There’s no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic affected businesses of all types and sizes. However, as the economy continues to recover in 2021, different categories are rebounding at different rates.

One of the toughest calls I receive as the owner of a public relations agency specializing in the home services industry is from a plumbing or mechanical business owner asking for my help after they find themselves, or their business, in the middle of a crisis.

For more than a year, the pandemic has escalated the need for the building safety industry to quickly evolve and incorporate a digital-first strategy.

The biggest challenge most plumbing contractors face is finding field service personnel. Recruiting is job — one for the company owner.

Snow is coming, and my back recoils in fear at the thought. I should have added snow-melting for our driveway, but I was 30 years younger when we built our forever home.

Leadership is tricky in any industry. In my time serving as a leader for various service companies and as a leadership coach for countless more, I’ve learned a lot the hard way.

This one goes back a bunch of years. The contractor was a good steam man, but he had run out of ideas with this job. It was a typical, five-story, New York City tenement building. Its one-pipe steam system had served generations of tenants for more than 100 years.

I recently provided guidance on a unique residential retrofit project. The house, a modest 2,500 square-foot, two-story, was located in a semi-rural area near Albany, New York.

The skilled trades are certainly no stranger to the difficulties amidst a labor shortage. The most experienced trade pros are nearing retirement, and when you combine that with the lack of high school graduates entering the trades, the skills gap continues to grow.