Alan Givens, owner of Parrish Services in Manassas, Va., was one of a select number of Americans invited to talk with President Barack Obama April 15.

Givens is a member of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association.

During the meeting in Washington, D.C., Obama went over the tax changes recently enacted and emphasized his commitment to providing tax cuts to Americans who need them, while jump-starting growth and job creation in the process.

Obama invited the people in the room to talk about the real effects of his tax policies on their lives.

“They’re business owners like Alan Givens, who wants his company to sustain itself through bad times as well as the good,” Obama said. “And I was encouraged to hear that Alan’s business is going strong on a whole bunch of clean-energy measures that he’s helping to promote in his area.”

When talking with the president, Givens emphasized the efforts of the plumbing, heating and cooling industry to promote renewable energy and support a positive environment for businesses to succeed.

“The meeting was excellent,” Givens said. “President Obama was glad to hear that the incentives are helping business, and asked in particular about some stimulus package components, like weatherization, that may benefit PHC businesses. I was able to report that I am actively promoting the geothermal tax credits to my customers, which helps them save money and helps my company get new business.”

Givens said they discussed how tax credits for renewable technologies are creating jobs in the U.S. and helping drive business opportunities for his firm and other firms in the industry.

“The president was very pleased to learn that my first quarter 2009 company revenues were up 85 percent, and that we anticipate our best year ever,” Givens said. “The biggest problem facing us is now that the stimulus bill is being enacted, how do we manage such phenomenal growth?”

Givens, who mentors half a dozen companies across the country, said other firms also are experiencing increases in sales and net profits.

“It’s a matter of mindset and attitude,” he said. “We have phenomenal services to sell to the American public. And for consumers influenced by the ‘gloom and doom’ stories, we have answers with new tax incentives.”