contractors

American Residential Services (ARS), a Memphis, Tenn. based, privately-held national provider of air conditioning, heating and plumbing services, announced their top-performing service centers at their Annual Manager’s Meeting held earlier this month in Las Vegas.

“We are an industry leader in HVAC and plumbing services because of our hard-working employees and local management teams,” said Dave Slott, President and Chief Operating Officer of ARS. “It’s an honor for us to recognize and reward our top performers.”

Don Karnes, Chief Executive Officer of ARS, added, “Our Annual Manager’s Meeting is a chance for us to enjoy the fellowship of our management team, and most importantly to share best practices and new initiatives that fulfill our vision to maintain a best-in-class customer service experience.”

Top-performing service centers and employees include:

• General Manager of the Year was awarded to Lance Fernandez from Yes! Las Vegas. Fernandez respects his employees and customers as exhibited by the daily teamwork in his branch. He is passionate about seeing his people grow and achieve both personal and professional goals by offering guidance and support. The Yes! Las Vegas branch is a leader in its division and for 2016 is best in class across ARS’s entire vast network. Yes! Las Vegas has also earned an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and a 5 star rating with Review Buzz.
• Customer Service / Quality Branch of the Year – Plumbing was awarded to Rescue Rooter of Salt Lake City. Tracy Nevin has been with ARS for 11 years and went from plumber, plumbing repair specialist, branch sales manager, and now holds the position of General Manager. The branch has a BBB rating of “A+”.
• Customer Service / Quality Branch of the Year – HVAC was awarded to Columbus Worthington Air in Columbus, Ohio. General Manager, Clint Schreck, has been with the company for a combined 13 years. The branch has a BBB rating of “A+”, and a VOC score of 9.41.
• Home Depot Branch of the Year – Plumbing was awarded to Rescue Rooter in Riverside. General Manager, Jon Swartz, has been with ARS for 26 years. The branch services 19 Home Depot stores, averages $76K in sales per store, and has a company leading 32% close rate.
• Home Depot Branch of the Year- HVAC was awarded to ARS of Miami. Cyril McInnis, General Manager, has been with ARS for over 3 years. The branch services 11 Home Depot stores, and averages $285K in sales per store.
• Corporate Support Award was awarded to Mario Rodriguez. Mario has been with ARS for 20 years and represents the epitome of customer service. Every day, he is working behind the scenes to make sure the office operates at optimum levels. Mario is known for his great work ethic, positive attitude, patience, and smile.
• Safety Branch of the Year – West Division was presented to Yes! Las Vegas. The branch ranks #1 in the average rank across three key metrics including, $0 in work compensation expenses for this year, a perfect score in their DriveCam coaching effectiveness, and a perfect audit score.
• Safety Branch of the Year – Southern California Division was awarded to RightTime Services in Orange County. Brian Remington, the General Manager, has been with the company for over 4 years. The branch ranks among the top ten for claims expense % of revenue and the frequency of distracted driving is consistently better than the company average.
• Safety Branch of the Year – Texas Division was presented to ARS of DFW. The General Manager, Wes Hardin, has been with the company for 9 years and since taking over the role, he has engaged in all aspects of operations – especially focusing on safety. The branch’s DriveCam coaching effectiveness is consistently at or above 85% and they earned an audit score of 95%.
• Safety Branch of the Year – Southeast Division was presented to ARS of Orlando. Tom Seal, the General Manager, has been with ARS for 5 years. The branch ranks in the top 10 for claim expense % revenue, has cut the distracted driving frequency by more than 50%, and the DriveCam coaching effectiveness is consistently at or above 85%
• Safety Branch of the Year – Central Division was awarded to Rescue Rooter of Columbus. Jason Norris, the General Manager, has been with the company for 14 years. The branch is consistently among the top 5 branches in the company for Pledge Management and DriveCam Effectiveness. The branch also has an audit score of 89%, tied for first place in low work compensation claim frequency, tied for first in claim expense percentage of revenue, and has had zero claims expense over the last 12 months.
• Overall Safety Branch of the Year was awarded to ARS of Omaha. John Aliano, the General Manager, has been with the company for 31 years. The branch ranks in the top 10 for all three safety metrics. They earned an audit score of 95%, the DriveCam coaching effectiveness is consistently at or above 95%, and the distracted driving frequency is .03%.
• Most Improved Branch Profit Dollars was presented to Yes! Las Vegas, which had a 38% profit growth.
• Largest Revenue Increase – Plumbing was presented to Rescue Rooter of Atlanta. Cathy Brooks, the General Manager, has been with ARS for 17 years. This year, the branch began servicing many new Home Depot stores taking the total count to 28. The branch also grew brand awareness by participating in the FOX TV show “HOME FREE”. Their revenue increased $1.4 million, or 59%.
• Largest Revenue Increase – HVAC was awarded to Columbus Worthington Air. The branch made strides by bringing on a second line of equipment which helped drive higher margins and more options for customers. They also enhanced management structure to support the bigger organization and the division staff. Also, the general manager and sales manager completed a pricing and margin analysis to uncover opportunities. HVAC revenue increased $2.2 million, or 27%.
• Turn-Around Branch of the Year was awarded to ARS of Miami. The branch felt an immediate need to reassert more focus on the customer and improve associate morale. Efforts were made to re-establish their relationship with Home Depot. Cyril McInnis also hired a new sales manager, added customer support resources, and engaged his branch associates to support their local community. Year-to-date branch revenue is up $1.1 million, or 32%.
• Highest Margin Branch – Plumbing was presented to Rescue Rooter of Atlanta. The General Manager, Cathy Brooks, participates in dispatch of technicians daily, assuring the right tech goes to the right call. Brooks is also in constant communication with the technicians and teaches them to always provide impeccable service. The branch has an overall profit margin of 27%.
• Highest Margin Branch – HVAC/Combo was awarded to Yes! Las Vegas. Lance Fernandez, the General Manager, conducts daily technical training, PROS training, and sales training. Fernandez is known for being a very strong leader and a positive influence on the employees and results of the branch. The branch has an overall margin of 26%.
• Most Profitable Branch in Dollars – Plumbing was awarded to Rescue Rooter of San Diego. The General Manager, Kevin Kellington, has been with ARS for over 32 years. Kellington is involved in job pricing and post job costing, and he understands his contribution. The branch leads the division in commercial sales with 3 full time CAR’s and a monthly average of over $325K. Revenue has increased 9% to $9.2 million.
• Most Improved Combo Shop Gross Profit – Plumbing was awarded to ARS of North Houston. Ken Althoff, the General Manager, has been with ARS for over 3 years. Althoff restructured the plumbing operation in the service center, and as a result, profitability improved significantly this year. The plumbing service line in the Houston branch has revenue of $9.9 million.
• Most Profitable Branch in Dollars – HVAC/Combo was presented to Yes! Las Vegas. The branch installs over $100K a day and continues to perform quality work, provide great customer service, and keeping crews and technicians motivated. The branch has revenue of $20.7 million.
• Most Improved Region was presented to the Southern California Region. Roxanne Flores, the West Zone Controller, has been with ARS for over 12 years and was instrumental in the Region’s turnaround. The region continues to develop branch management teams and holds a very strong sales culture by maintaining a great relationship with Home Depot. They saw revenue grow 8% to $36 million.
• Highest Profit Margin Division (EBITA) was awarded to the Central Division. Mark Thompson, Division Vice President, has been with ARS for 2 years. The division’s team has generated results in all critical areas of Key Performance Indicator measurement with consistent performance. The Division’s overall margin was 15% for 2016.
• PROS/NPS – West Zone was awarded to Rescue Rooter San Diego. At the branch, headed up by Kevin Kellington, PROS training has been incorporated into the DNA of the business and each service experience. They are leaders in embracing sales metrics and the improvement of weekend staffing and productivity. The branch earned a Net Promoter Score of 57.4 and a 9.2 average (on a scale of 1 to 10).
• PROS/NPS – East Zone was awarded to ARS of Myrtle Beach. The General Manager, Jason Poucher, has been with the company for 14 years. He provides a great team environment because he is passionate about his job and the people he works with. The branch earned a Net Promoter Score of 67 and an 8.7 average (on a scale of 1 to 10).
• Division of the Year was presented to the Central Division. Under Mark Thompson, the division has seen a revenue growth of 10% to $85 million. The division has enthusiasm and a well-balanced vision which creates a winning team environment.

ABOUT AMERICAN RESIDENTIAL SERVICES: Based in Memphis, Tenn., privately-owned ARS operates a network of more than 70 locally-managed service centers in 22 states, with approximately 5,500 employees. The ARS network features industry-leading brands including, A.J. Perrin, Aksarben ARS, Allgood, Andy’s Statewide, ARS, Aspen Air Conditioning, Atlas Trillo, Beutler, Blue Dot, Brothers, Columbus Worthington Air, Conway Services, Efficient Attic Systems (EAS), Florida Home Air Conditioning, Green Star Home Services, McCarthy Services, Rescue Rooter/ Proserv, Rescue Rooter, RighTime Home Services, RS Andrews, The Irish Plumber, Unique Services, “Will” Fix It, Yes! Air Conditioning and Plumbing, and Yes! Efficient Attic Systems. United by Exceptional Service®, the ARS / Rescue Rooter Network serves both residential and light commercial customers by providing heating, cooling, indoor air quality, plumbing, drain cleaning, sewer line, radiant barrier, insulation and ventilation services. Each location has a knowledgeable team of trained specialists, who have undergone rigorous drug testing and criminal background checks. Providing exceptional service and ensuring the highest standards of quality, ARS has the experience to do any job right – the first time, with all work fully guaranteed.

Tool allows users to easily and accurately create professional, customized project submittals.

Viega LLC announced its release of the Submittal Builder tool. The online tool allows users to easily and accurately create professional, customized project submittals for ViegaPEX and radiant systems.

Using Viega’s Submittal Builder requires a few easy-to-follow steps. To create a customized submittal, users simply double click on the desired documents, or drag and drop them into the “Selected Documents” column. These documents include product instructions and tech data sheets for Viega ProRadiant and Viega PureFlow Water Systems. Users can fill out fields, including customizable customer and project information that will appear on the cover page.

The tool also includes a “Prepared By” section that retains user information for ease of creating future submittals. Users may select warranties for ProRadiant, PureFlow water systems or residential fire products. Once all documents are selected, users simply select “Build Submittal.” After the project is submitted, users can view a cover page and table of contents that is editable for making changes by the engineers, contractor or other fields as applicable

“Viega is excited to introduce the Submittal Builder tool to make incorporating ViegaPEX and radiant solutions into projects easier,” said Jason McKinnon, director of technical services, Viega. “This tool makes project submittals faster and customizable, and it gives customers a better opportunity to win commercial projects.”

To access the Submittal Builder, visit submittalbuilder.viega.us.

Galeton, a leading supplier of quality work gloves and personal protective equipment, has recently added the #12756 Palomino® Pigskin Palm Gloves with Black Cotton Duck Backs and #12757 Palomino® Pigskin Double Palm Gloves with Black Cotton Duck Backs to its popular line of Palomino® Pigskin Gloves.

Palomino® gloves made of top quality pigskin is an economical alternative to grain cowhide gloves. Pigskin is very durable, yet supple and flexible even after getting wet. Our new pigskin palm gloves feature breathable black cotton duck backs that look stylish and hide dirt as well as heavy rubberized safety cuffs for extra protection.  The double palm style has an extra layer of pigskin over the palm, thumb and index finger for added durability.

For more information on this product or for a full selection of Galeton’s products, please visit galeton.com

Every contractor loves getting a brand new tool. After all, you rely on tools to install, repair, and service your customers. Every faucet, pipe, valve, and water heater requires proper tools for installation or repair. If you have been to a trade show recently, some of the favorite gathering centers for plumbing contractors are the tool manufacturer booths showcasing their latest modern tools with grand presentations and hands-on demonstrations.

Here in 2016, we certainly have some of the latest power and hand tools to make a contractor wish they had an unlimited budget to simply buy them all. New technology, materials, and innovation has driven manufacturers to develop tools that make your job easier, faster, and in the end, more profitable. The days of low powered batteries with short life cycles are gone. Advancements are made in power, torque, battery life, speed, durability, and innovation has even come to the pipe wrench.

Plumbing Perspective reached out to several wholesale plumbing supply companies to find out some of the latest trends in tools contractors are purchasing. We spoke with Ally Steinke, Supply Chain Manager of First Supply in the upper Midwest. Their top three new selling tools are Milwaukee’s M18 Super Hawg, M12 Drain Snake, and the M18 Press Tool. Steinke said, “Contractors like the Super Hawg because it has the capacity and long enough run time to get them through the day. They no longer need cords to run their tool and it has a slipping clutch where it won’t grab if it hits a knot in the wood. And the Drain Snake runs off the M12 battery system so contractors can get through an entire day of service calls on one battery charge.” She notes that contractors should be on the lookout for a new M18 battery from Milwaukee. “This will have the longest run time on the market which will be needed for the high capacity tools.” Steinke added.

We also spoke with Jeff Puckette, National Counter Alignment and Implementation Manager for Ferguson for a view on some of their top selling new tools for plumbing contractors. One of their top new sellers is the Ridgid RV 12 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum. Puckette states that “Ridgid has re-launched their professional-industrial grade wet/dry vacuum cleaners. The unique feature of this model – originally launched in late 2015 – is the motor is positioned on the bottom, providing stability and easy access for filter maintenance and debris removal.” Milwaukee’s latest tools are hot items with contractors also as Puckette adds, “Milwaukee has launched a significant amount of innovative new products in multiple categories over the past two years. Two prevalent products for our customers are the M12 drain snake and a pipe wrench with an integrated cheater bar. And you cannot have a discussion about new Milwaukee tools without mentioning their One-Key™ Bluetooth technology and app which allows owners to customize, track and manage tool performance and location.” There are some exciting new tools launching soon says Puckette, “DeWalt has many product launches scheduled for the upcoming months, with a lot of excitement building around the release of their new FLEXVOLT battery platform. These batteries can alternate between 20V and 60V, depending upon the tool platform needs. The technology also allows tools that previously required a power source to be able to run cordless. Another item worth mentioning is the new 20V Max* Cordless Thread Rod Cutter which allows for cordless cutting of steel bars in the field.”

As a contractor, tools are your livelihood. They need to perform effectively under the most rugged and stressful conditions. They must be reliable and perform the function they were purchased for effectively every time. In the end, each tool should come with a return on investment. Some allow you to install products for customers that would be difficult or impossible to install without the proper tool. Others simply save you time and efficiency, allowing you to finish a job quickly and move on to the next job to take on additional business. In some cases, this allows you to offer reduced pricing to customers to win a bid over your competition and still provide the same quality with reduced installation and service time. This is especially key for commercial contractors that can couple a product and an installation tool that can offer lower construction cost because of the reduced labor costs on a job. For residential plumbers and contractors, imagine being able to fit another job in every day with tools to help reduce service time.

Plumbing Perspective has reached out to some of the top tool manufacturers in the trades to compile some of the hottest trends in power and hand tools for contractors in the plumbing trade. These names have become staples in the industry such as Milwaukee, Ridgid, DeWalt, Bosch, Rothenberger, and Hilti. In another article, we show you the Top 15 New Tools that have been introduced in 2016 to improve service performance and your bottom line.

Check out the Top 15 NEW Tools for 2016