After taking a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 AHR Expo will return in-person Jan. 31 — Feb. 2 in Las Vegas. ASHRAE’s Winter Conference — a joint in-person and virtual event — will be held during the same time, from Jan. 29 — Feb. 2, at Caesar’s Palace.

If the past year was any indication, most plumbing and HVACR business owners must have spent the pandemic planning their exit strategies. I’m unofficially dubbing 2021 the year of the acquisition.

Reaching 100 years is quite a milestone for any business, let alone for a family plumbing business. Especially when you consider the average lifespan for a family-owned business is 24 years, according to Cornell University’s SC Johnson School of Business.

As I write this month’s column, the holiday season is upon us. The holidays mean different things to different people, but for me, it’s a time to reconnect with friends and family — especially given the past two years dealing with COVID-19.

Growing up in West Bloomfield, Michigan, Brianne Hall remembers receiving engineering concept lessons in her father’s car on the way to elementary school. Her dad — who had degrees in both civil and mechanical engineering — handed her a paper clip to explain the concept of failure due to fatigue.

Clean water is absolutely essential to the health and safety of people around the world. It’s something I’ve always known, but I have a much deeper understanding after my years of writing about the plumbing and HVAC industries. And one thing I’ve learned recently: You don’t truly appreciate indoor plumbing until you no longer have it.

Plenty of opportunities lie within the U.S. boiler market. According to an August study by Global Market Insights, boiler market revenue is expected to reach $4 billion by 2028.

This past year went by very quickly despite being stuck at home week after week. 

Plumbing and HVAC systems inside health care facilities tend to be much more complex than your everyday run of the mill commercial building.