< PreviousHVAC SMART MART 20 NOVEMBER 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYAD INDEX HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TM Publisher Dominick Guarino Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher Mike Weil Art Director Judy Marquardt Online Development Director Brian Roseman Circulation Manager Andrea Begany-Garsed 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; or visit HVACToday.com/subscribe to order online. Go to ncilink.com/ContactMe with your comments and questions. NOVEMBER 2023 21HVACTODAY.COM Advertiser Index Arzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.ArzelZoning.com .................................................... 20 Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com ........................................................... 20 Daikin Comfort Technologies North America, Inc. | www.northamerica-daikin.com 21 Duct Saddles | www.DuctSaddles.com ..................................................................................... 18 Evergreen Telemetry | www.EvergreenTelemetry.com ........................................................ 2 Lazco Corporation | www.Lazcocorp.com ............................................................................. 15 R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com .......................................................................... 23 Sauermann | www.sauermanngroup.com ............................................................................ 12 TEC (The Energy Conservatory) | www.energyconservatory.com ............................... 18 To Your Success | www.ToYourSuccess.com .......................................................................... 20 Tru Tech Tools | www.TruTechTools.com ..............................................................................5, 20ONE MORE THING... By Dom Guarino 22 NOVEMBER 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY A s Mike Weil mentioned in his editorial, our industry is experiencing a higher rate of change than ever before. Not only is technology changing at breakneck speed, so is our labor pool. Technicians are leav- ing our industry in droves with baby boomers re- tiring at almost twice the rate as younger people coming in. Then there’s the age-old problem of poach- ing, where some play the zero sum game of steal- ing employees from each other, offering signing bonuses and other perks. This game of musical chairs discourages loyalty for both employers and employees. In the midst of all this chaos, we have to some- how continuously train these good people — and most are good — to keep themselves and your customers safe, and provide a higher level of pre- cision and accuracy than ever before. When you look at it from that angle it’s a pretty tall order. Add to that most contractors feel they cannot afford the lost opportunity cost of taking their people out of the field for training; which is by far the highest cost. HOW DISTRIBUTORS CAN HELP Contractors could really use help from distrib- utors to get the training they need in a manner that won’t break the bank. Just as important, the training has to actually make a difference. This is true from a technical standpoint, espe- cially with new technology like inverter systems that require high quality design, installation, and testing. It’s also critical when it comes to mone- tizing what a well-trained contracting organiza- tion has to offer – especially a high-performance contractor. The silver lining is distributors who support and encourage this level of training benefit from Distributors: Add Incredible Value for Your HVAC Contractor Customers Dominick Guarino is publisher of High-Performance HVAC Today magazine and. President & CEO of National Comfort Institute, Inc. He can be reached at ncilink. com/contactme . higher ticket sales, fewer callbacks and warranty issues, and a stellar reputation for their brands. Training done right can be a win-win for every- one in the channel including manufacturers, dis- tributors, contractors, field people, and most im- portantly – end customers. At a HARDI (Heating, Air Conditioning & Re- frigeration Distributors International) Confer- ence a number of years ago the theme was, “How can a distributor be more than a commodity?” The most common question that echoed over and over was, “How can I add value to differen- tiate my organization?” Simple: Offer the best training programs in your market! So, I lay down the challenge to all distributors out there to take a hard look at yourselves in the mirror. Are you a training-oriented organization that regularly supports and encourages custom- ers to attend good training at your location? I’m not just talking about “product demo and a slice of pizza,” training, but one or more day- long classes, that preferably include certification exams. This type of training is what will move the needle for your customers — and your company. The right training not only makes contractors better installers and servicers of the equipment you sell them, it also helps them sell higher effi- ciency equipment as well as air distribution ren- ovations to ensure the equipment can efficiently deliver the comfort it was designed to provide. With the right training partners, it’s not that difficult or costly to offer a solid training pro- gram, preferably at your location, where you can invite both existing and potential customers to come see what you are doing to support them. Don’t put it off. Now is the perfect time to build your training program for 2024. Need some help? Give NCI a call. We’d be glad to share what’s work- ing for many great distributors out there!NOVEMBER 2023 23HVACTODAY.COMNext >