As the new managing editor of HVACR Business, I would like to thank all of you for your warm and welcoming messages. Let me assure you that I plan on not only preserving the legacy of this great magazine but building on its history of excellence. In the coming months, expect several extremely exciting and welcomed changes that we hope will enhance the reader experience and improve editorial content for all our subscribers.

News and updates… 

First, the big news is that we will be launching our new website on or about June 1st. You can expect an updated, more intuitive design, and layout. After conducting an inventory last year, we realized we’ve published more than 2,000 business management articles and our current content management system was not equipped to manage that type of volume. The new site’s CMS is designed specifically to make searches for visitors much more logical. The design will be much different as well. One that we know will be easier to navigate. We expect the upgrade will ensure a better online experience for all HVACR Business subscribers and visitors. If you are new to HVACR Business, now is the time to subscribe – it’s about to get even better!

Additionally, we have begun expanding our social media presence. Admittedly, we had been lagging a bit on engagement. The plan now is to be omnipresent and available to hear your feedback in real time. I encourage all our subscribers and loyalists to please follow us! Feel free to comment with any suggestions or feedback. We welcome it. Your feedback and interactive engagement will only help us to grow. If you haven’t yet, check out our new Instagram page @hvacrbusiness and we are on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. We post our best management and leadership articles there and all the latest goings-on in HVACR Business. While there, check out the latest on the Tops in Trucks contest. Right now, as you read this, we’re getting down to picking our winners!

Onto more serious business… 

As I begin my journey with the magazine, I am keenly aware of the precarious times in which we live. Supply shortages and gas prices have plagued small business owners, especially service providers like you. Although as an industry, we’ve had a great run compared to many as the country has seen you simply can't do without heating and cooling no matter the circumstances. My goal is to provide the best business management content and advice available to help you manage your business.

Newest must-reads…

In April, we shared an article on regulatory changes by Jennifer Butsch, Director, Regulatory Affairs, AC at Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions. Bookmark it! Typically, we don’t report on regulatory matters, but given the pending refrigerant changes we knew the information would be exceptionally helpful to readers. 

And, because we know many of you derive great benefits from advice-based content, enjoy this month’s cover feature. Keith Snow, President, and CEO of B2E Data Marketing, lays out all the benefits of weather-triggered marketing. It’s a mini-master course!

Also, coming in July, look for a spotlight feature on HVAC technician, Jessica Bannister. Bannister offers a new and interesting point of view. She not only wants to open doors for women in HVACR but has it as her personal goal to spread the word in schools to encourage kids who want to seek out careers in the skilled trades. I cannot wait to hear your feedback! 

Finally, while some of you may have found the supply chain shortages, unsettling, let me leave you with some positive predictors. The industry may be able to let out a collective exhale, at least according to a recent article titled, Contractors Expect Growth In 2022: Report. Research indicates that while the outlook is still wobbly, the forecast for recovery is good. 

Construction contractors expect increasing demand for numerous types of projects in 2022 despite ongoing supply chain and labor challenges. The findings are detailed in Expecting Growth While Coping with the Lingering Impacts of the Pandemic: The 2022 Construction Hiring & Business Outlook.

 ‘Contractors are, overall, very optimistic about the outlook for the construction industry in 2022,’ said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer.

Changes in the construction and building industry, typically signal positive changes for HVACR Business. If that rule pans out, then we are poised to have an even better year – as a whole, the industry is up 35%! 

So, we move forward, post-pandemic, hopeful and grateful. Thank you for your welcome. Thank you for your loyalty while I navigate change right alongside you. But mostly, thank you to all of you for being the best part of HVACR Business!

~ Heather Langone