Watching the highlights from last evening's stunning NHL playoff upset that saw the Montreal Candadiens defeat the Washington Capitals, I heard an interesting comment from ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose. "The Capitals were built for the regular season. They had the league's best record locked up since February. They haven't played a meaninful game since January." When asked why that mattered against the Canadiens, he responded succinctly. "They've had to play 10 meaningful games just to get IN the playoffs. They're battle-tested. They were willing to go in, scrap, work hard, win the one-on-one battles. And that's why they won the series."
I started thinking about this in the context of many of the HVACR service contractors and technicians that I've had the pleasure of meeting and interacting with over the past 2 1/2 years as Editor-in-Chief/Publisher/Director of Publishing with RSES. To me, many of you out there epitomize the hard work and effort that Montreal exhibited in winning that series. Your company might not be the biggest. You might be going up against competition that is well established, or has deeper pockets to put toward marketing and promotion. You may be a relative newbie to the trade working your way up the ladder by putting in long days, dealing with callback issues that leave you more angry than anything else.
So that means that you go out and win those one-on-one battles. I've heard (and seen) the guys out there who are attending HVACR seminars and educational programs on weekends or evenings in the midst of a 70-hour week. I've talked with industry executives who are amazed at the resiliency of those in this field and the work they put in. And I'm excited about the prospects for the future as I get inquiries from contractors and techs interested in solar, geothermal, wind and even water-related technologies that can improve efficiency - and help them continue to build their career.
So for those contractors out there who think their on top of the heap, don't ease up. There are a lot of guys out there doing things the right way, training themselves and their employees to get ready for the next century of new technology. And if you're looking for a quality person to join your team, make sure you ask how committed that individual is to the trade, training and education. Because that also will give you a very good indication of just how committed they are to themselves - and ultimately, how committed they'll be to you.
Now I have one more reason that I love playoff hockey: inspiration.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Your Second Season
As a native of Detroit, MI, hockey has always been a sport I’ve followed (we’re somewhat passionate about our Red Wings). And having followed the Chicago Bulls since I was a 12-year-old, seeing them rise to dominate the sport of basketball in the late ’90s was fantastic to watch (as for witnessing their current plight and general lack of long-term planning, I’ll leave that for my occasional rants on Facebook).
But the great thing about both sports, at least to me, is the playoffs. Both are played in the winter, but determine their champion in June. The long grind of the regular season turns into an impassioned eight weeks of epic battles and memorable matchups.
As I write this, I’m returning to Chicago from a two-day trip to visit with several HVACR suppliers, service providers and manufacturers. While traveling for business certainly is not as much fun when you’re trying to get to Houston, Dallas and points in between to see six organizations in a 48-hour span is as, say, going to Key West, FL, it does have its moments. Those highlights—much like those critical plays during playoff time—are what help keep you moving forward and drive on toward higher, loftier goals.
On the last visit of my trip, I had the opportunity to sit and chat with several folks with Pure Chem Separation, L.P. down in Rhome, TX. We talked about reclamation, what was I hearing on the street about the demand for R-22, how many RSES Journal readers did I think were taking the time to properly reclaim used refrigerant, and a myriad of other topics. It was interesting. It was intriguing.
In our conversation, we talked extensively about refrigerant reclamation and the separation of mixed refrigerants (these guys are experts in that arena). We discussed marketing opportunities, their business model and how they were growing their company. (And with a program targeting contractors, they are. Big time. To find out more about that, click here.)
And as I got ready to head out with the hope that I wouldn’t miss my flight out of DFW (I didn’t…thank God!), they took five minutes to show off their facility. They have a lot of pride in their business and they wanted to share that with me. It was refreshing to see someone so upbeat about the opportunities that the down (but…gulp…hopefully recovering) economy had presented them. At the very end of that tour, they showed where they were building a whole new warehouse for them to store product. Indeed, they were planning for growth and expansion. That wasn’t intriguing—that was exciting.
For the principals at Pure Chem, their second season is on the horizon. They are planning for the future, looking ahead with the expectation to take home their own championship of sorts: growth. Their operation runs 24 hours a day. They’ve added four sales reps and plan to bring two more on board. They are exploring more and more ways to get the word out about their contractor-focused refrigerant buy-back program. And they only see more opportunities out there.
To win titles, it takes discipline, talent, patience and perseverance. It’s a challenging task that many attempt, but few are able to achieve. Personally, seeing companies like Pure Chem take on the obstacles and find ways to overcome them are exactly why I believe in the future of our industry and those who want to see it succeed.
Now, as for those playoffs, Game 1 of the Wings-Coyotes series just went final, and Phoenix is up 1 game to none...anyone want to bet against my Red Wings???
But the great thing about both sports, at least to me, is the playoffs. Both are played in the winter, but determine their champion in June. The long grind of the regular season turns into an impassioned eight weeks of epic battles and memorable matchups.
As I write this, I’m returning to Chicago from a two-day trip to visit with several HVACR suppliers, service providers and manufacturers. While traveling for business certainly is not as much fun when you’re trying to get to Houston, Dallas and points in between to see six organizations in a 48-hour span is as, say, going to Key West, FL, it does have its moments. Those highlights—much like those critical plays during playoff time—are what help keep you moving forward and drive on toward higher, loftier goals.
On the last visit of my trip, I had the opportunity to sit and chat with several folks with Pure Chem Separation, L.P. down in Rhome, TX. We talked about reclamation, what was I hearing on the street about the demand for R-22, how many RSES Journal readers did I think were taking the time to properly reclaim used refrigerant, and a myriad of other topics. It was interesting. It was intriguing.
In our conversation, we talked extensively about refrigerant reclamation and the separation of mixed refrigerants (these guys are experts in that arena). We discussed marketing opportunities, their business model and how they were growing their company. (And with a program targeting contractors, they are. Big time. To find out more about that, click here.)
And as I got ready to head out with the hope that I wouldn’t miss my flight out of DFW (I didn’t…thank God!), they took five minutes to show off their facility. They have a lot of pride in their business and they wanted to share that with me. It was refreshing to see someone so upbeat about the opportunities that the down (but…gulp…hopefully recovering) economy had presented them. At the very end of that tour, they showed where they were building a whole new warehouse for them to store product. Indeed, they were planning for growth and expansion. That wasn’t intriguing—that was exciting.
For the principals at Pure Chem, their second season is on the horizon. They are planning for the future, looking ahead with the expectation to take home their own championship of sorts: growth. Their operation runs 24 hours a day. They’ve added four sales reps and plan to bring two more on board. They are exploring more and more ways to get the word out about their contractor-focused refrigerant buy-back program. And they only see more opportunities out there.
To win titles, it takes discipline, talent, patience and perseverance. It’s a challenging task that many attempt, but few are able to achieve. Personally, seeing companies like Pure Chem take on the obstacles and find ways to overcome them are exactly why I believe in the future of our industry and those who want to see it succeed.
Now, as for those playoffs, Game 1 of the Wings-Coyotes series just went final, and Phoenix is up 1 game to none...anyone want to bet against my Red Wings???
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