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While much uncertainty in the economy is ahead, we know we’ve been in this position before and we know we can weather any changes ahead. It will be increasingly important to harness the power of not only our industry trade association, but also the power of the organizations across our industry working together collectively, cooperatively and complementary as buying groups, adjacent industry organizations, and regions to support our overall industry strength.

We have much smarter circulators these days, so I was wondering whether today’s contractors preferred using circulators or zone valves. I posed the question on The Wall at HeatingHelp.com, which is a place where some of the smartest hydronic-minded people meet to discuss such things. They are never shy when asked a question. Here’s some of what they had to say.

As the popular saying goes, "branding is what people say about you when you're not in the room," while marketing is how you communicate your brand message to the world.

So will 2023 still be a sellers’ market, or can we expect things to level out? According to Danielle Hale, Realtor.com chief economist, next year could be more of a “nobody’s market.”

As 2022 comes to a close it is now time to review my predictions from last year as well as predict ten more trends I see as we enter 2023. Just like last year, I will stay away from prognosticating about where the stock market will be at this end of the year; instead, I will stick to identifying trends that supply houses will find important in this upcoming year. With all that being said, let's jump right in and review my 2022 predictions.

When I open the ballroom door and enter the 2022 DPHA conference, the booths catch my eye but I am looking for familiar industry wide faces and those new personalities that i do not know.  The DPHA conference is all about the decorative plumbing and hardware, period. It presents me with the opportunity to see new products from decorative plumbing and hardware focused vendors, industry relevant education sessions and opportunities to interact with the people that manage and own DPHA businesses.

Commercial motor vehicles have a strict obligation to comply with several federal regulations to ensure that our roadways are safe for travelers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA regulation subpart 392.9) requires commercial vehicle drivers to inspect and properly secure all cargo before starting and operating their vehicles.

Fantham served as ASA president in 2015 and was at the helm and played a key role during that timeframe when ASA was able to add a critical codes and standards staff position. Fantham currently is doing a second stint on the ASA board of directors, while many Hajoca team members are volunteer leaders serving on a variety of different ASA advisory councils, task groups and special interest divisions.

I have been fortunate this past year to have traveled the country as ASA president and was able to speak to many different groups. Each time, I talked about what I call the base case for what ASA delivers to its members, which is impressive on its own.

I wrote a book for homeowners in 2003 and called it, “We Got Steam Heat” (with apologies to The Pajama Game). I wrote that book because I had written another book 11 years earlier that I called “The Lost Art of Steam Heating.” A lot of homeowners bought “Lost Art" because they were having difficulty finding a contractor who knew anything about steam heat, so they decided to get their learn on.