CEOs and Contractors Talk

Posted on March 8, 2010

There’s a lot going on in the marketplace right now, which means there was a lot of ground to cover in this afternoon’s CEO/Contractor Forum. An annual event, the forum brings the CEOs from leading HVACR companies and contractors into one ballroom to discuss current issues and drum up a conversation about pertinent topics.

Sponsored by the Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration NEWS, today’s CEO/Contractor Forum touched on a lot of timely topics. With so many challenges and opportunities in today’s swiftly-changing marketplace, the participants shared insights unlike any we’ve experienced in the past.

The CEOs started with some comments on the economy and what they see for the coming year. "Overall, we see a very, very positive future," said Bill Rau of Mitsubishi.

Dave Swift of Goodman acknowledged that the U.S. market is closely connected to the global economy, and that this seeps down to the HVACR industry, both economically and technologically. "We aren't an isolated market," he said. "The things that happen in Asia do have an impact on us."

As building science evolves, the panel sees HVACR technology evolving in stride. "We see that the home will look different, be built different," said Bob McDonough of Carrier. "That will prescribe a different approach to HVAC."

Moderated by Mike Murphy of The NEWS, the panel also addressed how channel relations have improved in the last few years, particularly in the area of communications among manufacturers, distributors and contractors. "I think there's an awful lot more dialog than in the past," McDonough said. "I think the industry is working very well together."

Other workshops and sessions on a variety of HVACR business topics are continually presented this week in Tampa as part of ACCA’s 42nd Annual Conference and Indoor Air Expo. Read all of our blogs and news updates from the event at www.accaconference.com, or from your mobile phone at www.acca10.com.