If there is one saving grace, dare I say it, a silver lining to the shortage of sheet metal workers, it's this: now, more than ever, contractors are taking note of the talent they have on their shop floors.

As immersive technologies like augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) continue to advance, many business leaders recognize the value of these tools as fundamental elements for visualizing complex data and supporting more information-rich experiences. 

New technology can be intimidating. This is even more true for many HVAC contracting companies who operate off tradition and legacy: This is how I was taught to manage projects, so this is how I’ll keep managing projects.

If there is one conversation we love to explore in the pages of Snips, it is how the industry is changing. Yet since officially taking over the editorial reins of the magazine this summer, I’ve spoken with enough contractors to know that the industry has already changed — and those changes are far from over.

Too often we find ourselves making important decisions based on cost, not value. Ironically value engineering has become a common term used by cost-conscious building owners and specifiers as they move away from plumbing materials with proven performance track records, toward reinvented, cheaper and, most of the time, inferior products.

If you face this situation, you must ask yourself: Are these civil or criminal charges? An example of a civil charge is when you give your bookkeeper check-signing authority and he or she steals.

During the past several years, new-style silicon nitride igniters for furnaces and boilers have taken over the industry. Virtually all new residential gas furnaces now feature the new technology.

Videos are one of the best ways to help you stand out in today’s competitive online environment. They allow you to inject personality into your messages, build trust and connect with viewers on an emotional level.

Bob Barnes, the owner of Western Heating in Boise, Idaho, has been my client for six years.

It’s not often that the machinations of politicians in Washington, D.C., quickly find their way onto Snipsmag.com or the pages of this magazine.