What rescession ?

Al_3

Al_3

Rescession

Every time I turn on the tube, or tune in the radio, I here something about a rescession. I don't know about everyone else but I am as busy now, if not busier, than I was during clinton. If I could find service techs & installers that had good work ethics & knowledge could put them to work in seconds. It stinks, I'm turning away installs every day because I'm too busy with new construction & existing customer service work, & we all know there is way more $ in equiptment replacement than faucet repairs. I realize the stock market stinks, trust me I do realize it, but there is more to our nation's economy than the stock market, I've lost plenty in the market, but have not seen a slow down in my work or the willingness of my customers to want to spend money, including myself, just bought a 40k john deere 110, and built a 48' x 60' shop !!! Is big buisiness really all it's cracked up to be? To me seems though it Isn't ........
GO PRESIDENT BUSH, LET'S KICK SOME IRAQI A--, Sign me up!!!

kevin

I know...

that I am busier than I ever thought I would be....Small bussiness is what drives our country...kpc

Al_3

Rescession

You hit the nail on the head!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve Ebels

No sign of it up here in Mich.

We just booked about $55,000 in work in the last week. We're also on the inside track for a restruant/bar/conference center, about 12,000 sq ft. plus some snow melt for the sidewalks.These are in addition to an already brimming job schedule from now til January.

Recession?? I don't see no stinkin' recession!!

Here's one reason we're busy. I dropped off a gift to a customers home today along with a little note saying how much we appreciated their business. (It was a nice job, panel rads, radiant floor, towel warmers, Buderus) They had decorated the home in Scandinavian style so I got on the Net and found a place that had genuine Norwegian wool blankets for sale and got one for them. Wasn't cheap ($150) but our work wasn't either. About 3 this afternoon my cell phone rings. The lady of the house had come home and found the box and card. She called up just to say thanks and how much they appreciated the gift. She went on to relate that of all the houses they have built, no-one had ever done that for them. (Believe me when I say they build houses for a hobby) Just goes to show how much of an impression a little thoughtfulness makes these days in the world of gimme-gimme-gimme. I do the same for about all of our installation jobs. Even if it's only a furnace changeout the customer still gets a $15-20 gift certificate.
You can't believe the good will this has created for us.

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

canuckDale

Nice touch!!

It's not gimmie gimmie gimmie

It's gimmie~~~ then gimmie back then get.

Very professional S Ebels!!!

Recession will never phase your way!

Mark Eatherton1

I give up....

Every time, about this time of year, I state, " I've never been this busy in my whole life", then, we get busier!!

Good things come to those who wait, and are good at what they do. If you are good at what you do, and you can prove it, then charge accordingly. No regrets, no concerns.

ME

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

anthony_7

from a customers view

Being on the customer end. No recession will affect the supply and demand for HVAC. Just be aware that the HVAC guy today who writes his own ticket will be fighting to get the job one day when business does slow down. Keep this in mind though speaking as a business man. The biggest seller for most people is GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE and QUALITY WORK in that order. If you have that in your pocket you have half sold the job. DONT TURN INTO HOME DEPOT. I am sure you all know what I am talking about.

heretic

Wrong industry

If you want to fully appreciate this recession, you need to work in high tech.
15% of high tech jobs in my state(MA)have evaporated, and the rate of loss is still accelerating.
I was personally out of work 4 months last year, and the market is just brutal. I was truly very lucky to find work. I have several friends who have been out for a year or more, and many more who were forced into 'under-employment' in retail or whatever.
An additional 7% staff cut was just announced by my present employer, but has not yet been implemented.
While I may lose my job tommorrow, I am still buying a new boiler this fall. This is not exactly a discretionary purchase.
On the other hand, my planned addition is now on hold indefinitely, so one less job for a heating contractor.
Commercial construction in my region has dryed up, so those guys must be feeling something by now.
It would probably take a big drop in housing starts (like 1987-1992) to really shakeup your industry. What brought that one on? In my region, it was largely attributable to the high-tech meltdown that preceded it.

Trouble ahead? Perhaps not... I have read there is another factor at work in your biz.
The fact is that there are far more plumbing/heating folks retiring than getting into the business. Low supply may keep demand strong.
On the other hand, the booming 90's created too many new software engineers to be sustained.
Perhaps it's time for me to seek fame and fortune as a heating professional...
(if only I didn't have to deal with those annoying homeowners)

ross

from what i've seen....

the recession has not negatively affected the residential construction business. I think mainly because of the lowest interest rates this country has seen in, what, 30 years or something? However, on the commercial/industrial side, there has been a fairly significant decrease in work.

John R. Hall

Help wanted

I met a Texas HVAC contractor this week and he said he had a couple of young guys who quit on him recently because they felt the grass was greener on the other side and didn't want to take additonal training. Too bad, but this is not an isolated incident. Now the guy is a one-man shop but he still took the time to spend a few days at a contraftor conference. I asked him who was tending to his customers and he said they were all put on hold this week. This guy could use the help and is finding the pickins' slim.

Al_3

I agree

I think I happen to agree with Mr Snow in that I have a hard time finding Qualified persons to fill positions, or for that matter, persons wanting to start at the bottom to learn a very lucritive career. I am almost always willing to open up my brain to offer young guys what i have learned in exchange for A PAYCHECK not tuition fees. -AL