< Previous20 APRIL 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY PHOTO OF THE MONTH “The Squirrel was Cold” — Dawn Mroczek, GV’s Heating & Cooling, Glenview, IL The customer didn’t know anything was wrong, but my carbon monoxide angel was going off like crazy. I took the flue pipe apart and found a lovely tail and bones! Dawn Mroczek from GV’s Heating and Cooling is the April 2020 winner of our Photo-of-the-Month contest, as voted on by the subscribers to the High-Performance HVAC Today and visitors to the website. She will receive a $50 gift card. You can too! If you’d like to submit a photo for consideration in our Photo-of-the-Month contest, click here ( ncilink.com/POMSubmit ) and fill out the information as requested. THE MAY CONTEST OPENS ON APRIL 13, 2020. That gives you plenty of time to submit something in any of our three categories: The Good, The Bad, and WTH (What the heck). So don’t wait. Submit your photos today.APRIL 2020 21HVACTODAY.COM HVAC SMART MART Advertiser Index HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM AD INDEX To Subscribe to High-Performance HVAC Today: ONLINE: Visit HVACToday.com/subscribe for a FREE digital subscription. PRINT: 1 year/$72; single copy $7. Canada: 1 year/$92; single copy $9. Payable in advance with U.S. funds. Prepaid subscriptions may be sent to: High-Performance HVAC Today, PO Box 147, Avon Lake, OH 44012. Phone: 440-949-1850; toll free 800-633-7058; Fax: 440-949-1851, or visit HVACToday.com/subscribe to order online. Publisher Dominick Guarino Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher Mike Weil Art Director Connie Conklin Online Development Director Brian Roseman Circulation Manager Andrea Begany- Garsed Editorial Assistant Marge Smith Email us at contactus@hvactoday.com with your comments and questions. Arzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.arzelzoning.com ....................................................... 5 Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com ........................................................... 18 Duct Saddles | www.DuctSaddles.com ....................................................................................... 9 Goodman Manufacturing | www.GoodmanMfg.com ......................................................... 2 Lazco Corp. | www.LazcoCorp.com ............................................................................................ 14 R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com .......................................................................... 15 The New Flat Rate | www.TheNewFlatRate.com ................................................................ 21 To Your Success | ToYourSuccess.com ...................................................................................... 21 TSI, Inc. | www.TSI.com/comfort ................................................................................................ 12 United Refrigeration Inc. | www.uri.com ................................................................................. 2022 APRIL 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Look for ways to enroll your team in distance learning they can take even if they are self-quaran- tining at home. They will appreciate that you care enough to do something positive for them. This goes especially for employees who you’ve had to furlough or layoff temporarily. What better way to stay connected and show them you still appreciate them than by enrolling them in online training and other distance learning programs? There are many organizations out there that have ramped up distance learning offerings just over the past few weeks. Many have great content. Be sure to study each offer carefully before enrolling. Some are just thinly veiled sales pitches designed to sell you into buying the latest end-all product or snake oil. Fortunately, most in our industry are legitimate and have great content. NCI is also increasing our efforts with our distance learning programs, from short courses all the way up to comprehensive multi-day classes online. We offer dozens of learning modules on technical, business, and customer service topics, both ala carte and in comprehensive programs. These are available to all your employees at one low cost and include more than 80 pre-recorded webinars with more on the way. Our team is working around the clock to ready live, online residential and commercial recertification classes in response to having to postpone in-person training this spring. They will be available very soon. We will also be offering live, online classes on “Performance-Based Selling” as well as “Implement- ing Air Upgrades.” Go to ncilink.com/online to be contacted about any of these classes. One last note: Consider doing your own web meetings with your employees to keep in communi- cation with them about the company, what you are doing, safety protocols, and so forth. There are nu- merous free apps like Zoom, Google Hangouts and Skype. Some of these have upgraded paid versions. GoToMeeting is also a great and reasonably priced app – we use it here at NCI. I n these unstable times, it’s more important than ever to develop stronger bonds with our employ- ees. Communication is key. We need to substan- tially increase our efforts to let everyone know what’s going on, in real-time. Justifiably so, most people are confused, worried, even scared about what might happen to their fam- ily’s health and well-being. Their financial health is tethered to your company, and they are looking to you for leadership. None of us have magic wands or crystal balls to help us reassure everyone that it will be alright, and things will go back to normal by a certain date. We can, however, reassure our people that we are doing everything possible to keep our companies strong and viable, while adapting to this new normal, al- beit temporary. This steady leadership needs to be demonstrated in clear, concise words, but most im- portantly through our actions. TAKE ACTION There are many ways we can take action to help ensure that we make it through these tough times. In the weeks ahead many articles will be written to address how you can keep your company strong through this pandemic. One key action to take immediately is communi- cating with customers how you plan to keep them safe during this tumultuous time. Be sure to focus all your marketing and communication efforts on this messaging. I shared some thoughts on how you can be proactive with customers in my April Last Word in Contracting Business magazine: COVID-19 And Your Business: Fight or Flight? DISTANCE LEARNING CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE If things are slow, it’s important to keep your people engaged and hopeful by looking forward to- wards the future. Keeping them engaged through learning is a good way to keep employees positive and hopeful. ONE MORE THING... By Dominick Guarino Show Leadership By Staying Connected To Your Team Dominick Guarino is publisher of High-Performance HVAC Today magazine and CEO of National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at domg@ncihvac.com Next >