A Time To Be Thankful

Posted on:

September 25, 2017

November is almost here, and those in the HVACR industry are finally catching up after a hot and hectic summer, a hurricane season with unprecedented destruction, and several other horrible natural disasters. Due to the pace of events this year, it’s possible that you may have missed some of the positive activities that our industry has to be thankful for.

Therefore, I’d like to offer a brief review of some of these events and accomplishments.

ACCA kicked the year off with a high-energy and impactful annual conference and trade show in Nashville, featuring a colorful keynote address from Bar Rescue’s Jon Taffer. Mr. Taffer kept an audience of nearly 1,500 engaged and thinking about his marketing and branding advice – like painting your fleet of trucks and vans with polka dots!

We were glad to have the opportunity to welcome Taffer to our event. As the President and CEO of ACCA, I spent a lot of time reflecting on his advice. In fact, we are implementing some changes at ACCA based on his suggestions! Our goal is to ensure that the national association for HVACR contractors is noticed on Capitol Hill, within the federal regulatory agencies, and with consumers who are looking for more information about quality contracting practices.

We may not be putting polka dots on our website, but we have made some changes and are moving forward at ACCA. Perhaps you noticed ACCA’s expanded use of social media, including Facebook and Twitter – particularly in early summer when there was a flurry of activity focused on the skilled trades and workforce issues.

We were truly amazed this summer by the national focus on workforce issues in the skilled trades. On June 15, President Trump, with the support of Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, released the “Presidential Executive Order Expanding Apprenticeships in America.” The Executive Order will allow more federal resources to be used to promote vocational training programs and remove restrictions that have prevented the HVACR industry from creating new apprenticeship programs. While the President was promoting this issue, the House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation to reauthorize the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which will provide funding for technical education and training.

As the federal government was working to move these industry priorities forward, ACCA was participating at the SkillsUSA national competition in Louisville, Kentucky. We increased ACCA’s footprint at this remarkable event, which includes a competition from the top high school and post-secondary HVACR students from every state. As part of our expanded presence at the SkillsUSA competition, ACCA coordinated with the Rees Scholarship Foundation to earmark generous scholarship awards for the top three students in the high school and post-secondary competitions.

A continuous nationwide push to promote careers in the skilled trades is needed to ensure we can make a difference for your company and our industry. While we certainly have some wind in our sails, we must sustain it, or policy makers will lose interest. Because, when it comes to Congress, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Rest assured, ACCA will continue to work on these issues for contractors and we are thankful every day for ACCA’s vocal members who share this same enthusiasm.

We are also thankful for ACCA’s Corporate Partners who demonstrate their support for quality contractors by being a part of this premier level of ACCA sponsorship. ACCA works very closely with them and know how committed they are to the contracting community. We’re excited by the support that they continually provide to contractors.

Many of our Corporate Partners are working with ACCA to promote quality contracting practices. They provide contractors with numerous resources to help maintain high levels of customer service, increase bottom lines, sell more equipment and services, and reach new markets. But, some of ACCA’s Corporate Partners have stepped forward with even more support for these issues by promoting ACCA’s 2018 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. from February 12-14.

ACCA’s Annual Conference is dedicated to helping contractors grow their business, implement new technology, identify new marketing opportunities, and much more. As of press time, Bryant, Carrier, Daikin, Goodman, and Rheem have all committed to allowing their contracting partners to use co-op funds to attend the conference. ACCA is thankful that so many Corporate Partners have committed to helping contractors attend the 2018 conference, where ACCA will “Up the Ante!”

We are also very thankful for ACCA’s members for being part of this incredible organization. ACCA members set the standard in the contracting industry. Many go above and beyond to provide customers with the highest levels of customer service. ACCA has a very competent and dedicated staff eager to serve your needs and provide a wide variety of tools and services to help your business grow. We are all thankful for your membership, support, and participation in the nation’s premier trade association that’s dedicated to HVACR contractors and their staff.