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Ensure your dealers account for adequate margins to offer competitive wages and maintain a skilled workforce. In the competitive HVAC repair market, paying well attracts quality employees who generate more business. Ultimately, investing in a pay raise may be more cost-effective than losing a valuable employee to a competitor.

The tour will provide a peek behind the curtain of the stocking efficiencies and abilities of Winsupply, and insight into opportunities to grow with them. After the tour, key people from Winsupply will present on their unique approach and entrepreneurial spirit, which enables local Winsupply companies to be successful in their respective markets.

Consolidation has reshaped the landscape, with independent showrooms and manufacturers being acquired by larger entities, and mega-shows growing so vast that our niche risks being overshadowed. Amid this shift, the DPHA Annual Conference and Product Showcase, being held October 16–19, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency in Houston, stands out as the only focused, intimate, and authentic venue dedicated entirely to our industry.

Our trip was focused on promoting policy solutions that address these growing concerns—ensuring that every community, regardless of geography or income, has access to safe and sustainable water. We also were there supporting the trades who install and service this critical infrastructure as well as the manufacturers and wholesale distributors that keep the supply chain full.

Without a dedicated point person—the CEO for CRM—guiding the project from planning to post-launch, it can quickly go off track. Additionally, following a clear roadmap that breaks goals into manageable segments is essential.

What is the next great tool that will shape the future of our industry? The answer is artificial intelligence.

LOT/T – Leaders of Tomorrow… Today – is a group within AIM/R launching a column with Supply House Times to tackle challenges for emerging leaders in plumbing, HVAC, and irrigation. We spoke to founders about the group’s history and evolution from its original name, “LOT.”

Price vs. value was always a key in every customer relationship I had during my 48-year career. Once I established trust, and folks knew I had their best interest at heart, price became secondary. 

Industry veteran and Publisher, Dan Ashenden reflects on the importance of giving back and highlights the Next Gen All Stars Awards. Recognize a young leader under 40 making a difference. Nominate them today!

Over the last year we’ve dug into the value you can receive from developing peer networks in your personal and professional life. A network of peers is a fantastic source of ideas and feedback and an amazing tool for exploring challenges and opportunities. Your counterparts have lived in your shoes and share the same daily struggles you do. You have these groups all around you and whether you realize it or not you’re probably a member of quite a few.