Stay Advised by the Best - Fourth Quarter, 2018

Last Saturday I attended a “One Day University” presentation in this area at Sandy Springs, GA.

There were 3-speakers: Joseph Luzzi of Bard College who presented “Three Books That Changed the World”, Louis Masur of Rutgers University who presented “The Civil War and Abraham Lincoln: What’s Fact and What’s Fiction”, and Alison Gash of the University of Oregon who presented “The Supreme Court and Why it Matters”.

All three were great and I was most impressed with Professor Joseph Luzzi. For the ”Three Books That Changed the World” he selected “The Divine Comedy” by Dante dated 1321, “Catch – 22” by Joseph Heller dated 1961, and “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee dated 1960. I was totally alarmed by Luzzi’s comments and statistics on the heavy decline in the number of people who read, particularly our younger people. The number of hours used in viewing TV and being involved in social sites is incredible and sad.

In each of my quarterly blogs I’ve reported what I’m reading or recently read. Currently I’m reading “The Gatekeepers” by Chris Whipple which is about the many White House Chiefs of Staff whose actions and inactions have defined the course of our country. It’s a very good read. The next book for me will be Luzzi’s recommended “Catch – 22” by Joseph Heller.

Recently in my various presentations I’ve made a point of saying that from my very first day in school I remember us being trained in how to communicate by reading, writing and speaking. Never in all of my years of schooling did anyone ever tell us how to listen. To date no one has challenged this comment of mine. Personally, I am a poor listener and the problem is simply while someone is speaking to me I am already forming an answer even though they are still speaking. That’s a difficult habit to break and I haven’t tied as hard as I should to break it.

For us HVAC folks I attended again this year the Service World Expo in Las Vegas held this year at Caesars Palace. The Exhibit Hall was better than ever and included lots of new exhibitors with new products as well as the regular exhibitors. There were many workshops and some excellent speakers. My favorite speaker was Susan Frew, President of Sunshine P.H.A. and a professional speaker. This was the third year of Service World Expo with the first year at the Tropicana and last year at Mandalay Bay. Next year it’ll once again be in Las Vegas and at the hotel/casino Paris Vegas. Watch later on the Service Roundtable website for more information. Personally, with my 57 years in the industry which I love, the friends and acquaintances and at my “stage of maturity” these events are actually reunions for me.

For over two decades many in our HVAC, plumbing, electrical and other trades have constantly complained about the shortage of workers. But these people: Daphne Fronz, Jimmy Hiller, Don Miller, Terry Nicholson and the team who have developed and implemented “Transition to Trades” are not just complaining about the matter. They are doing something about it!

“Transition to Trades” is a perfect example of where everyone is a winner including the military, the soon to be veterans who are exiting their service to our country and preparing for civilian life, contractors and very importantly our customers. Congratulations to Daphne, Jimmy, Don, Terry and the team. (You can see the article about this program in the August 27 issue of the “ACHR News” as written by Maria Taylor, Associate Editor for The NEWS.)

If you did not receive any or all of my three previous 2018 blogs just email me at ronlsmith2@bellsouth.net and I’ll send them to you.

Ron