HVAC

Company aims to promote job opportunities in HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing industries as the skilled trade labor shortage continues

Trade Jobs, a recruiting platform built specifically for the HVAC, electrical and plumbing industries, launched on November 13th, 2023.The company aims to address the ongoing and increasing employment crisis in the trades.

A report by Fox Business stated that there have been more than 770,000 skilled job postings from nearly 95,000 different employers across the country in 2023. With the older generation of skilled workers retiring, that number will likely continue to increase.

Trade Jobs is addressing the longstanding challenges of costly and inefficient recruitment processes. Today, the company announces a transformative solution to streamline hiring and connect employers with pre-qualified candidates at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.

“The employment crisis in the trades has been well-documented as the older generation continues to enter retirement,” said Jeff Bond, president of Trade Jobs. “Contractors are always looking for professional, skilled workers to fill those vacancies, but it can be difficult.”

Built for and crafted by trade professionals, Trade Jobs was developed to help contractors in the HVAC, Electrical and Plumbing spaces recruit qualified candidates. The platform helps reduce the need to sift through hundreds of resumes from unqualified candidates by connecting employers with job seekers who meet their specific job requirements.

Now through December 31st, 2023, Trade Jobs will offer exclusive, discounted charter membership pricing for employers seeking to hire within the HVAC, Electrical or Plumbing industries. The site is free to job seekers.

Start posting jobs and connecting with qualified candidates today by going to https://gettradejobs.com.

Career Training to Members of Detroit’s Gun Violence Reduction Program

Interplay Learning, the leading provider of immersive skilled trades training, announces a transformative partnership with C.H.O.I.C.E.S (Choosing Honorable Options Increasing Chances to Establish Success), a community-based violence intervention program dedicated to reducing gun violence in Detroit as part of Mayor Mike Duggan’s “Detroit at Work” program. C.H.O.I.C.E.S is using Interplay Learning’s virtual reality and simulation-based training to empower at-risk youth and individuals affected by gun violence. Interplay’s innovative training equips them with valuable skills that open doors to a brighter future through sustainable employment in high-demand fields like HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Multifamily Maintenance, and Facilities Maintenance.

Aligning with C.H.O.I.C.E.S’ mission to empower violence-affected and/or justice involved individuals with practical job-ready skills, Interplay’s experiential videos, interactive 3D simulations, and immersive virtual reality courses complement the program’s existing in-person residential construction classes. Participants can now tailor their learning experience to align with their specific needs, schedules, and interests by taking the C.H.O.I.C.E.S in-person residential construction classes and/or Interplay’s online skilled trades courses. Using Interplay, learners can access 400+ hours of courses and hands-on simulations so they can practice their skills in a safe, realistic environment. They can leverage Interplay’s courses for as long as needed to prepare for industry certifications, secure meaningful employment with local employers, and ensure long-term success on their journey to self-sufficiency.

“We absolutely love Interplay,” said Stephanie Nixon, Chief Program Officer at Detroit at Work. “It complements our in-person learning well, and their team is great to work with. Our program participants are totally engaged; they’re having fun while learning, they’re competing with one another to complete courses, and all the while, it’s changing the trajectory of their lives.”

A critical feature of the training platform is the administrator reporting tools that enable program coordinators to identify participants who need help and provide timely support and intervention to those individuals. This proactive approach ensures participants stay on course with their training paths, bringing them closer to their ultimate goal of gaining employment and contributing positively to their communities.

“Our mission is to help institutions build better training, better careers, and better lives,” said Doug Donovan, founder and CEO of Interplay Learning. “C.H.O.I.C.E.S is making significant strides in reducing gun violence in Detroit and empowering individuals to lead fulfilling lives. We’re proud to partner with them to support the at-risk and underserved community with an innovative strategy that builds flexible pathways to meaningful trades careers.”

Your plumbing business generates income through your services. It’s the simplest business model in the book; people pay for your plumbing services and you provide them. You can make a good living like this, but there are opportunities for more money to be made! 

There can be periods where you don’t get as much work as you’d like, so it helps to have other possible sources of income feeding your earnings. Diversifying your plumbing business makes a lot of sense, and here are three of the best ways to do it: 

Sell Plumbing Parts

Some people don’t like to pay for plumbers and prefer to tackle jobs themselves. That’s their decision, but you can find an easy way of catering to them. Get your hands on some plumbing parts or have some specially made. Sites like https://jdiplastics.com/ can introduce you to manufacturers capable of making things like plastic o-rings, caps for pipes, and so on. 

Set up a website and sell these products alongside your services. It lets the DIY plumbers – and fellow professionals – purchase essential parts needed for maintenance or repair jobs. The other great thing about this is that you can offer to install the parts for someone, which helps you earn even more money with a service fee! 

Create Plumbing Manuals

On the topic of selling products, why don’t you create plumbing manuals? 

Look, you’ve got all the hallmarks of a great plumber. You’re the best at what you do, so share this knowledge with others. Think about some of the most common plumbing jobs around the house and create an e-book with step-by-step guides on how to do things like fixing a leaky faucet or stopping a toilet from running. 

Sell the e-books for a small price on your website and you generate another stream of income. Alternatively, make books for plumbers to help them with their training! 

Develop Great Content

If you don’t want to make an e-book, you can take your ideas and turn them into free content. You are literally reading a plumbing blog right now, full of free information for plumbers and regular people. If you start your own blog, you can draw people in with excellent content and make money from adverts, affiliate links, etc. 

Or, do the same thing on YouTube and make video content – this is wonderful for showing people how to fix things! The additional benefit of developing content is that it works as a lead-generation tool. Your content draws in an audience and can convince them to hire your plumbing services or purchase any products you’re selling. This means more business and more money. 

Try to avoid falling into the trap of relying on your plumbing services as the only source of income. When the demand for your services dries up, you need other ways of bringing home the bacon. Don’t be afraid to diversify and explore other ways of making money as a plumber. 

Geothermal heating and cooling is a well-established technology; it’s been around in simplistic forms for more than half a century and has developed at an impressive rate to become a technology that is providing real solutions for decarbonization and grid management. In its years of growth and innovative development, geothermal has taken on many different forms and variations, all of which have their own unique benefits.

The Vanderbilt Breakers Mansion saves $36,000 a year with Direct Geothermal Exchange.

The first recorded closed-loop geothermal design installed was a water-free direct exchange geothermal system in 1945. Robert C. Webber (1911-1984) is acknowledged by most to be the inventor of the ground-coupled heat pump system. In fact, according to a September 1948 issue of “The Refrigeration Industry,” Webber was the first to heat his seven-room home in Indianapolis by reversing the cycle on his home freezer. The issue featured Webber as The Refrigeration Industry’s “Man of the Month.” Webber’s “freezer in reverse” was also featured in Ripley’s Believe it or Not in 1948.

Caption: Robert C. Webber (1911-1984)

Direct geothermal exchange (DGX) waterless geothermal systems, also known as direct exchange systems, offer an innovative and sustainable way to heat and cool your home without requiring water in the loop for heat exchange. Unlike many other types of systems, DX uses a closed-loop refrigerant circuit to release heat from under our feet, eliminating the need for water that other systems require. One of the most vital benefits of Direct Exchange Waterless Geothermal is how efficiently it produces year-round temperature control using safe, reliable refrigerants.

There are many pioneers within the sustainable and renewable energy field, one of which is Bill Buschur, President of Total Green Manufacturing. Bill is a recognizable figure within the geothermal industry, and within the niche of waterless geothermal, with a history in the development of the technology used today. For reference, back in 1980, EarthLinked Technologies (ETI) established itself as a research company in the geothermal industry, becoming the original direct exchange manufacturer. It continued to have great success over the years as it carved out a niche in the geothermal industry. ETI partnered with Total Green Mfg. for five years, and Total Green acquired the 38-year-old DGX Manufacturing company.

Total Green Crew installs a DGX system.

A little history

“At around 12 years old, I began to ride along with my father in the service truck and I would run back and forth from the truck to get him tools or the parts he needed to make the repairs,” Buschur shared with us, “As I got a little older, I began building geo ground loops. I remember we had two football practices a day, and I would come home and build loops for the rest of the day. Eventually, I began to go to the job site with other crew members and help with the installation process.”

Young Bill Buschur working on site.

One of the keys to innovation is passion, and Bill Buschur has no issue with showing his passion through actions and incredible results. Bill has grown his business from a hard-working crew of only four people to becoming the largest direct exchange geothermal contracting company in the U.S., installing over 100 DX systems on a yearly basis.

Establishing the Waterless® brand was no small feat for Bill, but after earning a degree in Business Management and a refrigeration certification, topped off by 30 years of experience in geothermal heat pump technology, he’s become the driving force behind the biggest name in Direct Geothermal Exchange nationwide.

Quality is vital in any field, but Bill has ensured that his geothermal direct exchange units are to the highest standard, stating, “Dad always taught us that ‘If you don’t do things right the first time, you’ll end up doing it again’”. So we made sure we didn’t cut any corners when it came to Designing and Installing a geothermal system.”. This has been a key factor in how effectively Total Green has kept up with the latest technology.

At the end of the day, the million-dollar question is, “Are direct exchange waterless geothermal systems as efficient as water-based geothermal systems?” The answer is yes. Past criticisms of DX systems have primarily revolved around the question of environmentally friendly refrigerants. Today modern DX systems use advanced refrigerants that are both environmentally friendly and efficient with heat transfer, which will enhance the performance of the system altogether.

Bill Buschur in his younger years learning the trade (right).

We’re fortunate to have so many diverse options when considering which geothermal system to choose from, accompanied by so many industry pioneers behind each system. As we continue to push for the world to embrace and prioritize sustainability and energy efficiency, minimizing negative environmental impact and using the natural resources given to us, we should make a conscious effort to do so as one piece of that ever-forming puzzle. Any and every geothermal system contributes to a brighter, greener, world-changing future for us and generations to come.

We are on the same team, we are in the same boat, and we are a part of  the geothermal heat pump revolution, changing the world for the better.

Mimi (Hannah) Egg is a Social Media Marketing Consultant with a passion for writing and researching. She has overseen the social media accounts for multiple private and corporate organizations and is constantly learning new ways to understand and optimize demographic outreach and form beneficial business connections through social networking for her clients. She can be reached at Mimieggshell@gmail.com