Residential contractors: Squeaking out a profit with a smile

George L. “Butch” Welsch

Squeaking out a profit in these times may sound too good to be true, but residential contractors George L. “Butch” Welsch, of St. Louis, Mo., and Jeff Laski, of Detroit shared their secrets to success in the residential marketplace at the Partners in Progress conference earlier this month.

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Homeowner couldn’t be happier thanks to Day Heating’s geothermal system

Trenching around trees required advance planning.

The owner of a Salem, Ore., residence was unhappy with his original ductless split system and was seeking greater air distribution along with more energy efficiency throughout his ranch-style home. He recently asked SMACNA contractor Day Heating Co., of Salem, Ore., to install a closed-loop, 2-ton capacity geothermal system, and now he couldn’t be happier. “He is extremely pleased with the system’s performance,” said Jim Klopfenstein, president of Day Heating Co., of Salem, Ore.

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Residential Contractors Forum: Learn 12 dozen ways to get and keep customers

Contractors attending SMACNA’s annual convention will discover more than 12 dozen simple ways to get and keep customers during the Residential Contractor’s Forum. The presenter, sales and marketing expert Matt Michel, will teach participants how to attract enough customers and keep them – so the rest can take care of itself.

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SMACNA contractors report Recovery Act a “big boost” for business

SMACNA member firms and their employees are benefitting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the massive federal construction and tax incentive-based effort passed in 2009 to promote public building energy efficiency, building retrofits and building related infrastructure projects.

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Tax credits and rebates offer consumers more options

SMACNA was recently officially recognized on the Energy Star Web site as an Energy Star Program Partner. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that helps consumers and companies save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Legislative

• SMACNA contractors report Recovery Act a “big boost” for business
• Commercial tax incentives available for business owners

Residential

• Residential Contractors Forum: Learn 12 dozen ways to get and keep customers
• Tax credits and rebates offer consumers more options
• Proposed Home Star program would stimulate even more residential work
• What are consumers looking for in a contractor?

Featured Topics

• Selling high efficiency systems with tax credits and rebates
• Homeowner couldn’t be happier thanks to Day Heating’s geothermal system
• Residential contractors: Squeaking out a profit with a smile

Education

• NATE certification offered by ITI creates a higher standard of HVAC excellence
• About NATE certification

Industry Related

• HVAC Comfortech 2010 coming to Baltimore

Annual Convention

• Introducing new geothermal session at SMACNA’s annual convention