About 10 days ago we attended the NAED Eastern and met with a number of manufacturers and distributors. The tenor of the meeting was interesting as distributors and manufacturers had differing views regarding their 2009 outlook and green remained the […]
If you secure business via contracts, either as a distributor or a manufacturer, you know that maverick buying, on behalf of the end-user, can be the bane of a contract.Maverick buying is when purchasers within the end-user, who are supposed […]
The interest in green / energy efficiency continues and what started as a trend appears to be turning into a full-fledged opportunity for those who are willing to commit resources to pursue this market. Over the past week or so […]
The beginning of the meeting season coincides with the beginning of the planning season. Many manufacturers are well into the process with some distributors just starting. Looking into your crystal ball can be challenging, especially in light of recent uncertainty.While […]
Yesterday there was an interesting ad in The Wall Street Journal. An electrical and mechanical contractor, EMCOR, with almost $7 billion in revenues of which about 25% is electrical, was advertising their services. While the reasons are obvious – developers […]
Home Channel News’ August 11th issue provided insight into the lamp market. With incandescents effectively being banned by 2014, the future appears to belong to CFLs and LEDs. But with LEDs “at $50 for a light bulb”, what is the […]
Lutron, Leviton, Philips, the hardware industry and North Dakota were in recent articles we’ve read. Below are the items of interest: “Lutron says dimmed halogen bulbs are better than compact fluorescents ” was the headline on www.dvice.com. The article goes […]
A recent article in Forbes posed this question, “What happens when you don’t build more power plants?” and we’ll add “and the future of the automotive industry is electric cars”. Combine the two, plus the fact that electricity usage is […]
As we’ve mentioned, (article in EW) there are a number of niche applications that represent opportunity for distributors. With business slow, what better way to differentiate yourself than helping your contractors capture business (they need it) and to help end-users […]
As you know, if you file your taxes by tomorrow you may be eligible for a rebate check from the government (they call it a stimulus). But to let it stimulate your business, think about how you can make others’ […]
