While there is room for healthy intellectual debate on the subject of what is commonly referred to as 'flat rate pricing', his articles were anything but that. I found these articles to be void of hard facts and lacking credibility.... more info»

What a great day. Awakened before the alarm went off by the melodic chatter of birds, the smell of coffee brewing and the early morning sounds of family members stirring as they begin their day. The weather has started to change for the better, and with that, no more 2 a.m. heating calls or frozen pipes until the next winter, I hope.... more info»

When I was a plumbing manager, I needed a very special type of assistant. He needed skills beyond the average service technician. He had to be able to estimate jobs of any size and type. He would be responsible for locating pipes that were beyond the capabilities of the line locating equipment and ... more info»

In a Manhattan co-op apartment building, where the local time, mechanically speaking, is 1949, Screwdriver Willie is doing his very best to keep the tenants warm and happy while trying to maintain his own sanity. His tool of choice for this monumental task is, of course, the screwdriver.... more info»

At 11:30 P.M. on a blustery winter's night, after chasing numerous no-heat calls, the answering service paged with yet another call. "This guy's calling everyone in the book," they forewarned me. I hate that nonsense, don't you? What's even worse: The ones who call more than one contractor and wait to see who's going to show up first. They often act surprised when the others begin arriving. "Oh, I didn't think you'd show up."... more info»

If we were to study and analyze what makes one company more successful than its counterparts, I think we would find that the winning organizations make better use of available industry information and then implement... more info»