Most rep principals can tell you their commission income to the dollar. Far fewer can tell you whether their revenue per employee, collection cycle or operating margin is ahead of the pack or quietly falling behind.

The use of Artificial Intelligence is no longer an option. It isn’t an experimental technology.

My house has a living room with a vaulted ceiling and a loft area above it. That means in summer, the temperatures can get a little uneve So out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT a simple question

Most of the plumbing contractors I know got into the business because they love the trade itself. They enjoy working with their hands. They are passionate about problem-solving. They like making a difference in the lives of their customers.

One of the issues I often write about is the necessity for you, the contractor, to properly identify and calculate the true operational business costs you incur to run your business — in total and as those costs pertain proportionately to any given task.

At the time of this writing, we are about one month removed from the 2026 Fab Forum hosted by The Hill Group in Franklin Park, Illinois. Hill is a full-service mechanical contractor that includes fire protection, testing/adjusting/balancing and an architectural group.

Every plumbing contractor knows what it’s like to have a technician who stands out from the crowd on day one, immediately demonstrating immense talent and limitless potential. 

If you search the Internet for the definition of the word “business,” you’ll find a version of this idea: “Business is an organization that provides goods and services to the community in exchange for money, with the goal of becoming profitable.”

Disruption has become a permanent feature of leadership conversations in wholesale distribution. It shows up in discussions about technology, workforce dynamics, regulation, and shifting customer expectations.