• Contractingbusiness 1150 0612 Toolstraderemco
    1. Archive

    Tools of the Trade

    June 1, 2012
    Each month, Contracting Business picks a leading contractor and takes a look at the products, tools, and services that he or she has chosen to help make their company successful.

    Each month, Contracting Business picks a leading contractor and takes a look at the products, tools, and services that he or she has chosen to help make their company successful.

    Contractingbusiness Com Business Management 0612 Tools Trade Remco

    REMCO, Inc. is the 2012 Contracting Business.com Commercial Refrigeration Contractor of the Year. REMCO, Inc. was founded in 1977. Its initial specialty was supermarket refrigeration and commercial electrical services, but it gradually added food service, industrial refrigeration, and residential and commercial HVAC and plumbing services to its roster of capabilities. In 1990, an office was built in Allentown, about 100 miles to the east, to improve service to REMCO’s broadening customer base.

    A full accountability mandate is the keystone to the success of REMCO, Inc. The philosophy of service “ownership” is ingrained into the hearts and minds of every employee — in part because, at REMCO, the employees do indeed own the company. An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) was established in 2002, and included 100% of employees in 2008. Read the REMCO story at http://bit.ly/remcocbcoy.

    IN THE TRUCKS

    • Number and type of trucks/vans: 295 vehicles are comprised of Chevy 2500 and 3500 express vans, Mercedes Sprinters, Nissan NCV vans, and Chevy Silverado pickup trucks.
    • Inventory on trucks/vans: $10-12,000 per refrigeration vehicle; $8-$10,000 per HVAC vehicle.
    • Tools provided: Ladders, brazing goggles, safety goggles, fire extinguishers, come-along, garden hoses, grease gun, acetylene tanks, CO2 tanks, nitrogen tanks, oxygen tanks, torch cart, Rosebud brazing tips, regulators, torches, Brother label maker.
    • Test Instruments: Yellow Jacket vacuum pumps and oil pumps, Bacharach leak detectors, Alnor flow meters, Cooper air/surface probes, Yellow Jacket psychrometer, Ritchie micron/vacuum gauge, RefTec recovery units, caulk gun, Pelouze digital scale.
    • Preferred field communications method: Cellular phones; Motorola Droid, Apple iPhone. Dell laptops. PC tablets; Motorola Xoom.
    • Preferred ladder type: Louisville.

    IN THE OFFICE

    • Preferred business management software: Timberline/Sage.
    • Preferred sales management software: Timberline/Sage.
    • Preferred dispatching software: Timberline/Sage, Field Connects, On Base.
    • Preferred computer/printer equipment: Dell, HP.
    • Business connection to the Internet: Penteledata.
    • Preferred uniform supplier, rent or buy: Rent and buy Cintas. Hanes t-shirts, Tri-Mountain jackets/coveralls.
    • Credit cards accepted: Visa, Mastercard.

    IN THE SHOP

    • Preferred HVAC heating and cooling equipment brands: American Standard, Lennox.
    • Preferred commercial refrigeration brands: Hussman.
    • Preferred accessory equipment brands: Honeywell and Johnson Controls thermostats, Sporlan TXVs, Browning belts, Ritchie equipment.
    • Preferred distributors: Meier Supply, United Refrigeration, Johnstone Supply, Lyon Conklin, Grainger.