What does getting employees to “released” mean?

The other day, my husband and I ventured over to our local hardware store to purchase a Big Green Egg grill and smoker. You see, it was a deal between the two of us: Last year, I got my bucket list Italian vacation and this year, he gets his smoker.

Plumbers, like most technical people, value their technical skills above all else. Consumers, who have little ability to discern good plumbing from poor or average work, tend to judge plumbers based on their soft skills. Ignoring the soft skills is like ignoring half of a repair. Here is a 10-point soft skills checklist for your team.

Last fall, a generous plumbing contractor in Las Vegas allowed me to park a trailer-load of four-wheelers in his backyard. It was an incredible backyard. I’ll be happy to tell you his name, but I’m about to tell you about his son.

Elegance is the name of the game with modern bathrooms. To keep up with the demands of the public, the plumbing codes and standards have changed regarding modern bathrooms. Some changes are for the good; others, well, we will have to see.

When I say “the lack of training and systems can be disastrous,” it might sound a bit dramatic to you. I can assure you, however, that the quality of your training and systems can truly make or break your business, your reputation, the level of service you offer, safety on the job and your overall profitability.

In 1989 when we started our business, The Lovely Marianne asked me what I was going to do to make money for her and our four daughters. I told her I was going to write books, but it would take some time to do that.

One of the “delights” of designing hydronic systems is looking for synergistic opportunities, where one device provides multiple functions or benefits that would otherwise require two or more separate devices.

For more than 17 years, I’ve been helping contractors learn and practice good habits. It has improved their lives, their employees’ lives and even the lives of the customers they serve.

Four years ago, I attended my first AHR Expo in Chicago. And no matter how many times my colleagues warned me to bring my walking shoes, I was blown away by the sheer size of the event. I put in my daily 10,000 steps — and then some — walking back and forth between the halls learning about ductless mini-splits, cooling towers, boilers, water heaters and more.