CHANGING OF THE SEASONS
Successful contractor entrepreneurs must keep one eye on the current season, with the other looking toward the next. BY PETE GRASSO
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ugust may be smack dab in the middle of cooling season — with phones ringing off the hook from customers looking for A/C — but savvy contractor entrepreneurs know heating season is right around the corner and soon those calls will turn from “A/C service calls” to “heating calls.”
“Very warm temps in the northeast have caused the residential market to explode and commercial construction has picked up.” — Eric Knaak
Transitioning between the seasons can be tricky if you don’t have the right processes, training and cooling/heating equipment to recommend to customers.
from around the country about how they prepare for heating season during the throes of a hot humid summer, what equipment they recommend, and why manufacturer support is critical.
In this special report, I spoke with a panel of top contractor entrepreneurs
The panel includes Ken Goodrich, CEO of Goettl Air Conditioning in
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HVACR BUSINESS AUGUST 2020
Las Vegas; Lanny Huffman, owner of Hickory Sheet Metal in Hickory, N.C.; Eric Knaak, general manager of Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning in Rochester, N.Y.; and Darryl Robinson, owner of Robinson Air in Lawton, Okla. Here’s what they had to say.
How has business been this summer, amid the coronavirus pandemic, versus past cooling seasons? Goodrich: Our summer season is on plan and significantly over 2019. January through May numbers were significantly over plan, and June was on plan. Huffman: Amazingly, the replacement sales are better than last year and new HVACR commercial projects are about the same as last year. Knaak: The season has been a strong once since Memorial Day. Very warm
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