HVAC

Industry veteran aims to showcase revolutionary ‘done for you pricing’ solution to growing list of partners

The New Flat Rate, the No. 1 price generating software for home service contractors, has officially announced the hiring of industry veteran John Ellis as the company’s new business development manager.

Formerly a consultant for The New Flat Rate, Ellis will now be focusing on building new partnerships for the company that will help provide members with an increasingly diverse and powerful set of tools to grow their business.

“John has always been a promoter of The New Flat Rate, so we are excited to have him join our team full-time,” said Danielle Putnam, president of The New Flat Rate. “John has always understood how important our software and training programs are for contractors. Now, he is helping us continue to evolve by building partnerships that create win-win scenarios for our members.

“Our ultimate goal has always been to help contractors grow their businesses while making their lives easier, and adding John’s wealth of experience to our team will help us continue to achieve that goal.”

Ellis has over 40 years in the HVAC industry including time spent in several industry unions. He has also served as a project manager on large projects at hotels, prisons, water treatment plants, and hospitals.

During his career, Ellis has held numerous certifications including building science, Indoor Air Quality, EPA Renovator, Residential & Commercial Air Balance, Commercial System Performance, Economizer Specialists, Level 1 Thermographer, and Quality Insulation Installation. Ellis has also been active in trade organizations such as the National Comfort Institute (NCI), the Institute of Heating & Air Conditioning Industries (IHACI) and the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA).

“The New Flat Rate and I have always had a great working relationship,” said Ellis. “For many years, I served as a consultant and service trainer because I believe in their solutions. As a contractor, I understand how difficult it can be to price services. The New Flat Rate solves that problem, and I am happy to be joining the team full-time to help them continue to grow and reach more contractors through new partnerships.”

For more information about The New Flat Rate, please visit https://thenewflatrate.com/.

Wendell Presgrave

From MyPlumber.com
A remarkable sight unfolded on June 16, 2023 as a multitude of My Plumber Plus trucks lined Route 66 forming a powerful symbol of homage and respect to pioneering local businessman, R. Wendell Presgrave. The convoy, driven by My Plumber Plus plumbers, HVAC service experts and electricians, was a display of admiration and appreciation for their company Founder.

Wendell’s passion for plumbing, customer centric focus, and strong work ethic can be traced back to 1968 when he began as a parts runner for Griffin Plumbing. After earning his Masters in Plumbing license, he started his first company in 1975, Courthouse Plumbing, which he sold in 1982 and begin My Plumber, later named My Plumber Plus due to the addition of HVAC and electrical services. His innovative “Same Day Service Guaranteed” promise became a trendsetter.

Wendell went on to be a 4 times past President of the Virginia PHCC (Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association), and to earn many awards alongside his son and business partner, Mark Presgrave, including PHC News Magazine Top 100 Contractors of the year, Washington Business Journal Top Contractor, Prince William County Business Excellence Award, PM Plumbing & Mechanical Best Contractor to Work For, and Leader of Nexstar‘s Top 10 Overall Selective Service Companies, to name a few.

My Plumber Plus has employed over 2000 people and served hundreds of thousands of customers in Virginia, Maryland and even San Diego, CA where a West Coast office was opened in 1999. While Wendell’s business accolades are well-deserved, those who worked with him say he was quick to give the credit to his My Plumber Plus team. Wendell had an abundance mentality, believing that there was an abundance of opportunity out there for his company and others. He openly shared his insights and actively helped others in the business community succeed.

New tool makes it easier to balance pricing, labor costs, and expenses to fully understand every job’s profit margin

Jobber, the leading provider of operations management software for home service businesses, today announced the launch of a new job costing feature that enables home service businesses in any industry, including contracting and construction, landscaping, tree care, painting, HVAC, and roofing, to more accurately track and understand job costs and profit margins. The feature delivers increased insight into the labor, material, and miscellaneous expenses associated with a job to better understand its profitability, and to ensure service pros are earning the highest profit margins possible—without the complexity of switching between spreadsheets and multiple software.

“With material and labor costs rising, and pricing pressure increasing from homeowners, it’s easy for small businesses to get into situations where jobs become unprofitable,” said Sam Pillar, CEO & co-founder of Jobber. “One of the key measures of success for our customers is profitability. Unknowingly taking a loss on a job due to incorrect costing can have a negative impact on a business. Jobber’s new job costing feature simplifies the tracking of input costs and profitability so service pros can make important operational decisions, stay competitive, and take on the work that’s ultimately going to grow their businesses.”

The feature helps ensure that one-off jobs, such as plumbing repairs, handiwork, and landscaping projects, are profitable by tracking costs and calculating profit margins in real-time directly on the job page. Service pros can also view these trends in a report to compare profitability for different jobs and get insights to improve future pricing, estimation, and resource allocation. The profitability of each job is calculated using:

• Timesheets: Based on the hourly cost of each employee and their time worked on a job.
• Line items: The materials used on the job, including both the unit cost and price.
• Expenses: These are the expenses spent on a job

“Jobber has done a great job streamlining and organizing my business, and now with the new job costing feature, it has taken our efficiency to the next level,” said Scott Geddis, owner of M&M Skylights based in Newton, New Hampshire. “We’ve increased our revenue by 15 to 20% because I’m able to look at the data and determine in real-time what jobs were most profitable, allowing me to price future jobs with more accuracy. The tool is simple to use and helps to ensure we’re running a profitable business so we can continue growing and rewarding our staff for their hard work.”

Job costing joins a suite of other Jobber tools and integrations that help service pros win more work and generate more revenue. The company’s integration with Thumbtack, for example, helps service pros instantly connect with new customers and book more profitable jobs faster, while the advanced quoting feature gives service pros the ability to sell more with optional line items.

Job costing is available to Jobber customers on the Grow membership plan. To learn more, visit: https://getjobber.com/features/job-costing-software/.

Contest recognizes outstanding customer service; Winner receives $500 cash! 

Malco Products, one of the nation’s leading solution developers and manufacturers of a variety of high-quality tools for the building trades, today announced the launch of its brand-new Counterperson of the Year Contest. 

Malco is looking to recognize and celebrate outstanding counter staff at its U.S. wholesale distribution locations who demonstrate the same values that make Malco great: dedication to superior customer service and going above & beyond to ensure contractors have the Malco tools they need to get the job done.

There are great prizes lined up not just for the winner, but for the contractors and distributors who nominate as well:

• The winner will receive $500 cash.
• If the winner is nominated by a contractor, the contractor receives $100 in Malco tools of their choosing, plus the distributor/contractor team will receive lunch!
• All qualifying nominees and nominators will receive a Malco golf shirt, hat and product catalog.

Malco is also making it easy for contractors to nominate counter staff, with 3 options to enter:

• Grab a printed form at your local distributor location and mail it in (PO Box 400, Annandale, MN, 55302)
• Enter online at www.malcoproducts.com/counterperson-of-the-year
• Submit a brief video, which can be emailed or texted to Malco’s marketing department at 612-325-1502 or marketing@malcotools.com.

All entries must be received by Thursday, August 31, and the winner will be announced in October. Please note, this contest is only open to nominees in the United States.

For more information about Malco Products and to enter the contest, visit www.malcoproducts.com/counterperson-of-the-year