hear more of what Garry had to say. I picked up his book “Tribe Culture: How it Shaped WD-40 Company”. I have read this book several times now. I keep it on my desk at the office to reference when I feel we have stumbled over a problem that seems to be due to a lack of “working together” or when I need a creativity boost if I am trying to make work more meaningful to our people.
Changes were needed if I wanted my company to become the most customerservice-focused HVACR company in town. I knew that meant that the employees needed to be happy. Employees need to feel that they are heard. They need to feel they are making a difference every day. They need to feel like they belong here. They need to be treated with respect. I knew what I wanted for this company but was not certain how to tackle the challenge. What I did know, was that this would be a slow process. There would be a lot of trial and error and obstacles to tackle. But with each error we make, there is something to be learned. I am nothing if not competitive and I work to win. If I don’t win, I learn and work harder. So, the first step – learn and avoid making the same errors.
2. Challenge: Forging My Path Must there be plumbing, electrical, and HVACR companies out there that have found the “secret” to achieving these goals already? One would think so – whether that be creating a better company culture, streamlining processes, or a hundred other challenges I was newly coming up against. Have I run into one of those company heads yet to pick their brain and see how we can implement similar changes to achieve the same level of greatness within? No! Everyone I have visited and/or talked to has had the same obstacles to overcome. The strange common denominator I found, however, was that some of the company owners don’t mind it – they live with it. The collective sentiment seems to be, “It is what it is.” But I was determined to find the answers to achieving a better company culture. Complacency was never a choice – at least not for me.
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“I am responsible…” We have struggled with trying to break the blame game between the departments and reaching a point where everyone takes responsibility for his/her actions. “Install” blames the salesmen/comfort advisors. The service technicians blame the installers. Dispatch blames the service technicians, and the technicians blame Dispatch. Too much of no one told me – the not my responsibility response. It goes on everywhere to some degree. That’s when the Maniac Pledge is pulled out and repeated to them. Initially, they did not like hearing it, but now they know what is coming and have their moment of “Yeah, you’re right”. All of them think their job is the hardest job within the organization – and it may be true from their perspective. But, all of our jobs have a degree of difficulty. How do we change this collective attitude? While talking with the General Manager of our Trane distributor, we were discussing the misunderstandings of job functions between a dispatcher and a service technician. He asked if I had ever put the dispatcher in a van with a technician or had a technician sit in the office with Dispatch for a day. I had considered it, but it was always during peak season. But at that moment, I decided that peak season is the perfect time for this to take place. That is when both teams are at their max level of stress and things get “crazy” in the world of air conditioning. This thought expanded beyond dispatch and service. If we all have a better understanding of what other departments go through, then maybe we can all be more empathetic and remove the initial assumption that everyone else is out to make the other man’s job more difficult.
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u Erica Estes is the Owner/President of Southern Heating & Cooling, Inc. Southern is a Top 10 Trane dealer & Top 10 Mitsubishi Contractor in Alabama/FL panhandle. Southern received the Trane TCS Dealer of the Year award for 2020 and has won the People's Choice Best of the Best in HVAC for Jackson County for three years running. Please visit https://southernheating.com responsible…’ We have struggled with trying to break the blame game between the departments and reaching a point where everyone takes responsibility for his/her actions. LLC, its other not be without RectorSeal reserves the right without prior RectorSeal. reserved R50971-0822
In a time where labor is extremely short, it can be challenging to change the culture. To affect change – sometimes requires difficult decisions. It may mean that there need to be different players at the table. That is a tough situation to be in when you are already further behind with your workload than you have ever been. But we have goals, and we cannot allow those who do not buy into our company values, negatively affect those that are on board. If you don’t remove the poison from your environment, you will run off the people that are working to move the company in a positive direction. At the end of the day, we must remember that everyone is different. Not everyone responds to the same feedback or form of praise. Not everyone works well together. And that is okay. As long as they are respectful of one another, we can make it work. Shuffle people around. Let them test out various job functions or work with a variety of teammates. Ask for their feedback. What will make their job more enjoyable? They will tell you. You only need to be ready to listen. Finally, if your goal is to be the best HVACR company in town, you also need to be willing to make changes.
POSITIVE CHANGE REQUIRES DIFFICULT DECISIONS
FLEET MARKETING: THE BRASS TACKS
BY EMILY FLENIKENIS YOUR FLEET FLEETING?
Creating a Lasting Brand Beyond a Vehicle Wrap
The region of the country in which you reside will determine the cost and shelflife of a wrap. The average van wrap costs $3000-$5000 and lasts about 3-5 years. For easy math, let’s say the wrap costs $3600 and only lasts three years. That’s $100/ month for a mobile billboard, advertising around your community and at customers’ homes seen by future potential customers – or the neighbors. And, of course, parking in the neighborhood of your exact target market. You’d be hard-pressed to find a
sk yourself, is your fleet fleeting? Do your company’s vehicles catch eyes and turn heads, or do they blend with every other truck on the road? Maybe your wrap is memorable and attentiongrabbing… that’s awesome! But now ask yourself, is your wrap design a piece that complements your marketing strategy puzzle? Or is it simply a catalog of your contact information? When you leverage your wrap as a true extension of your marketing plan, you start to create a memorable and identifiable brand, beyond just your vehicle. Fortunately, wrapping a vehicle is not a new concept in the home service industry. Most contractors have some decals or wrap on their vans and trucks. So, getting that far is an easy sell with most HVACR owners. But unfortunately, most contractors aren’t taking advantage of everything the wrap can be and see it as a “work truck” instead of a “branding piece.” Re-wrapping is almost a cuss word in the contractor world because it’s perceived as the most expensive and painful part of running an HVACR business. However, let me position it differently. I propose to you that wrapping, or re-wrapping, your vehicle with an impactful design is the most inexpensive, effective form of marketing you can do right now. Now that you’ve picked yourself up off the floor from my outrageous claim, let me plead my case.
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www.hvacrbusiness.comA
Most contractors aren’t taking advantage of everything the wrap can be and see it as a “work truck” instead of a “branding piece.”
9HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022
CHOOSE A FLEET WRAP DESIGN
THE OLDEST WRAP OF THE NEWEST TRUCK
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No rule says you must re-wrap every vehicle at the same time. When upgrading, my suggestion is to start with the oldest wrap of the newest truck. Select a truck that is still in good condition, with not a lot of miles, and will be in your fleet for several more years, at least as long as the life of the wrap. You might have some vehicles with wraps pushing that five-year mark, but if the vehicles themselves are nearing the end of their reliability for age or mileage, don’t waste the money on re-wrapping them. Let that wrap phase out with that vehicle. Budget and plan for your vehicle(s) to be re-wrapped during your shoulder season in spring or fall. That might be one vehicle or ten vehicles but if it’s already itemized in the budget, it won’t be such a surprise. Also, it won’t be taking that money-making machine off the streets during peak season. If you’re buying new vehicles, many dealerships will often include the cost of the wrap with the vehicle, so you can simply roll in that cost with your monthly car payment. All you need to do is ask.
Let’s get to the design of the wrap, and why you might consider changing your current design to be a memorable, No rule says you must re-wrap every vehicle at the same time. When upgrading, my suggestion is to start with the oldest wrap of the newest truck.
billboard, radio spot, or even a stack of flyers for $100/month. Having a box truck or van is a necessity for your business. You’re already paying the note, insurance, and fuel costs, so why not let the vehicle do a little work for you? Let the technician advertise during his “windshield hours,” commuting between jobs. When you re-frame the cost of a wrap and realize the value, it’s not nearly as painful to swallow when you receive the bill.
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11HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022www.hvacrbusiness.com L o w - G W P R e f r i g e r a n t s C e r t i f i c a t i o n E x a m Now Available S t u d y G u i d e A v a i l a b l e i n t h e N A T E O n l i n e S t o r e W W W . N A T E X . O R G
While I want you to benefit from my advice, you must develop these customized systems for your business needs. As with all HVACR companies, the daily processes consist of many moving parts and it’s never a one-size-fits-all equation.
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A s the owner of Pride Plumbing Heating and Cooling, a full-service HVACR company for the past decade, I have learned the importance of “process” in building a successful HVACR business. In this article, I intend to pull back the curtain on my management systems and give you an outline of our HVACR company process.First, we believe the best approach is always to keep things simple. Our process is customized to fit our company's needs. It took time and trial and error, but I honed it to adapt to my business, my customers’ needs, and my staff. Thus, while I want you to benefit from my advice, you must develop these customized systems for your business needs. As with all HVACR companies, the daily processes consist of many moving parts and it’s never a one-size-fitsall Beforeequation.going into the details of the process, let me share the key elements that contributed to our growth.
BY CHADTHECOLLINS
1. Communication. This is extremely important for any home service company. For us, we use a mobile and web application called Voxer to streamline communications. Using Voxer prevents our office phones from being tied up and gives us all the necessary information to help the technicians function well while out in the field as it delivers instant "walkie-talkie" like communication.
HVACR Processes – Keep It Simple
IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS IN SUCCESSFUL HVACR MANAGEMENT
2. Upgrading and investing in advanced field software. Advanced technology makes the processes more effective. There are many different HVAC software options. Choosing the right one for you is an individual decision. But reputation, usability, and multidevice functionality are some things to review when deciding. I would stress that while this is an investment, it pays well long term. Remember to take the time to do research. Become an expert in your chosen software before launching company-wide because your team will have a multitude of questions. So, do your research and only launch when you are the expert on all systems.
5. Once the technician has his solutions built out via our field software, he sends a message via Voxer to the service manager.
1. The service manager will call the customer, introduce himself, give the customer information on the technician’s ETA, and let the customer know he is en route.
3. When the technician arrives at the customer's home, he parks in the driveway or street (wherever the customer can see him). He walks to the door, puts the branded-colored mat down, and knocks on the door.
ASK FOR REVIEWS This is understood, but as an HVACR company, it is important to get customer reviews. While this can be daunting at first, once you have good systems and processes in place, your team will have the confidence to request reviews at every call. Customers will likely leave a review if they had a good or bad experience. Bad reviews can hurt a business, but good reviews can help attract new customers. Again, get these processes down so that the entire team is consistent, and you will see your reviews improve. Make sure that your technician requests a review right at the service call, live and in person. By this point, the technician should have built a good relationship with the customer. We find that customers are more apt to leave a review when asked to do so in person rather than when they receive an automated email request.
GOOD, BETTER, BEST Here's a breakdown of a typical callout process.
Collins has been a proud owner of Pride PHC for nearly 10 years and has always placed a strong emphasis on providing top-notch customer service. For information, https://www.prideplumbingphc.com/visit
7. Once the customer agrees on a solution, the tech gets to work or has the installation crew do the job. Simple as that! As you can see, the service manager is the ship's captain in this process. They are the ones who deal with the technicians, the installers, and the CSR throughout the day. It's so important to have a talented service manager and to stress the importance to the entire team of this role within the HVACRprocess.repairs and installations as a service can be part of a larger complicated process. Still, it becomes much more manageable by using a standardized system such as the one we use at Pride. As an HVACR business owner, a good service manager will free you up and keep your focus on your company's growth rather than dealing with issues.
The customer then opens the door and is greeted with a business card and company announcement and a brief introduction from the technician. The first step for the technician, when greeted by the customer, is to try and build a relationship or find common ground with the customer before even beginning the service appointment. That streamlined process made clear and consistently practiced by all our technicians, over time, upgraded our reputation and accurately sets expectations for future appointments.
4. When the customer guides our tech to the issue, we diagnose it before producing three solutions. This is also known as the "good, better, best" system.
2. Upon conclusion of the conversation with the customer, the service manager will reach out to the technician via Voxer and give him a summary of said conversation.
u Chad Collins, the founder and owner of Pride Plumbing Heating and Cooling in Grand Junction, Colorado, recently received a prestigious award from HVACR Magazine for outstanding branding of an HVAC Company.
The first step in up-leveling your processes is to create and understand operating systems. Each system starts with management’s direction and is created for the department for which it has been tailor-designed. For example, our CSR system or our service manager's system was tailor requested by me. I decided how it should work for that specific department. So, as the company owner, I needed to understand personally and experientially how each current system worked and what the needs were for each department. Once I was clear, I could then direct the necessary upgrades that should be implemented. These are systems that aim to maximize output and performance for each role. If I wasn’t familiar with the process, I would not be able to effectively upgrade the system.
OUR PROCESS AND HOW IT CAN WORK FOR YOU
6. The service manager then calls the customer and assists them with any questions they might have before offering up the three solutions.
13HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022www.hvacrbusiness.com
DON’T RUSH – TRUST THE PROCESS Like any new system, adapting as a collective isn’t an overnight fix. Once you upgrade systems and implement a companywide set of processes, print it, and make it a manual. Then, train teams – role-play if you need to do that. Once your team understands the processes and has tried the new protocols a few times, it will become part of the routine. Eventually, the team will have a newfound collective confidence and more trust in theLastly,brand.always implement best practices that work for you. I hope by sharing a bit about our processes at Pride, your HVACR company will become more efficient, and more effectively managed, and your customers receive the best possible service every time.
The first step for the technician, when greeted by the customer, is to try and build a relationship or find common ground with the customer before even beginning the service appointment.
Pioneers Innovatorsthen.today. 1972-2022 YEARS MINI-SPLITSDUCTLESS 1972 2022 www.comfort-aire.com
www.hvacrbusiness.comT here continues to be a steady stream of news about the economy, inflation, and a potential recession. Inflation is at its highest level in forty years. Real estate values have skyrocketed but have recently tapered off due to increased interest rates. Because of all this news, homeowner confidence is down while stress levels areWhileup. we have not seen a serious decline in lead-generation demand, now is still a suitable time for HVACR business leaders to understand the latest homeowner trends and stress levels and get ready to adjust strategies. Modernize Home Services recently surveyed almost 30,000 homeowners considering major home improvements, including HVACR replacements. We wanted to learn how the current economic environment is affecting attitudes about improvement projects homeowners need so that contractors know how to best serve them.
Homeowners are feeling a lot of stress. 61% of respondents said stress relating to decisions about home improvement is ‘more than [they] can handle’ or ‘tough to manage.’ HVACR contractors can use this information to reinforce the importance of empathy in sales scripts and training modules. WHAT HVACR CONTRACTORS NEED TO KNOW
HOMEOWNER ECONOMIC STRESS –
Below are some findings from the survey, and tips on what contractors can do to keep business flowing.
Tips on what business owners can do to keep business going
EMPATHIZE HOMEOWNERWITHSTRESS Homeowners are feeling a lot of stress. 61% of respondents said stress relating to decisions about home improvement is “more than [they] can handle” or “tough to manage.” HVACR contractors can use this information to reinforce the importance of empathy in sales scripts and training modules. This might include instructions for reps to slow down, listen carefully, and respond with positive feedback when prospects express signs of stress.
BY GREGG HICKS
15HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022
HOMEOWNERS NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING PRICE INCREASES
The third-most reported source of homeowner stress was related to changing climate situations, mentioned by 14 % of highly stressed homeowners. For those in the HVACR business, this signals an opportunity. Increases in global temperatures are not projected to ease up. Help prospects understand that they deserve to live in a home with systems capable of handling higher temperatures, and unpredictable weather.
16 HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022 www.hvacrbusiness.com
The second most common source of finance-related stress is high-interest rates, as mentioned by 16 % of respondents.
Consider responding to interest rate stresses by framing today’s rates in a longer historical context, arranging or underwriting your in-house or whitelabeled financing option, and ensuring that reps have current data on rates charged for well-qualified homeowners.
CLIMATE-RELATED STRESS IS UNLIKELY TO DIMINISH
PROMOTE AVAILABILITY
In our survey, the stress factors cited most often, had to do with cost – i.e., gas, interest rates, supplies, etc. And 85% agreed, either entirely or somewhat, that “inflationary pricing right now puts the cost out of reach on [their] budget.”
u Gregg Hicks is a longtime marketer of home improvement services. He is a business leader for Modernize Home Services and has 20 years of experience in web analytics, SEO, social, SEM, and affiliate marketing. His role as a spokesperson is to explain the value of thoughtful matchmaking between homeowners and home improvement professionals that forges positive and productive connections between the parties.
Consider responding to interest rate stresses by framing today’s rates in a longer historical context, arranging or underwriting your in-house or white labeled financing option, and ensuring that reps have current data on rates charged for well-qualified homeowners.
When asked which factors could cause homeowners to postpone or rethink home improvement plans, 82 % mentioned “increases in interest rates.”
Since most homeowners haven’t experienced this kind of inflation, HVACR salespeople may not always be ready to turn this concern into a selling point. Depending on your ability to control these factors, consider authorizing sellers to lock in some or all costs of their new HVACR products or services once the homeowner signs a contract and makes a deposit.
With supply chain issues and labor shortages in the news, homeowners are worried about how long it will take to get their projects completed. When asked which factors might cause homeowners to delay their projects, 72 % of respondents entirely or somewhat agreed that they “can’t find contractors who can even fit [us] into their schedule.” Especially in HVACR replacements when system failures drive immediate needs, homeowners want contractors who respond quickly. The best performing HVACR contractors differentiate their business by responding quickly to homeowner inquiries. This is called “speed to lead.” Even a delay of fifteen minutes has a significant impact on close rates.Be transparent about scheduling expectations. Whether equipment delivery and installation start dates are in weeks or months, homeowners are happier when they know what to expect. Quick and effective communication with consumers is always important, but today, when homeowners worry about a lack of available contractors, it is imperative. Lastly, use this information to better serve your HVACR business – what doesn’t fit isn’t for your business. Surveys don’t always account for loyal customers, outliers, or regional interests. But knowledge is power in any business. The more you can anticipate and manage a customer’s expectations, concerns, and stressors, the more likely you are to react positively and be of service.
REFRAME INTEREST RATES IN A LONG-TERM CONTEXT
It’s important to know how to handle customers who need or want to borrow. Across all trades, our research shows that 77 % of prospects want to finance a portion, if not all, of their project.
DiversiTech® Corp. Acquires Big Goose® HVAC Condensate Sensors
DULUTH, Georgia, June 14, 2022 — DiversiTech® Corp., a leading aftermarket manufacturer and supplier of highly engineered components for residential and light commercial heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R), announced today that it acquired the Big Goose® line of innovative latching condensate float switches. The switches will become part of DiversiTech’s Asurity Condensate Management system which offers contractors the only full system solution to managing condensate. The patented and patent-pending condensate float switches differ from other switches in the industry in that they feature a latching mechanism that prevents the unit from turning on after tripping until a technician addresses the reason for the condensate blockage. This eliminates the electrical chatter which may cause damage to HVAC equipment. Simply reset the switch with a push of a button. The switches also incorporate a unique float design which is not prone to sticking.
INDUSTRY NEWS »
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana- — July 29, 2022 – Carrier and Bryant have announced the recipients of this year’s Carrier & Bryant Distributors’ Education Foundation scholarships. Recipients will receive funding for their post-secondary or vocational program during the 2022-2023 school year. Carrier and Bryant are part of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), the leading global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions. Established in 1981 the Carrier & Bryant Distributors’ Education Foundation was created to commemorate the late William A. Blees for his many years of service as an advisor to Carrier and Bryant distributors. Since inception, the foundation has awarded scholarships to over 400 students. Today, the foundation continues to serve the children, grandchildren and employees of distributors and contractors while also honoring the industry’s founder, Willis Carrier.
Carrier & Bryant Distributors’ Education Foundation Scholarships
17HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022www.hvacrbusiness.comModernizeReleases the Annual Homeowner Sentiment Report
To view the 2022 Carrier & Bryant Distributors’ Education Foundation scholarship recipients or for more information about Carrier or Bryant, please visit orhttps://www.carrier.com/residential/en/us/www.bryant.com
For more information about DiversiTech, go to http://diversitech.com
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 11, 2022 — This summer, Modernize Home Services released its annual Homeowner Sentiment Report findings, resulting from a recent survey of more than 23,000 homeowners. Respondents shared their thoughts on preparing for home improvement projects, budgeting, pain points, and more. The 2022 Homeowner Sentiment Report includes a special set of questions regarding homeowner stressors, such as surging prices, a potential recession, supply chain backlogs, and political unrest. The results indicate that 86% of homeowners consider at least one of these factors to be the cause of their stress. Modernize strives to understand how homeowners and their home improvement decisions, are being impacted by recent events. Each year, Modernize conducts an extensive survey of homeowners to provide insight into what drives them to start home improvement projects. These results help contractors better understand their customers to best support them. The results are compiled and compared by trade and weighed against previous surveys. For more information, visit http://modernize.com
18 HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022 www.hvacrbusiness.com BY RUTH KING FINANCE
First, make sure your profit and loss statement, is reporting revenues, not sales. What’s the difference? Sales are just that – sales. What did you sell? It doesn’t matter whether you have done the work. Revenues are what you billed/collected for the month. For example, you could sell a $1,000,000 project. That’s the sale. However, it is unlikely that you will sell and complete that project in a month. If you do, then sales equal revenues. Most likely you will complete a piece of the project each month and bill the customer accordingly.Therevenues are what you bill each month. So, if your company sold a $1,000,000 project and it was going to be completed in four months, the revenues each month would be $250,000. The revenues are what you report on your profit and loss statement…not the sale. Then, take the data from your monthly profit and loss statement and create two graphs: a monthly data graph and a trailing data graph. The monthly data graph of your profit and loss statement takes the values directly from the monthly profit and loss statement. Each month represented in the spreadsheet is the exact data that is reported on your profit and loss statement.Trailing data looks at a year’s worth of data one month at a time. It is calculated by adding 12 months of data and dividing it by 12 to get the month’s data point. For example, the revenue data point for January 2022, is calculated by adding the revenues from February 2021 through January 2022 and dividing the result by 12. You can do trailing data by week (divide by 52) or even by quarter. However, analyzing data monthly is sufficient. Trailing data is typically calculated monthly and considered enough for analysis purposes. However, trailing data needs at least 14 months of data to create an accurate graph. Here are the monthly P&L and trailing data graphs for a contractor: MONTHLY P&L DATA GRAPH VS. TRAILING DATA GRAPH
It’s hard to see the condition of the company by viewing only the monthly P&L data graph because of seasonality. Revenues, gross profit, and net operating profits are going up and down. The only constant line is overhead – and overhead should be constant. To accurately determine whether the company is headed in the right direction, look at the trailing data graph as well. The most important line in the graph is net operating profit. The graph shows in this example, that on a long-term basis, profits are increasing. The warning sign is that revenues are increasing faster than gross profit. The revenue and gross profit lines are parallel when gross margins are consistent. This graph shows that the company is doing more work at lower gross margins. Pricing may need to be increased because costs have gone up. Or the jobs are taking longer than the bid number of hours, which means that productivity is decreasing.Ifyoulearn how to analyze your own company story, you will be better equipped to fix issues early and succeed in the long term. u Ruth King has more than 25 years of experience in the HVACR industry and has worked with contractors, distributors and manufacturers to help grow their companies and become more profitable. Contact Ruth at ruthking@hvacchannel.tv or at 770-729-0258.
A Better Way to Look
GRAPHING THE FINANCIAL DATA
I f you only look at the monthly profit and loss statement without analyzing the report, you might get lulled into a false sense of security. Monthly data and year-to-date data reports on a profit and loss statement don’t tell the whole story.
By looking at both the monthly graphs and the trailing graphs you can see what is happening with revenues, gross profit, gross margin, overhead, and net operating profit. at Profit and Loss Statements
Most business owners receive monthly data and sometimes year-to-date data. If you look at these two reports in numbers, you cannot see the revenue, expense, and profit trends. Only by graphing the data, can you see all that is going on with your business on a long-term basis. Then, you can spot the minor issues and take care of them before they become major crises. By looking at both the monthly graphs and the trailing graphs you can see what is happening with revenues, gross profit, gross margin, overhead, and net operating profit.
Here are the monthly P&L and trailing data graphs for a contractor:
REVENUE VS. SALES
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20 HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022 www.hvacrbusiness.com
We,
• The ideology of the family. This spells out what the family stands for, including its values and objectives.
Gaining consensus requires openness and cooperation among family members. Many wealthy families use facilitators to help them work through the relational issues and the emotions that are often attached to the financial issues. We have seen that conversations around family money can get very intense, as they often overlap with family history and any acrimony that exists. Social and political differences also make conversations around family money more complicated.
• The number of family members prepared to perpetuate family values and manage the family wealth
• How family members should provide input or impact the decision-making around the distribution and use of the wealth
A family constitution can be an effective tool for dodging serious conflicts and facilitating agreement among family members. It can help family members address their concerns and preferences constructively. Often, family constitutions also lay out the future direction and actions the family intends to take. One of the key goals of a family constitution is to prevent family conflicts that can tear families apart and diminish fortunes. The goal is to detail how the family will deal with dissent. When the specific methods for managing and dealing with family conflict are well documented and described, a family can potentially be very effective at reducing infighting. The overarching goal is to avoid conflict by promoting communication and striving for consensus among family members around their core principles, values, and longtermFamilyintentions.constitutions recognize that there is contentiousness in nearly all families. As such, they aim to spell out specific ways a family can effectively address conflicts that are almost certain to arise over time and across generations.
• Establish checks and balances among different interests, as well as ways to address conflicts and communication protocols.
• Decisions about who makes the decisions and how to arrive at them
A family constitution can be an effective tool for dodging serious conflicts and facilitating agreement among family members.
• The limitations on how the wealth is spent, invested and donated
u Keven P. Prather is a registered representative of and offers securities and investment advisory services through MML Investors Services, LLC. Member SIPC. Call 216-592-7314, send an email to kprather@financialguide.com or visit transitionextadvisors.com. the Family: The Benefits of a Family Constitution BY KEVEN PRATHER,
• Who is defined as the family? As families become larger, sometimes decisions are made specifying who is family and who is not. For example, some families exclude those who marry into the family.
W ealth and family can be a tricky mix. Affluence can help families achieve great things and realize their shared vision, of course. But it also can create resentments and rifts that could potentially damage a family’s financial position and cause estrangement among family members. What’s more, as wealthy families grow and expand over time, one big issue is keeping them and their shared capital together. Unfortunately, sometimes the wealth remains comingled because of legal structures, such as in the case of multigenerational trusts. However, family members who feel wronged in some way may take legal action to try to break such trusts—creating still greater family disharmony and possibly jeopardizing the family’s bottom line. To avoid these and similar outcomes, consider creating a formal family constitution to help build and encourage familial harmony. We have seen many ultra-high net worth (net worth of $500 million or more) families take this step, with positive results. Here’s a look at family constitutions –what they are, what they do, and how to create one with your own family.
• Ensure flexibility so the family can adapt to change.
A FAMILY CONSTITUTION SERVES MANY INTERESTS
Specifically, a constitution should specify:•How family members should use the wealth
CFBS EXIT PLANNING
Important: You must view a family constitution as a living document, not a static “one and done” agreement. It will likely be essential to modify the constitution over time as family circumstances evolve.
PROVIDED
• Promote accountability of family members.
Important: While the family constitution is a written document, it is only a set of guidelines and prescriptions. It is not, in most cases, a legal and binding document.Afamily constitution should, among other things, help your family equitably address issues around its wealth—which might include assets such as an operating business and properties (real estate, art) as well as invested wealth and other savings.
In developing a family constitution, it’s necessary to gain consensus among family members. Without broad-based agreements, no one will write the family constitution—and if it is, someone will very probably contest it. Ideally, a family should write a constitution when relationships are strong (or at least not strained), making consensus more likely. Then, all parties should be motivated to reach agreements and develop shared solutions.Ingeneral, a family constitution will include three key sections:
• The reasons for staying together. This details the rationale for managing the joint capital and the benefits of maintaining family cohesion. Factors such as love and concern, along with financial considerations, are usually part of this section.
A neutral third-party facilitator can help keep tensions at bay and keep family members focused on agendas instead of anger.
COOPERATION FROM FAMILY
FACILITATING FAMILY HARMONY
Best news – even though family constitutions are a strategy often employed by the uber-rich, you don’t need millions of dollars to create one for you and yours!
• Provide disenchanted family members with a viable means of exiting.
In general, a well-crafted family constitution will accomplish several objectives:•Memorialize a family’s principles and values.
PRODUCT FOCUS »
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CARRIER Carrier announced the next generation of #2023Ready 40MBAB heat pump air handlers. Available in sizes 18K through 60K, these new systems feature improved performance and serviceability enhancements. As part of this launch, Carrier is also pleased to introduce a new 38MARBQ outdoor unit and a new 38MBRCQ light commercial outdoor lineup with three units. The new 40MBAB heat pump air handler’s unique features include Carrier’s patented welded aluminum coils, wired and wireless remote-control capability, third-party thermostat compatibility, five-operating modes, and quiet indoor operation.
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18. What is the biggest learning curve on the financial management side of owning an HVACR business? Understand price versus value. In the beginning, you want to take every job, but it isn’t about that. I try to teach people, "Don’t be tempted to be the cheapest in town. Offer value and know the value you bring.”
19. Do you have a contingency plan for economic volatility? That's on our radar constantly. I am very aware and responsible for maintaining a good cash reserve. We have built up reserves. The best advice I’d give is the same rule I follow, stay lean. If we don't need three people running one thing, we reduce it to two. And there are positions that lend themselves to part-time employees. Stay as lean as you can.
17. How has fleet advertising impacted your business? It’s been huge. It's one of those things where now, we’re very well recognized in our community, especially having integrated the brand design throughout the company
4. Do you have a favorite family tradition? I’m twenty-nine, so it may change, but one of my family traditions before getting married, was traveling. We’d go annually to Disneyworld. At Christmas time, one of my favorite family traditions was traveling to Pigeon Forge with my family.
13. Do you have a distribution agreement for any brands? We have a private label agreement through Goodman and Daikin. How do employees respond to training and new processes you’ve brought to We want a five-star associated with trainingthat.and image training. We've had veterans who couldn’t get on board with the image we wanted to portray in the community. Simple things like dressing properly – It was tough, but we had to let folks go.
12. Georgia has grown significantly with an influx of transplants, has that affected the way you do business? We like transplants. They use Google and we rank high on search engines It’s great for us!
20. Where do you see Gee in five years? We have two locations. I'd like to get a third or fourth in five years. We plan to further our reach down into Atlanta, then, maybe multi-state!
11. Are regulatory changes affecting Georgia HVACR owners?
advantages of being young, the challenges of recruiting, and the importance of a five-star standard of care.
7. Are there any idiosyncrasies in HVACR that you believe pose a unique challenge in this field versus traditional financial management in other businesses?
15. Do you have a training manager who does ride-along calls with service guys? Yes, a call-by-call manager – it’s the new version of the service manager, basically a systems and procedures manager. The call-by-call manager goes on ride-alongs and will have a pregame call and a halftime call with the service tech. They ask questions like, “What are you seeing in this job? What's going on?” What’s our solution? And that's how we triage from there. Our call-by-call manager is very important.
QUESTIONS >> with JACOB GEE20
3. Is golf a “real” sport or a pastime? It usually whoops my butt. By the time I'm done playing 18 holes, I'm worn out. So, it must be a real sport!
5. Do you consider yourself lucky? Luck is fleeting. I consider myself not lucky but blessed.
HVACR is a weather-based supply and demand business. When the summer's hot, a crew of two hundred people will be kept busy. But as soon as it gets comfortable outside, that’s where you need to get creative. To retain the best employees, you need to have good processes that allow you to keep employees working while keeping the business profitable during the shoulder season.
9. Have you already created a family succession plan? This year we officially purchased the company from my father. That was the family succession plan. Now we need a little time to think about our future and then work on our succession plan.
10. Do you have any advice for small business owners who deal with recruitment challenges? Recruitment is the biggest topic for us. My very basic but very real answer: pay more. You need to pay more to attract top talent. The other thing we do is that we are willing to train new people with no experience in the industry.
Managing editor, Heather Langone, sat down with Jacob Gee, 29-Year-old COO, Gee Heating and Air, to talk about the
2. What is your preference – walnuts, sprinkles, or no topping on your ice cream? Sprinkles. Definitely.
1. What is your favorite day of the week and why? Monday. I’ve pushed myself to like Mondays, to see it as a day that holds the possibility of new opportunity.
6. As part of a family business, did you always feel pressure to be on the management side? I studied business management in college. I knew I wanted to be in a marketing and operations role and worked a dream job until I started thinking, "I'd like to work for myself." My brother and I decided to take over my father's business. It was a small operation –basically my dad and a van. That was eight years ago. It’s grown significantly. When we took over, we asked about his plans. He said, "I'd like to be retired in 10 years." This year, we bought him out and sent him off to enjoy his retirement. It’s exciting.
8. What would you say is Gee's competitive edge? Speed. We get to customers quickly. If we sell them a system, we install it the same day. There's a whole iceberg that goes underneath the speed – it’s our entire system that allows us to do this. Your CRM system must be efficient. Multiple processes must trigger simultaneously for the job to be completed fast and well.
Georgia has been lenient on businesses. Nationally, we’re dealing with the CR2 transition. We’ll have to liquidate our 14.0 to stay in compliance with operational changes. But we try to stay ahead of the changes. Adaptability is important.
16. Do you use advanced GPS technology? We have GPS trackers on every vehicle and iPads that are tracked. We use Service Titan to track customer service to see when the technicians arrive at homes. We also have a program with Enterprise Fleet. Drivers use gas cards from Enterprise, and it allows us in one dashboard, to track all maintenance, mileage, and any double dipping with fuel.
22 HVACR BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 2022 www.hvacrbusiness.com
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