ACCA Now September/October 2020

C EO ’ S COLUMN

Summer Reflection

ity installation and high-performance systems to homeowners and home buyers. Additionally, we also launched a partnership with RYNO Strategic Solutions, To The Point Home Ser- vices Podcast. Their podcast provides solutions to help HVAC, plumbing, electrical and roofing compa- nies learn how to grow their business with market- ing & operational solutions. And we have partnered with them on our new podcast, Clear the Air With ACCA, where we cover topics such as; where to find potential employees off the beaten track. Hire for character and train for talent, Warranty tracking. The do’s, the don’ts, the outcome, and the lost rev- enue, and what is a reasonable gross profit margin and do your technicians understand why you charge what you charge? We also are making our mark with getting a younger generation excited about HVAC. We revamped our internship program, and this summer, we had 5 interns in the marketing/communications department, 1 event planning intern, and 1 fellow working with our government relations department. They worked on a variety of projects that include, launching a new social media series, “HVAC Corner with Matt Akins, ACCA’s manager of HVACR Edu- cation, working on a new line of animated educa- tional videos, writing blog articles to keep members informed on current industry news and trends, and working on policy issues that impact our industry. To learn more about internship opportunities with ACCA, visit acca.org/about-acca/opportunities. It is our pleasure to serve you. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT A top priority for ACCA is to encourage more people to find rewarding careers in the skilled trades. ACCA’s Workforce Development initia- tive is free to members in good standing and provides both direction and a variety of online resources to help business owners participate in attracting and training stu- dents to enter and thrive in the HVACR trade.

AS AN INDUSTRY, we made it through an especially challenging summer. With heat melting tempera- tures and COVID-19 concerns, contractors across the country experienced an uncharted territory head-on. We had hundreds upon hundreds of calls and conversations with ACCA members, providing them with resources and tools as we navigated through these difficult times. And now we are plowing ahead in a newworld of howwe do business. And as always, ACCA is still here to support and provide resources for you to continue to service your customers in a safe and smart manner. And remember, the ACCA resources avail- able to you are also available to your employ- ees. Any employee of an ACCA member company can receive ACCA’s weekly communications, as well as access to articles and trainings on the ACCA web- site. If you have team members you would like to have access to ACCA resources, email membership@ acca.org, and let them know the team members’ names, titles, and email addresses for them to be added to our email distribution list, and to access content through the ACCA website. We are constantly adding useful tools and infor- mation for our members, and this summer, we announced that Pearl Certification, a national firm that provides third-party certification of high-per- forming homes has joined ACCA’s corporate partner program. Pearl’s extensive relationships with real estate professionals help endorse heating, ventila- tion, and air conditioning contractors (HVAC). This more effectively markets their investments in qual-

Barton James is President and CEO of ACCA. He can be reached at barton. james@acca.org.

BECOMING AN RSI ACCREDITED CONTRACTOR GIVES YOU AN ADVANTAGE

As an HVAC business professional, your business needs to take advantage of the value of maintaining a close relation- ship with a professional trade association. ACCA is the HVAC’s premier trade organization that offers HVAC contractors the opportunity to become accredited for the New Homes Pro- gram and Residential Service and Installation (RSI) Program through our Quality Assured Program. Becoming an accredited contractor is a great way to grow your project opportunities.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020