ContractingBusiness.com is accepting nominations for the 2011 Residential Contractor of the Year Award. This award is given to residential contractors who represent the best that the residential HVAC industry has to offer.

Among the requirements for qualification, a contractor must:

• Be in business at least 10 years;
• Have a formalized business plan which they are willing to describe;
• Be active in at least one HVAC industry association;
• Provide ongoing training for employees;
• Employ certified refrigerant handling technicians;
• Have at least one NATE-certified technician on staff;
• Be open to new ideas and business practices;
• Have a philosophy around which the company is built;
• Have a marketing strategy and a marketing budget.

We look for candidates who embrace change, and who seek innovative ways to better understand and serve customers. In the iinterest of a thorough consideration, the following conditions must also be met by the winning contractor:

1. Provide description of market area as well as a corporate history.
2. Allow an editor to spend up to two days with them, interviewing key personnel and customers for use in the story that will appear in the February issue of the magazine.
3. Must be willing to let editors talk to customers.
4. Provide letters of recommendation from a customer, an association, and either a distributor or manufacturer.
5. Be willing to share ideas and information with other contractors from around the country and participate in industry events, such as the HVAC Comfortech meetings
6. To be a member of CB’s advisory board for at least two years.
7. Attend HVAC Comfortech, Sept. 21-23, 2011, to accept the award, and deliver a message to other contractors.

To submit a nomination, first contact the nominee and see if they agree to all of the above criteria. If so, send a letter — to Terry McIver, executive editor, Contracting Business, 1300 E. 9th St., Cleveland, OH 44114 — explaining why you think they deserve this award. Email: terence.mciver@penton.com.