While the 2014 economic year is in its infancy, there are a number of positive factors indicating the current year will be the strongest comeback year since the end of the recent Great Recession and have the makeup of strong diversified economic elements.
While I have attended many memorable meetings and events during my years of involvement with ASA, I can honestly say some of the most rewarding times have been visits to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress on behalf of ASA and our industry.
If you needed a tool that would best describe an HVAC technician or his company, it would be his manifold and gauges. Other than hand tools, that’s the one most technicians carry. So, it would be unusual to think of a tech going on a “preventive maintenance” or “tune-up” call without connecting this device.
The distribution industry is reliant on the people who receive, pick, pack and ship the goods that we deliver to our customers. Our profitability depends on their productivity. Industry is investing in equipment, software and processes to drive productivity, but the best investment is the continuing health and safety of its workers.
What an honor and a privilege it is to have been asked to serve as 2014 http://www.asa.net ASA president. My father, Herb Strong Jr., served as ASA president in 1996 and I am very proud to follow his lead. I also am very proud to take ASA into 2014 after two consecutive years of net membership growth, a milestone we previously had not reached in decades.
I have been involved with numerous CEOs and presidents in a variety of capacities from being a personal executive coach to sitting on the board of directors to being a consultant on specific leadership and sales projects. In fact, I have walked in those executive shoes myself.
This goes back a bunch of years, but the horror remains as raw and smelly now as if did then, and I can’t blame the airlines. It was the alphabet’s fault. Before we get to that, let’s talk a bit about your body. If you’re sitting while reading me, this means you are currently alive.
I trust everybody had a fun and safe holiday season. I know some folks north of the border certainly enjoyed theirs thanks to some outstanding customer service. Canadian airline WestJet had a virtual Santa ask passengers at airports in Toronto and Hamilton what they wanted for Christmas. Once those planes took off, WestJet employees went on a shopping spree and delivered the specific presents to those same passengers when they arrived at baggage claim in Calgary.
I’ve always been a numbers kind of guy! I liked math when I was in school and learned very early on how powerful numbers can be in helping run a business. The more ways you can analyze your business, the more successful your business will be. STOP! Don’t move onto the next article just because numbers aren’t your thing. At least give me an opportunity to explain why I strongly believe you should incorporate numbers into the management of your showroom.
In school, we were taught how to organize our belongings and create different ways to keep everything neat and clean. Despite this exhaustive teaching in our elementary schools, more of us forget about that either in our business or personal lives. If you look at my desk in the middle of the week you’d think a hurricane roared through. I’ve always believed there is a method to my madness, but there isn’t anything like the feeling of a freshly cleaned desk.
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