Each year I attend Comfortech, a national convention of plumbing, heating and cooling contractors. With it being in Nashville this year, I was excited to attend so close to home, as well as having the opportunity to be a presenter with a colleague of mine, Jim Hinshaw (Sales Improvement Professionals, Inc. of Ft. Collins, CO).
Comfortech hosts approximately 1100 attendees from the United States and Canada at the annual gathering. Breakout sessions are designed to educate and inspire business transformation while delivering insight in the latest industry trends.
Jim and I were asked to lead a breakout session focusing on the quintessential small HVAC contractor. Statistically speaking, HVAC contractors begin small and remain small throughout the life of their businesses. Our presentation shared information to help that contractor break through the half million-dollar revenue ceiling, historically, a large challenge. The presentation was hopefully entertaining as well as informative and I hope attendees left our session feeling it was time well spent. In preparation for the session, I was afforded the time to review my own business history and practices that not only provided material for the presentation but also created new ideas to benefit our customers locally as well.
This convention is always a breath of fresh air for me, an opportunity to leave the day to day operations of the business and interact with my peers and share best practices. Each year I return to work with a better attitude and energized to refocus on existing projects or start new ones. Unfortunately, I was disappointed I did not see any other local companies in attendance. It was a great opportunity to easily access such valuable information on how to better serve our customers, community and coworkers. Returning to this event each year reminds me of the importance of continuing education. In 2001 when I graduated from MTSU the auditorium gave a standing ovation to a graduate crossing the stage that was at least in her 70’s if not her 80’s. The announcer told the auditorium that this was not her first degree and wouldn’t be her last; she had already registered for the next semester. This has become a moment I will never forget and a philosophy I will continue to live by, never stop learning!
See you next year Comfortech!
