Session and presenter information will be updated as speakers are confirmed and information becomes available.

Performance Contracting and ESCOs

Thursday, September 23
8:00 am - 9:15 am

Session Presenter:

Bob Swanger

Harris Companies
St. Paul, MN

Improving efficiency gives building owners a hedge against rapid energy price inflation. Performance Contracting involves a building analysis by an Energy Service Contractor (ESCO). The energy service contractor assumes the risk that the proposed solution will meet the performance requirements. Often, the energy savings from the project will be equal to or greater than the cost to finance the energy improvements. And, financing the energy improvement through an ESCO in the form of a lease rather than a traditional capital improvement allows the owner to account for the project in the operating budget rather than on their balance sheet.

The Value of Advance Planning

Thursday, September 23
3:45 pm - 5:00 pm

Session Presenter:

Mark Napier

Controller
Gillette Air Conditioning
San Antonio, TX

The Contracting Business 2010 Commercial HVAC Contractor of the Year, is Gillette Air Conditioning, San Antonio, TX. Much of this company’s success is based on strategic planning and tactical know-how. The company’s attention to detail and in-house fabrication of pumps, ductwork, and other key HVAC components has helped the company earn the trust of numerous general contractors in the San Antonio region. Learn how this award-winning, 50-year-old company sets itself apart through advance planning and strategizing.

Keys to Successful Retro-Commissioning

Thursday, September 23
5:15 pm - 6:30 pm

Session Presenter:

Mark Woehrle

Shaw Mechanical Services, LLC
Orlando, FL

Learn the details surrounding a major retro-commissioning project by a leading HVACR contractor. Shaw Mechanical Services undertook the replacement of two centrifugal chillers and cooling towers at the downtown Orlando main branch for Orange County Library System. The $800,000 project required a complete shut down during which 700 tons of temporary cooling were provided so that no loss of cooling ever occurred to the operating facility. The new variable speed water cooled centrifugal chillers were disassembled and re-assembled in order to get them in the basement CEP. Shaw Mechanical implemented a comprehensive commissioning process to maximize the efficiency of the plant prior to turning it over to the owner.

Single-Source & Bundled Services

Friday, September 24
8:00 am - 9:15 am

Session Presenter:

Steve Scott

Director of Facility Services
Lee Company
Nashville, TN

In this economy, every business is looking for ways to save money without compromising their product and/or their level of service from their outside vendors. Therefore, it’s time to be creative and venture away from the traditional ways of offering “HVAC service”.

Lee Co. has taken steps to increase and diversify its service offerings, both in the ways that it goes to market as well as the numbers of services it self-performs. By combining its core services with the services it has established through partners in its Facility Management group (lawn care/janitorial/pest control/etc), Lee is able to bring tangible value to its clients

Making Sales 'Intangibles' More Tangible

Friday, September 24
3:45 pm - 5:00 pm

Session Presenter:

Earl King

E&C Productions, LLC

HVACR sales expert and Contracting Business Contributing Editor Earl King has a vast range of HVACR sales experience. In this presentation, King will describe ways to overcoming objections and move to a close. Selling intangibles, whether it be insurance, securities, or maintenance agreements, presents many challenges. By utilizing selling tools, the message comes to life for the prospect. Selling tools range from 3rd party testimonials to complex spreadsheets all intended to bring the prospect to a buying decision based upon value and not price. Most commercial service salespeople are still making calls with only a business card and brochure. During this program, King will demonstrate a wide variety of actual sales aids.

Innovation Wins Customers

Friday, September 24
5:15 pm - 6:30 pm

Session Presenter:

Marty Gilliam

Service Manager
ThermaServe, Inc.
Jacksonville, FL

• Alternative compressor selections for larger tonnage applications.

• Alternative, competitively priced, state-of-the-art sources for custom control panels that give independent contractors a competitive edge.

• Modifications, retrofits, energy conservation upgrades.

• Networking as a way to get involved and learn new ways to win business.

All of these represent the “out of the box” thinking Marty Gilliam and the team at ThermaServe employ to win and keep customers.

In his presentation, Gilliam will describe how commercial HVAC contractors can apply innovation to your market. As Gilliam says, thinking "outside the box" is not longer just an interesting idea; it’s a key to survival.