Operations

FeatureUtilizing the “Laws of Service” are an easyway to improve your business By George Lanthier Over the years, I have been an oil-truck driver, service technician, service manager, instructor, service company owner and consultant, and I have often been asked for my most basic “tricks,” or what others might call “rules.” I really don’t believe in tricks and rules-of-thumb and ...

FeatureCarrier University provides dealers and distributors with professional advancement Carrier Corporation, headquartered in Farmington, Conn., has long been involved with providing training, education and professional development opportunities to its dealer and distributor partners. Recently, the corporation’s efforts were formalized under the name Carrier University and a variety of courses were updated and added.Carrier conducts training sessions nationally throughout the year, ...

Cover Story For several years, Oil Tech Talk’s Alan Mercurio has traveled throughout the United States bringing training and consulting to many companies within the oilheating industry. Mercurio’s services are often utilized by well-known companies and organizations such as R.W. Beckett, Honeywell Corporation, Kosco (Kingston Oil Service Company) and the National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers.Mercurio, who was named ...

FeaturesWhen playing the market, options can be as simple or complex as you desire to make themby James M. Burr This month we will discuss the basics of options. You cannot effectively use options tools in your hedging portfolio until you understand how they work. This discussion will focus on how options work, while future articles will delve into how ...

FeaturesCustomer Relationship Management can reduce costs, increase revenueBy Mike Hatch Technology has transformed the way many companies now approach marketing and the management of customer relations. Many highly successful Fortune 500 Companies have successfully employed CRM, or Customer Relationship Management technology. The technology has provided significant competitive advantages while reducing costs, expanding capabilities and growing revenue.In the oilheat industry, our ...

FeaturesHow to make a swap contract work for you and your business By James M. Burr Last month we discussed the basics of futures contracts. This month, we are going to discuss the basics of swaps.For the purposes of this article, we will assume that the terms ‘swaps contract,” ‘derivatives” and ‘over-the-counter contracts (OTCs)” are all interchangeable.A swap contract is ...

2005 AHR Expo celebrates 75th anniversary with record number of exhibitors For the first time in the 75-year history of the AHR Expo, the show was held in Orlando, Fla., and as anticipated, it attracted a large number of industry professionals from around the globe. According to show management, the 2005 AHR Expo set a new record for number of ...

FeaturesBY CHRIS TRACZEK Sears is one of the most recognized and well-respected brands in North America. Sears Home Central in Canada not only epitomizes the brand, but is also Canada’s largest retailer. The mega-retailer is known for brands like Kenmore, its expansive retail outlets and its far-reaching HVAC Service and Equipment Repair network. The breadth of the company’s HVAC Service ...

FeaturesSeries to focus on the fundamentals of energy risk managementBy James M. Burr This is the first in a series of articles on energy risk management. These articles will cover the fundamentals of futures, options, swaps, basis and spreads. Each of these tools will be analyzed as to how they can be used to protect various areas of risk. We ...

FeaturesBy Adams Hudson Have you wondered why the most irritated people in the world always call you? Actually, it could have less to do with you than it does with the kind of contracting business you’re in. (Plus, there’s actually good news in the call which we’ll cover in a moment.)Let’s get simple here: HVAC contractors get irritable phone calls ...