At The Unified Group’s 10th Annual Owners’ Meeting, back row - from left to right, Denny Mann, Marina Mechanical; Mike Houghton, Dowling Corporation; Judy Wooten, GES, Inc.; Gerry Wiegmann, Wiegmann Associates; Fred Roser, Frantz, Inc.; and Thomas Roser, Frantz, Inc. Front row – from left to right, Tim Smerz, Air Comfort Corporation and Jim Bartolotta, Air Comfort Corp.

The Unified Group recently celebrated its 10th anniversary of helping HVAC contractors operate more profitably, during the 10th Annual Owners Forum in November.

More than 55 Unified Group members met to share best practices and discuss current challenges and 2008 executive summaries.

Randy Patterson, managing partner, Lake Pointe Partners, LLC, provided insight into how the current economic outlook could effect the HVAC industry, and how to grow sales and profitability during challenging times.

The forum included roundtable discussions and award presentations.

Controls Services, Inc., Omaha, NE, was named Unified Group Member of the Year.

Ron Brasel, president of the automation contractor, accepted the award, which is based on leadership and company growth.

The Unified Group is comprised of 52 HVAC commercial contractors, with combined member revenue of more than $880 million. The group specializes in helping its members increase productivity, profitability by providing training opportunities, sharing information and best practices, and negotiating purchasing agreements.

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