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I am a little over halfway through the year as President.It was suggested that perhaps I write an article about what has been accomplished since I took office as President last October.When I think about it, I cannot rattle off a list of accomplishments.However, what we are doing, as EVP Michael Copp reminds me, is building a foundation for PHCC to become even more relevant as an industry voice and an everyday part of plumbing and HVAC contractors' businesses. All of these efforts will help position PHCC members for success now and in the future.
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June 28, 2016
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Meeting on Your Turf
We have made a concerted effort to be in front of our members by going where they are. Over the past few months, I have been to chapter events in California, Minnesota, New York, South Carolina and Georgia. I will be in Colorado and Utah in August. EVP Michael Copp and other staff have attended PHCC events hosted by California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, New Jersey/Pennsylvania and New York, as well as several industry meetings across the country.
During my conversations with PHCC members at these meetings, I have tried to listen. I cannot solve all of issues I hear, but perhaps can share an idea, update them on a national effort that would assist with the issue, guide them to another chapter that has had success with similar programs, or refer to a staff member with the expertise to help.
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Tackling Workforce Challenges
We are taking the lead on the issue of workforce development in our industry, trying to be proactive rather than just talk about the problem. In April we hosted a town hall meeting on Capitol Hill in conjunction with the House Career and Technical Education Caucus. The idea was to share with members of Congress what our members doing to internally to address the workforce shortage issue, the impact it is having on our businesses and what Congress can do to help. It was a great success and we are building on it, trying to leverage funding for a public service announcement about the opportunities for careers in the p-h-c industry.
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Developing Programs You Want
Through regular survey outreach, we are asking our members what they want and what their interests are. From that information we are developing content for webinars, newsletters, educational seminars, etc. based around this feedback. We are also putting a lot of focus on social media to have more of a presence on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and the like.
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CONNECT 2016
This year's CONNECT is full of the content and events you asked for—see what we have to offer!
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Engaging Regulatory Agencies
While we have always been engaged with the legislative side of our government, the regulatory agencies are dictating more of the rules and standards that we have to comply with. In addition to his former duties as Vice President of Code and Technical Services, Chuck White is dedicating more time engaging the regulatory agencies to provide input from a contractor's perspective on such issues as pump efficiency, air conditioning efficiency standards and furnace efficiency standards. With this new focus, Chuck's title has changed to Vice President of Regulatory Affairs.
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Focusing on HVAC
While progress is slow, we are making headway on trying to engage HVAC manufacturers to consider becoming industry partners with PHCC. We also want to provide more education and training for our HVAC members. A big step in this direction is that we will have several HVAC-oriented education sessions at CONNECT this year. Also, the PHCC Educational Foundation has developed an online HVAC diagnostic "simulator training;" this gaming technology is a great teaching tool to walk technicians through different scenarios to troubleshoot and repair HVAC equipment.
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Moving Forward
As you can see from this mid-year update, we are making progress in a lot of areas that ultimately will benefit you and your business. I'll have more to report before my term as PHCC president ends this October. In the meantime, send any questions or suggestions to [email protected].
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