Comfortech is Fresh and New — Here's Why

The environment in which this industry’s contractors are working today is changing so rapidly that contractors must worry if they’re going to be in business in five years. I’m not talking about your friendly competition down the street — I’m talking about disruptive competitors that you don’t see coming until they’re taking your business away from you.

This industry is on the verge of an existential crisis. I’ve said before that I don’t want the home services market to be taken over by security contractors or the cable guy.

This industry is on the verge of an existential crisis. I’ve said before that I don’t want the home services market to be taken over by security contractors or the cable guy. The reality may be more troubling. Uber is killing the taxi industry and they never saw it coming — who thought that ordinary folks would want to ferry people around in their cars? I’m afraid that contractors will have their roles usurped by some competitor that we never see coming. That’s the result of the Internet and the Internet of Things. (By the way, check out Dominick Guarino’s column on page 80. He expresses similar concerns.)
That’s why we’re putting on a Comfortech show this September in Philadelphia that is substantially different than any we’ve hosted before.

Our focus this year will be on new — and future — business opportunities for contractors. The contractors in our audience at Comfortech or readers of Contracting Business and Contractor cannot do the same things in 2017 or 2020 that they did in 2015. I want you (and you must, for your survival) to think about the markets that you’re going to enter to ensure your future prosperity and, perhaps, your survival:

• Home performance contracting
• smart and connected homes and buildings
• climate change and energy efficiency
• smart tools
• VRV and VRF
• Building Information Modeling (and how smart devices fit into BIM)
• future refrigerants
• augmented reality and its affect on service work
• responding to a declining workforce.

We’re kicking off Comfortech with something we’ve never done before, full-day and half-day workshops, starting Monday, September 19, that will not only make you a better contractor, they’ll help you get CEU credits through North American Technician Excellence (NATE) and the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES). These Pre-Conference Workshops will take a deeper dive into topics that attendees have identified as important and have asked for more time to cover, including NATE Certification Review and Testing; The Invincible Sales Professional; Smart Technology Evolution: Opportunity that Lies in Connected Products, and OSHA-Approved Confined Spaces Training.

If you want to future-proof your business and ensure continued prosperity for your business, your family and your employees, you need to come to Comfortech.

Attendees will have direct interaction with topic experts like Weldon Long, Ruth King and Arthur Miller and will leave with actionable ideas and strategies to apply immediately when they get back to work.

We have a brand-new technical education program covering both residential and light commercial service and installation markets that will allow you to earn a total of 18 NATE and 13 RSES CEUs. We have a brand new green track covering the home performance and energy efficiency markets. And, one of my favorites, we have a new track covering the smart and connected home and building market.

We have keynote speakers who will show you what you need to know to prosper. Todd Buchholz is almost too witty for an economist. Successful Meetings Magazine named him one of the “21 Top Speakers for the 21st Century.” His keynote, Competing in a Chaotic Economy, will connect the dots of the world economy and help you develop a timely vision for the economy and the financial markets.

Weldon Long built an Inc. 5000 contracting firm with over $20 million in sales in just five years. Long is one of the nation’s most powerful and motivational speakers — teaching others the Sales and Prosperity Mindset philosophies that catapulted him from desperation and poverty to a life of wealth and prosperity.

If you want to future-proof your business and ensure continued prosperity for your business, your family and your employees, you need to come to Comfortech. It’s easy. You can register right now by going to www.comfortechshow.com and clicking on the “Register” button on the top right. See you in Philly.