National Comfort Institute Presents First Virtual Summit
Performance-based contractors took center stage for the National Comfort Institute (NCI) 17th Annual Summit from October 5-7, 2020. This year, the Summit was presented as a virtual event because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NCI reported that despite having to present virtually, Summit 2020 attracted more HVAC contractors than any previous Summit, and the interaction between speakers and attendees throughout the event was superb.
A record-breaking 230 HVAC contractors from across the country attended the NCI Virtual Summit to learn how to coach their teams to success.
Once again Summit was open to the entire HVAC Industry with the intent of shining a spotlight on like-minded people willing to share their performance-based experiences with their peers.
Contractors who missed the Virtual Summit can listen to event recordings until January 2021. Learn more at GoToSummit.com.
Breakout Sessions
Virtual Summit 2020 included four breakouts as well as live, online testing demonstrations through NCI’s famed Performance Town training labs.
The breakout sessions included:
• Session 1: Coach Your Entire Team: NCI’s David Richardson presented how contractors can coach their teams on what High-Performance contracting is and why the company should be on that path.
• Session 2: Coach Your Managers: Contractor David DeRose of Masterworks Mechanical, Craig, CO presented attendees how, after the team knows the performance mission, to coach other managers on some of the subtle changes necessary to integrate higher performance into the company.
• Session 3: Coach Your Technical Team: NCI Instructor Casey Contreras presented the field perspective on integrating performance testing into service and installation technicians’ daily work. He shared the importance of how to support the technicians during the transition to High Performance and also coach them on the processes necessary for success.
• Session 4: Coach Your Sales Team: The final step is integrating a High-Performance sales approach with your sales team. NCI’s David Holt led this session and he discussed how to coach both the inside and outside salespeople on the specifics of adding air upgrades and renovations to their proposals.
Performance Town 2020 Hands-on Demonstrations
NCI’s Performance Town returned to Summit this year. Three labs lead by NCI’s Rob Falke, Jeff Sturgeon, David Richardson, Casey Contreras, Scott Fielder, and Justin Bright provided contractors with insights on how to conduct testing and calculations in the field. They also showed how to diagnose issues and offer customers choices regarding solutions.
Partners Tradeshow
For the first time, Summit attendees experienced a virtual tradeshow where they visited booths, attended one-on-one and group meetings online, then downloaded brochures, catalogs, and more. Virtual Summit booths were “manned” by the exhibitors who had plenty of “face-time” with attendees through Zoom-type appointments, meetings, and discussion groups.
In addition to the breakouts and labs, attendees were treated to and participated in a contractor panel discussion facilitated by NCI’s own Dominick Guarino. The topic: how the COVID-19 Pandemic impacted their businesses and what they did and continue to do to meet those challenges.
Panelists included:
- Dawn Mroczek, Comfort Consultant, GV’s Heating, Glenview, IL
- Dave DeRose, Founder, Masterworks Mechanical, Craig, CO
- Dan Squires, President, Vincent’s Heating, Port Huron, MI
- Michael Greany, Service Manager, All Pro Plumbing, Ontario, CA
- Greg Wallace, Owner, Progressive Heating, Newnan, GA.
Idea Meeting
The Annual Idea Meeting has been a popular Summit event from very early on in its history. The Virtual Summit edition was no different. In this meeting, contractors share their ideas on how to creatively build lead generation and sales into their companies.
Once ideas are presented, all session attendees vote on the best idea in each of the two categories. Winners receive a cash award.
The winners this year, each of whom pocketed $310 for their ideas, are:
- Lead Generation: Ronald Amaya of Punbar LLC in Houston Texas.
- Sales: Will Horner of Canco Climate Care in Ontario, Canada.
In this final part of the 2020 Virtual Summit, the management of NCI recognize those member companies for various achievements as they walk down the path to
Contractor’s of the Year: Each year, NCI presents three Contractor of the Year Awards based on company size – Small (less than $2 million in volume), Medium ($2 to 6 million), and Large (more than $6 million).
The 2020 Winners include:
• Small Contractor of the Year — Four Seasons Air Conditioning and Heating, Kingsville, TX
• Medium Contractor of the Year — Kennihan Plumbing, Heating, and AC, Valencia, PA
• Large Contractor of the Year — Jansen’s Heating and Air, Effingham, IL.
In addition, NCI recognizes individuals for their contributions to the Performance-Based Contracting™ industry. These awards and the winners include:
• John Garofalo Implementation Excellence Award: All Pro Plumbing, Heating, Air, & Electrical, Ontario, CA.
• David Debien Award: Vic Updike, Masterworks Mechanical, Craig, CO
• Scott Johnson Training Excellence Award: Getzschman Heating, Fremont, NE
• Sales Excellence Award: Dawn Mroczek, GV’s Heating and Cooling, Glenview, IL
• Preferred Partner Award: R.E. Michel, Inc., Glen Burnie, MD
The highest award NCI gives out recognizes a contractor who is a strong supporter of NCI and its mission, who implements all aspects of NCI’s methods on service, sales, and installation, and who goes above and beyond when it comes to advising NCI regarding ideas, energy and time.
This award is known as the Chairman’s Award and this year’s recipient was Ronald Amaya of Punbar LLC, Houston, TX.
Mark Your Calendars
for 2021 Summit
NCI Summit 2021 is being planned for September of 2021, in Branson, MO. It will be staged as an in-person event barring any unforeseen issues.