The latest news on the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is that it will make landfall as early as tomorrow evening. Governor Bobby Jindahl of Louisiana is mobilizing a united effort to lessen the environmental impact on the beaches, wildlife, tourism, and the shrimping and fishing industries there.
The untold story here is not that the rig had caught fire after an explosion, or that it sank and damaged the well head. The real story here is that the efforts to extinguish the fire are what sank the rig! These rigs (oil platforms) are floating vessels that are permanently moored to the seabed far below. So the question arises, why did British Petroleum try to extinguish a fire on a floating oil platform with water instead of foam?
After what happened on the Air Carrier U.S.S. Forestall, the United States Navy, (which I served in) trains every recruit as a fireman. Every fireman knows that you cannot fight an oil fire or many other chemical fires with water. Water only spreads the fire around because the chemicals are lighter than water and the viscosity is so different. Even some certain solids are best extinguished with foam. Expanding foam quickly smothers the fire and chokes off its access to the oxygen that is vital for sustained combustion. The heat remains, but without oxygen the flames are quickly extinguished.
Knowing this, why then did they choose to fight the fire with water? They only succeeded in reducing the buoyancy of the platform to the point that it became unstable and sank falling onto the well head a mile below the surface of the water and thereby damaging the well casing at three points on the way down.
And now of course the flip-flopping Governor of Florida has penned a letter to Obama petitioning for the end to "drill baby drill" and all exploration off shore. This couldn't have happened at a worse time. This may just doom us to forever purchasing oil from hostile nations overseas. BP should be skewered for this, not necessarily for the environmental impact alone, but also (and especially) for the socioeconomic fallout for United States citizens as well.
And for God's sake BP start stocking fire fighting foam on board your oil platforms, and train every single employee in firefighting like the United States Navy does. And keep them current on their firefighting knowledge and techniques. This catastrophe was entirely avoidable.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Enviro-Religion Madness
The environmental terrorists are at it again, celebrating "Earth Day". They tout rabid conservationism as the panacea for all of the perceived ills of the planet. I would just like to know how the earth got along for so long without us humans and our penchant for recycling?
The earth was here before we were and it will most likely be here well after we are gone. Oh my, how will it survive without us humans to recycle?
The earth does a pretty good job of recycling without us actually. In the 90's there was a release of some "low-level" radioactive deuterium (heavy water) into Lake Erie from the Fermi II nuclear power plant in Michigan, yet the fish have not mutated, nor are they dangerous to eat, and there was no effort undertaken by mankind to remediate the lake water. In the 1960's the Cuyahoga River in Ohio actually caught fire because it was a favored dumping ground for volatile chemicals from industry, yet today people still fish from its shores for pleasure and sustenance. There was no remediation done there either. The fire simply burned itself out. How would anyone extinguish an entire river anyway?
All of this time and energy devoted to "saving the environment" is ludicrous. As a species we can't even destroy the environment so how can we be expected to save it? Wasted time and energy is what it all is. And then there is the capitalists like Gore, who stand to make vast amounts of money on the whole idea of greenness. What a crock of (fill in your favorite expletive here).
I drive for a living. I burn about 6400 gallons of diesel fuel per year. I also drive for service in my business and I burn approximately 1300 gallons of gasoline per year. I run my indoor compact fluorescent lighting approximately 2200 hours per year, (more than I would comparable incandescent lighting because it is cheaper to burn). I employ high tech fluorescent safety lighting outside my house that burns from sundown to sunup, even so they consume over 500 watts of power (but create equivalent light to over 4 thousand watts of HID lighting). My electric cell phone chargers are constantly plugged in even if there is no cell phone charging. I pay for it, and the use is minimal. That energy can't be wasted because it can't be saved either. It isn't stored anywhere, it is generated in real time, and you pay only for what you use anyway. I used to work in the field for Detroit Edison in their metering department and the nominal charge for inactivity is just that, nominal. The charge for the metering on an inactive account is less than $5 per month.
I am just so damned sick of everyone bowing at the altar of environmentalism. Enough already. The planet takes care of itself, lets start doing the same. There are far more pressing issues to attend to than wrangling over "paper or plastic". People like to say that all the "man made" items are what is to blame for pollution. Did we import the ingredients for anything that man has made from another planet or universe? It all comes from the earth anyway. For that fact we don't "make" anything, we simply rearrange or assemble what is already here. So tell me, how can the earth pollute itself with itself? When you post your answer, you can become the Enviro-God.
The earth was here before we were and it will most likely be here well after we are gone. Oh my, how will it survive without us humans to recycle?
The earth does a pretty good job of recycling without us actually. In the 90's there was a release of some "low-level" radioactive deuterium (heavy water) into Lake Erie from the Fermi II nuclear power plant in Michigan, yet the fish have not mutated, nor are they dangerous to eat, and there was no effort undertaken by mankind to remediate the lake water. In the 1960's the Cuyahoga River in Ohio actually caught fire because it was a favored dumping ground for volatile chemicals from industry, yet today people still fish from its shores for pleasure and sustenance. There was no remediation done there either. The fire simply burned itself out. How would anyone extinguish an entire river anyway?
All of this time and energy devoted to "saving the environment" is ludicrous. As a species we can't even destroy the environment so how can we be expected to save it? Wasted time and energy is what it all is. And then there is the capitalists like Gore, who stand to make vast amounts of money on the whole idea of greenness. What a crock of (fill in your favorite expletive here).
I drive for a living. I burn about 6400 gallons of diesel fuel per year. I also drive for service in my business and I burn approximately 1300 gallons of gasoline per year. I run my indoor compact fluorescent lighting approximately 2200 hours per year, (more than I would comparable incandescent lighting because it is cheaper to burn). I employ high tech fluorescent safety lighting outside my house that burns from sundown to sunup, even so they consume over 500 watts of power (but create equivalent light to over 4 thousand watts of HID lighting). My electric cell phone chargers are constantly plugged in even if there is no cell phone charging. I pay for it, and the use is minimal. That energy can't be wasted because it can't be saved either. It isn't stored anywhere, it is generated in real time, and you pay only for what you use anyway. I used to work in the field for Detroit Edison in their metering department and the nominal charge for inactivity is just that, nominal. The charge for the metering on an inactive account is less than $5 per month.
I am just so damned sick of everyone bowing at the altar of environmentalism. Enough already. The planet takes care of itself, lets start doing the same. There are far more pressing issues to attend to than wrangling over "paper or plastic". People like to say that all the "man made" items are what is to blame for pollution. Did we import the ingredients for anything that man has made from another planet or universe? It all comes from the earth anyway. For that fact we don't "make" anything, we simply rearrange or assemble what is already here. So tell me, how can the earth pollute itself with itself? When you post your answer, you can become the Enviro-God.
Friday, April 23, 2010
News From The Road.
Greetings from Grand Island Nebraska. The company flew me out here to cover two drivers taking vacation this week and next. It is rather unusual that I would know what I am doing this far in advance, but the economy is showing signs of rebounding and work is picking up for both my "day-job" here at Ryder and also for my business. I have done five jobs this past two months and I currently have an estimate out on one job and there is yet another looming in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, after I get back from Nebraska next weekend, I will be touring Ontario Canada for the Pella Window account the following week as they are doing a trade show there. I just got word from my boss that the account manager for the Pella account asked if I would be willing to travel cross country for several weeks. I knew that you don't just do one trade show. There had to be more. I told him that I wouldn't mind it at all, I need the money. And it will be very good money going over the road like that.
I traveled light to get here, cause flying is just such a hassle anymore. I would so rather drive anywhere, but time constraints required a flight here and back. So I travel lightly to avoid the added expense and annoyance of extra charges at the airlines. One duffel bag, one hand bag, my file folder and a newspaper to read on the plane.
I am absolutely floored at just how expensive the little conveniences have gotten, especially out here in the plains. A single 20 ounce soda pop will set you back almost two whole dollars! ($1.89 with tax)! Makes me glad that I live in the densely populated and well traveled mid-west, things are so much cheaper there. I am keeping every single receipt for taxes next year. As an employee who is subject to regulation by the DOT (Department of Transportation) all meals and other unreimbursed expenses that are necessary for the job are tax deductible with some limitations. Meals are subject to a 70% ceiling, others can be written off entirely.
Got to go and get some rest now. I have a busy schedule for the next few months!
Meanwhile, after I get back from Nebraska next weekend, I will be touring Ontario Canada for the Pella Window account the following week as they are doing a trade show there. I just got word from my boss that the account manager for the Pella account asked if I would be willing to travel cross country for several weeks. I knew that you don't just do one trade show. There had to be more. I told him that I wouldn't mind it at all, I need the money. And it will be very good money going over the road like that.
I traveled light to get here, cause flying is just such a hassle anymore. I would so rather drive anywhere, but time constraints required a flight here and back. So I travel lightly to avoid the added expense and annoyance of extra charges at the airlines. One duffel bag, one hand bag, my file folder and a newspaper to read on the plane.
I am absolutely floored at just how expensive the little conveniences have gotten, especially out here in the plains. A single 20 ounce soda pop will set you back almost two whole dollars! ($1.89 with tax)! Makes me glad that I live in the densely populated and well traveled mid-west, things are so much cheaper there. I am keeping every single receipt for taxes next year. As an employee who is subject to regulation by the DOT (Department of Transportation) all meals and other unreimbursed expenses that are necessary for the job are tax deductible with some limitations. Meals are subject to a 70% ceiling, others can be written off entirely.
Got to go and get some rest now. I have a busy schedule for the next few months!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Cleaning House with the Tea Party Movement
Every neighborhood has one. A person that just can't keep from exhibiting antagonistic behaviors. You know what I am talking about; that dorky looking preteen kid that insists upon gathering all the others around a tree and then using a big stick to whack a beehive and cackle as he runs away, leaving the bewildered others standing there to become hapless victims of the resulting swarm of angry bees. Obama was just that kind of a kid folks. He has whacked the proverbial beehive of freedom with his big "health care" stick, and now he has the audacity to laugh at his hapless drones as the warrior bees of freedom launch a counter attack.
Obama is a professional antagonist. It is written all over his resume. He loves agitating the hive. But the duck and weave only keeps you safe if you are faster than your adversary. He has overreached this time. He can't out run the truth. We the people have found you out Obama, and we are going to fire you in the next election, just like we fired that wacky peanut farming dolt Carter.
We are going to run you off the block. We don't want your kind around here. We don't need your kind around here. Your opinion of this great country is so low, you should have campaigned to be the next "El-Presidente" of Venezuela instead. Perhaps your pal Hugo would mentor you. Oh, that's right he already has. Did he autograph your copy of Hegemony for you when you were down there groveling at his feet?
I guarantee you this; Obama will be a "one term dunderhead", and us Conservatives will take back our beloved country from the clutches of the liberal horde in congress. And all the Obamanoids that currently fawn over his every breathy lilted word read from the teleprompter will be stupefied as to what has happened. They will be wondering "where is Obamaclaus? he promised us all free health care." Well Virginia, there is no free health care, and Obamaclaus is a fraud.
The Tea Party members are those warrior bees and the liberals in congress are the hapless kids on the block. They are in that stupor, that fog of confusion phase right now, not quite comprehending what has happened or what to do about it. Obama has set you up. He is running to distance himself now and he is laughing at you as you bear the brunt of the hive's anger against your assault on our liberty and freedom. You will know which way to run come this November if you haven't figured it out before then. Some of you already have. Good riddance to you!
Obama is a professional antagonist. It is written all over his resume. He loves agitating the hive. But the duck and weave only keeps you safe if you are faster than your adversary. He has overreached this time. He can't out run the truth. We the people have found you out Obama, and we are going to fire you in the next election, just like we fired that wacky peanut farming dolt Carter.
We are going to run you off the block. We don't want your kind around here. We don't need your kind around here. Your opinion of this great country is so low, you should have campaigned to be the next "El-Presidente" of Venezuela instead. Perhaps your pal Hugo would mentor you. Oh, that's right he already has. Did he autograph your copy of Hegemony for you when you were down there groveling at his feet?
I guarantee you this; Obama will be a "one term dunderhead", and us Conservatives will take back our beloved country from the clutches of the liberal horde in congress. And all the Obamanoids that currently fawn over his every breathy lilted word read from the teleprompter will be stupefied as to what has happened. They will be wondering "where is Obamaclaus? he promised us all free health care." Well Virginia, there is no free health care, and Obamaclaus is a fraud.
The Tea Party members are those warrior bees and the liberals in congress are the hapless kids on the block. They are in that stupor, that fog of confusion phase right now, not quite comprehending what has happened or what to do about it. Obama has set you up. He is running to distance himself now and he is laughing at you as you bear the brunt of the hive's anger against your assault on our liberty and freedom. You will know which way to run come this November if you haven't figured it out before then. Some of you already have. Good riddance to you!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Obamatopia Falls Short of the Promise
It would seem that Obama is being revealed as the reviled meddler that he is with his insistence on pushing for a government health care takeover that no one wants! In fact, 38 states have filed legislation called the "Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act" based upon model legislation provided by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). And just yesterday it was reported by AP that Virginia is the first state to actually pass the legislation.
Now, Obama keeps saying that there are lots of polls that show that the majority of the people want him to keep yammering on about Obamacare, but he never cites the actual polls. That is because they do not exist. If everyone wants Obamacare, why are 38 of 50 states acting to insulate themselves from the devastating morass of bureaucracy that would be Obamacare?
Do the math. 38/50=.76
That means that 76% of the states, 76% of the people are opposed to his vision of Obamatopia. Get off of it already. What happened to his "laser focus" on jobs? Obama is ineffectual as a leader. He is the laughing stock of the world. He wants to mothball all of our nukes, while Iran is rushing to build the bomb! He is an idiot. He is without question the biggest dolt we have ever put into office.
He goes around blaming Wall Street for the financial crisis, when in fact it was his own lackeys in congress that originally caused the mess. He thinks that he is a magician who can destroy our economy on purpose and get away with blaming it on Wall Street. But the public is wise to your chicanery Obama, your slight of hand via slight of words will not work. We are on to you, Obama. Your days in power are numbered.
I don't know about you, but I can't stand to hear that stupid lilting cadence in his voice when he speaks. He is the most overexposed President in our history. He is flapping his gums and those big stupid ears on television nearly every single day! I cringe whenever I hear him.
Apparently the only people that are entitled to profits are liberals like himself. Does anyone remember that half a million dollar book advance he took just before being sworn into office? His lexicon of four-letter words includes "profit". Further proof that he can't do math. If companies don't make profits, the stock tanks. When stocks tank, retirement pensions tank and our financial system spirals downward. Yet this damned fool relentlessly hammers companies for actually daring to make a profit, Incredible! He runs around demonizing Wall Street bankers and day traders, auto companies, insurance companies. He places new and horrifically expensive obstacles in the way of all businesses by pumping up the power and scope of the EPA, and pushing his "greenscape" on an economy that does not want or need it. This guy is a first class ass. He is clueless. He has a piece of paper from a liberal university, and he thinks that he knows it all. He has zero experience at doing anything other than campaigning. He has no real world experience. He has never run a business. He hasn't got a clue as to what it takes to run a business and it is painfully obvious for all to see. He is "The Professor". Will someone please do another parody song; Joe Walsh's "The Confessor" as "The Professor"? Heavy music, for the heavy hand of liberalism, with a punishing beat to match.
Mark Levin said it last night and he was right; soft tyranny is here now. It is personified in Obama and his vision of an ever metastasizing government. His Obamatopia that has an entitlement program for everyone. The only problem is paying for it all. But since he lacks any semblance of business acumen, he does not understand that you can't spend what you do not have. You can not borrow against future revenue to fund expansion without controls in the plan for future growth. You can not cover everyone. Everyone does not need or want coverage.
Medical inflation and rising insurance rates are concurrent and it all started in 1965 when our stupid government passed Social Security and Medicare! How did we ever get along without those damned programs for so long? They keep raising the age that you can take benefits out. It is a fraud, a sham, a hoax. how many people retire early, can't take anything out for a few years and in the meantime they pass away, and still the damned thing is insolvent? It is an abject failure. It is high time that we realize that as a nation. I do not expect to ever receive any of MY MONEY that they have been stealing from me all the years that I have been working anyway. It is outright theft and I am tired of being reminded about it by that jackass Obama on television and radio every damned day. I wish that he would just shut the hell up already and start working on lowering taxes for everyone. Lower taxes on businesses and individuals. In fact, we should eliminate the IRS and go to a fair tax system that is based upon consumption. A national sales tax. No more IRS, No more loopholes, no more complicated forms, or returns to file, no income tax, no FICA, no FUTA, no more Medicare. Just a simple national sales tax. Those that consume the most would pay the most. Those that consume less would pay less. Everyone would be paying their fair share. The Rich and the poor would pay the same rate of taxation at the cash register period. Now that is a plan for economic stimulus!
Now, Obama keeps saying that there are lots of polls that show that the majority of the people want him to keep yammering on about Obamacare, but he never cites the actual polls. That is because they do not exist. If everyone wants Obamacare, why are 38 of 50 states acting to insulate themselves from the devastating morass of bureaucracy that would be Obamacare?
Do the math. 38/50=.76
That means that 76% of the states, 76% of the people are opposed to his vision of Obamatopia. Get off of it already. What happened to his "laser focus" on jobs? Obama is ineffectual as a leader. He is the laughing stock of the world. He wants to mothball all of our nukes, while Iran is rushing to build the bomb! He is an idiot. He is without question the biggest dolt we have ever put into office.
He goes around blaming Wall Street for the financial crisis, when in fact it was his own lackeys in congress that originally caused the mess. He thinks that he is a magician who can destroy our economy on purpose and get away with blaming it on Wall Street. But the public is wise to your chicanery Obama, your slight of hand via slight of words will not work. We are on to you, Obama. Your days in power are numbered.
I don't know about you, but I can't stand to hear that stupid lilting cadence in his voice when he speaks. He is the most overexposed President in our history. He is flapping his gums and those big stupid ears on television nearly every single day! I cringe whenever I hear him.
Apparently the only people that are entitled to profits are liberals like himself. Does anyone remember that half a million dollar book advance he took just before being sworn into office? His lexicon of four-letter words includes "profit". Further proof that he can't do math. If companies don't make profits, the stock tanks. When stocks tank, retirement pensions tank and our financial system spirals downward. Yet this damned fool relentlessly hammers companies for actually daring to make a profit, Incredible! He runs around demonizing Wall Street bankers and day traders, auto companies, insurance companies. He places new and horrifically expensive obstacles in the way of all businesses by pumping up the power and scope of the EPA, and pushing his "greenscape" on an economy that does not want or need it. This guy is a first class ass. He is clueless. He has a piece of paper from a liberal university, and he thinks that he knows it all. He has zero experience at doing anything other than campaigning. He has no real world experience. He has never run a business. He hasn't got a clue as to what it takes to run a business and it is painfully obvious for all to see. He is "The Professor". Will someone please do another parody song; Joe Walsh's "The Confessor" as "The Professor"? Heavy music, for the heavy hand of liberalism, with a punishing beat to match.
Mark Levin said it last night and he was right; soft tyranny is here now. It is personified in Obama and his vision of an ever metastasizing government. His Obamatopia that has an entitlement program for everyone. The only problem is paying for it all. But since he lacks any semblance of business acumen, he does not understand that you can't spend what you do not have. You can not borrow against future revenue to fund expansion without controls in the plan for future growth. You can not cover everyone. Everyone does not need or want coverage.
Medical inflation and rising insurance rates are concurrent and it all started in 1965 when our stupid government passed Social Security and Medicare! How did we ever get along without those damned programs for so long? They keep raising the age that you can take benefits out. It is a fraud, a sham, a hoax. how many people retire early, can't take anything out for a few years and in the meantime they pass away, and still the damned thing is insolvent? It is an abject failure. It is high time that we realize that as a nation. I do not expect to ever receive any of MY MONEY that they have been stealing from me all the years that I have been working anyway. It is outright theft and I am tired of being reminded about it by that jackass Obama on television and radio every damned day. I wish that he would just shut the hell up already and start working on lowering taxes for everyone. Lower taxes on businesses and individuals. In fact, we should eliminate the IRS and go to a fair tax system that is based upon consumption. A national sales tax. No more IRS, No more loopholes, no more complicated forms, or returns to file, no income tax, no FICA, no FUTA, no more Medicare. Just a simple national sales tax. Those that consume the most would pay the most. Those that consume less would pay less. Everyone would be paying their fair share. The Rich and the poor would pay the same rate of taxation at the cash register period. Now that is a plan for economic stimulus!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Tenth Amendment Rights and Obama's Takeover of Health Care
Forget right verses left when it comes to a government takeover of health care. What should be of great concern is adherence to our Constitution and especially the tenth amendment. Even if you feel that our system is broken as far as health care goes, it is unconstitutional to force anyone to purchase any products from any entity. That is a slippery slope that once embarked upon could easily lead to severed rights for all citizens with an all powerful federal government that should be feared.
Nowhere in the entire Constitution is there any power granted to the federal government to mandate that all must purchase health insurance, even though if everyone where to do so it would invariably spread the risk farther and pool greater resources (premiums) for greater coverage for more people.
Utopia on this earth, under man's rule, man's government of men, is not possible period. The right to choose not to purchase insurance is guaranteed to all Americans by our tenth amendment.
And it is not about health care anyway. It is about expanding our government. Government jobs, government power, government control over you and intrusion into your lives. If they pass it, it will be challenged on a Constitutional basis and it will be defeated, invalidated, and overturned by the Supreme Court if Congress and the President will not.
There are currently 17 states that are insulating themselves from participating in a federal takeover of health care by standing on and asserting their tenth amendment right. I am glad that Michigan is one of them. Between MSU and Wayne State college of Medicine, among many others there are great innovations in medicine and pharmaceuticals being made here. We will get to keep all of that and access to it for our citizens in spite of Obama's health care rationing schemes, and government panels that determine who can get what care.
Nowhere in the entire Constitution is there any power granted to the federal government to mandate that all must purchase health insurance, even though if everyone where to do so it would invariably spread the risk farther and pool greater resources (premiums) for greater coverage for more people.
Utopia on this earth, under man's rule, man's government of men, is not possible period. The right to choose not to purchase insurance is guaranteed to all Americans by our tenth amendment.
And it is not about health care anyway. It is about expanding our government. Government jobs, government power, government control over you and intrusion into your lives. If they pass it, it will be challenged on a Constitutional basis and it will be defeated, invalidated, and overturned by the Supreme Court if Congress and the President will not.
There are currently 17 states that are insulating themselves from participating in a federal takeover of health care by standing on and asserting their tenth amendment right. I am glad that Michigan is one of them. Between MSU and Wayne State college of Medicine, among many others there are great innovations in medicine and pharmaceuticals being made here. We will get to keep all of that and access to it for our citizens in spite of Obama's health care rationing schemes, and government panels that determine who can get what care.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Opportunity For Lateral Growth In The Low Voltage Telephony Market.
I know that it has been a while since I last posted, but I have been rather busy lately. I think that the economy is beginning to show signs of picking up despite Obama's war on prosperity. Several side jobs have come my way lately. I suspect that a few of them were pent up demand for services that businesses were just holding off on until they could simply wait no longer. Others are simply the direct result of some semblance of stability returning to the business environment as a whole.
It is nice to know that a good reputation for quality service precedes me, as I have been able to expand laterally into a new market for low voltage work. A very good customer of mine, (a commercial properties management and investment company) called upon me back in the spring of 2004 to restore service for one of their tenants. It seems that one of their electrical contractors was working in an adjoining vacant suite doing demolition work and had cut the T-1 for the tenant. Well, I had their computers and phones back up and running later that very afternoon. The tenant was rather impressed and took one of my business cards. They subsequently called me to work on their phone system about a half dozen times over the next year, and then again when they moved into a larger suite it was I who cabled it and moved their phone system for them.
Well, that tenant just so happens to be an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) company. They sell, install, service and repair HVAC units and they also remotely monitor and manage them for their customers. Up until now the units that they have monitored have been large commercial type rooftop units that control the climates for common areas in office buildings and warehouses however, they have started to push into a new market; controlling individual office suites with IP addressable thermostats. That is where I come in. They asked me to bid out a job for them, and they liked my quote. They liked it so much so that I have been told that we may get the opportunity to bid on many more of these jobs that they are looking to sell!
So I have moved laterally from doing primarily the traditional telephony work on business phone systems, voice mail systems and data networks into a contractual relationship within the HVAC market. This comes as the telephony side of things are beginning to pick up for me as well. This is good news. There is still some sluggishness in the telephony market however, as my receivables are cycling longer. They languish for an average of 40 to 45 days before payment, in spite of offering incentives to pay earlier.
So it would seem that the credit market is not dead after all, because I have continued extending credit to my customers. But my customers are creditworthy and it behooves me to do so, or they may look elsewhere for service.
It is nice to know that a good reputation for quality service precedes me, as I have been able to expand laterally into a new market for low voltage work. A very good customer of mine, (a commercial properties management and investment company) called upon me back in the spring of 2004 to restore service for one of their tenants. It seems that one of their electrical contractors was working in an adjoining vacant suite doing demolition work and had cut the T-1 for the tenant. Well, I had their computers and phones back up and running later that very afternoon. The tenant was rather impressed and took one of my business cards. They subsequently called me to work on their phone system about a half dozen times over the next year, and then again when they moved into a larger suite it was I who cabled it and moved their phone system for them.
Well, that tenant just so happens to be an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) company. They sell, install, service and repair HVAC units and they also remotely monitor and manage them for their customers. Up until now the units that they have monitored have been large commercial type rooftop units that control the climates for common areas in office buildings and warehouses however, they have started to push into a new market; controlling individual office suites with IP addressable thermostats. That is where I come in. They asked me to bid out a job for them, and they liked my quote. They liked it so much so that I have been told that we may get the opportunity to bid on many more of these jobs that they are looking to sell!
So I have moved laterally from doing primarily the traditional telephony work on business phone systems, voice mail systems and data networks into a contractual relationship within the HVAC market. This comes as the telephony side of things are beginning to pick up for me as well. This is good news. There is still some sluggishness in the telephony market however, as my receivables are cycling longer. They languish for an average of 40 to 45 days before payment, in spite of offering incentives to pay earlier.
So it would seem that the credit market is not dead after all, because I have continued extending credit to my customers. But my customers are creditworthy and it behooves me to do so, or they may look elsewhere for service.
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