When I first began writing about the plumbing and heating industry in 1998, succession planning was an issue because many owners of contracting businesses weren’t looking ahead to retirement, especially those who owned smaller shops.

I grew up in Cadillac, Mich. And no, it’s not near Detroit. My parents still live there, and I like to go back and visit — especially when the high-speed pace of Chicago gets to me.

Total comfort systems in commercial buildings come in three common varieties, using water, air or refrigerant. For mechanical contractors, specifying engineers and building owners, important considerations relate to a specific system’s installation, maintenance and life-cycle costs.

Change isn’t always easy, especially for service businesses that are already dealing with aggressive competitors, demanding customers, shrinking margins and a whole host of productivity issues. With everything else going on in a business owner’s day, evaluating which business software solutions to purchase ends up on the back burner.

 You probably have heard the story about a former director of the U.S. Patent Office. In 1899, the story goes, he recommended closing the office because “everything that can be invented has been invented.” 

If you’re the owner of a small business — or small businesses make up a big part of your customer base — here’s another reason to worry about climate change.  

 The Plumbing Industry Leadership Coalition met in June to address three topics we’ve discussed in this column in recent months: the federal law on no-lead plumbing products; the next generation of plumbing industry professionals; and the nation’s aging infrastructure. 

 We’ve seen this collision before when two indicators of nonresidential construction activity are released virtually at the same time, with each moving in a different direction. The divergent reports support comments I’ve heard lately from contractors, wholesalers and manufacturers that the road to economic recovery remains a bumpy one. 

The world we live in would not be the same if air conditioning weren’t available. Entire regions of the world would have remained undeveloped, sustaining minimal populations, if air conditioning hadn’t become a part of our lives.