It’s the first issue of CONTRACTOR for 2021. One more trip around the sun for us and for our readers. Facing a new year most people take what time they can to take stock—both of the times they’re living in and of themselves.
As for the times, they’re chaotic. But then again, when are they not? Which is not to say that things like pandemics and elections happen all the time, but it’s always something. Maybe whatever it is affects the world, maybe just your neighborhood, maybe just your family, but if becoming an adult has taught me anything it’s that there is always a new challenge, a new opportunity, difficulty or decision you need to grapple with, and it never seems to end. (Maybe—hopefully!—some of my readers who have made it to retirement can tell me different.)
Our annual industry forecast begins on the cover and in putting it together we interviewed some of the country’s top manufacturers. In a nutshell, they have plenty of optimism about the coming year. 2020, while not meeting early expectations, still saw plenty of growth, and all signs point to more in 2021. All are investing in their facilities, their people and their technology. The nation and the world may be a long time recovering from the economic fallout caused by the pandemic, but all the fundamentals look sound.
However, since none of us has a crystal ball, maybe taking stock of ourselves is actually the better choice? After all, sound businesses—like sound people—thrive in good times and bad. And of course, since any determined evaluation (of either a person or a business) can always find room for improvement, this leads to (for businesses) yearly objectives and goal-setting, and (for people) the much-maligned New Year’s Resolution.
I’ve talked to plenty of businesspeople about how they drive improvement (and I’ve made my fair share of New Year’s Resolutions) and I’ve discovered this short list of questions that is always worth asking:
Is it worth doing in the first place? Will this change I’m setting out to make really result in some tangible improvement? Sometimes overhauling a department is worth it. And sometimes it’s just a gigantic hassle for no real benefit.
Is it achievable? It’s fine to stand on your soapbox and say, “We will double our revenues this year,” but is there actually enough work out there to make that happen?
Is it measurable? Is whatever you’re trying to accomplish tied to your key performance indicators? Are you getting the data you need to track progress?
Does someone own it? Change is hard. If no one is clearly in charge of making it happen, it probably won’t happen.
Which brings us, in a roundabout way, to John W. Danforth, our Contractor of the Year (also featured on the cover). We chose Danforth not just for the 130 years of history the company has seen, but for how through the years it has lived up to the vision of its founder, John Willison Danforth, who believed the right way to deliver the best value to his customers was by constantly striving to build the best mechanical contracting company he could.
That spirit of innovation, of constant self-examination and self-improvement, has made the company the 4th largest mechanical contractor in the Northeast, and is still on display today. We’re very proud to name them our Contractor of the Year and will be looking to see how they face the challenges of this coming year.