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ST. LOUIS - What? No planned golf outing? No planned city tours for spouses? Come to think of it, where are all the spouses at this AirTime 500 Expo?
"We're here for business," assured member Bob Gersden, owner of Switzerland Air - Air Conditioning & Heating, of Cincinnati. "This is not a vacation. We're here for business."
Business, business, and still more business.
Terry Nicholson, John Young, Jim Abrams, and the powers that be at AirTime 500 did not allow the 400-plus attending members to drift away from the business at hand at its gathering, held August 18-22. And, the business at hand was to make sure attendees had enough tools, services, and information, all with the intent to help members grow their respective firms, remain profitable, and stay ahead of the pack.
"That's our job," said Nicholson, president of Contractor Services. "We want our contractors to be the best. They are the best and we intend to provide them with enough tools and information to remain the best."
Club Memberships
At the opening session on August 21, Nicholson kicked off Member Day with an eye-opening look at the future. He asked some candid questions in an effort to look at what might be in store for contractors in the HVACR industry.
"The key to your future? You have to have a profit," he said. "No matter what reason you started your business, in order to keep it going, you have to have a profit. You have to have a profit if you are going to stay in this business."
Nicholson noted that competition is coming from all sides, including from manufacturers and big box retailers, such as Home Depot and Sears.
"Could they be getting into the HVAC business today not with the immediate purpose to make a profit? Maybe they want you. Maybe they want you gone. Maybe they just want what you know today. Is that possible? Is it possible they want your labor pool? Is it possible they want your clients as well?
"These are some of the questions we all have to deal with," said Nicholson.
In today's market, he noted that manufacturers are fighting for sales, too.
"Who controls their sales?" he asked the crowded room of contractors....