President of Comfort Systems USA Southwest, Comfort Usa
Search every verified Joseph Nichter interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Joe Nichter, president of Comfort Systems USA Southwest, served as chairman of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) for the 2011-2012 term. During his tenure, he emphasized that the HVACR industry should rebrand itself as the "indoor environment and energy" profession, stating that "we are not HVAC contractors; we are indoor environment and energy professionals." He highlighted ACCA's expansion into hydronics and the development of a national standard for home performance approved by the American National Standards Institute. Nichter also promoted the launch of IE3 Media, a subsidiary he described as "an internet company providing knowledge solutions and real world intelligence for the indoor environment industry," including a print magazine, a social network, and mobile applications. Nichter spoke about the need for contractors to adapt to changing technology and workforce demographics, noting that "the way we communicate is changing" and that contractors must "recognize the gap between the four generations employed in the workplace... understand it and bridge it." He shared personal experiences from his company, including selling its sheet metal shop after determining it was costing nearly a million dollars a year to operate, and described recovering from a motorcycle crash that left him temporarily unable to walk. In his outgoing remarks, he challenged ACCA members to "raise the bar for our competition to meet" and stated that companies unwilling to comply with ethical standards "should be clear they are not welcome in ACCA."
“One of the many accomplishments I am most proud of this year is the establishment of ACCA's new subsidiary IE3 Media. In just a few short months, IE3 launched a print magazine that's already the best design, easiest to read in the industry, and is completely integrated with the web and mobile devices.”
“IE3 launched a new social network that will play a big role in our future communications and is getting ready to launch a series of mobile applications that will make life easier for contractors and technicians.”
“For ACCA to move its agenda forward, we need to recognize the gap between the four generations employed in the workplace—Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials—understand it and bridge it.”
“The way we communicate is changing and there is nothing more fundamental to driving an agenda than communicating. IE3 opens up new avenues for communication because it is not a magazine publisher or a website; it is a provider of real-world intelligence and knowledge solutions for the indoor environment industry.”
“The board is continually focusing on long and short-term goals through our strategic plan. This last year was no exception. We have come up with several new objectives that we have to prioritize, including business modeling for productive efficient organizations, rethinking our membership model, and enhancing the membe...”
“We need to raise the bar for our competition to meet by complying with all laws and regulations, maintaining an understanding of proper system design, and ensuring that quality, honesty, integrity, and good faith are hallmarks of our businesses and our association.”
“If companies cannot or will not meet these goals, then we should be clear they are not welcome in ACCA.”
“ACCA is able to make creative leaps like this faster than any other organizations because we are fortunate to be led by a board made up solely of contractors, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and dreamers. They are used to getting things done and this year is no exception.”
“We made a promise to you this year: we promise to raise the stakes and we intend to keep that promise. There's too much on the line for the HVACR industry for us to play it safe. Playing it safe means making small changes, but our customers are demanding big changes.”
“If we play it safe, we lose big. As a result, this is not an option. We will continue to move ahead aggressively.”
“Our new mission is to lead America's indoor environment and energy professionals to business success. It's simple and it provides ACCA with a clear mission, one that drives your board in developing the strategic plan and one that drives your staff in putting that plan into action.”
“What's missing from the mission and vision statements? You'll notice neither of them mentioned heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration. That's because we recognize that the HVAC industry is no longer just the HVACR industry. The most successful contractors are thinking bigger about the systems they se...”
“We are not HVAC contractors; we are indoor environment and energy professionals. Just a few months ago ACCA expanded into the hydronics field of our industry by introducing the Radiant and Hydronics Council, and today ACCA is ready to become the largest hydronics contractor organization in the world.”
“A few weeks ago, the American National Standards Institute approved the first and only national standard for home performance outlining all the steps necessary to determine a home's performance and recommend measures to improve it. And who wrote and published that standard? You did, ACCA, not the weatherization people,...”
“One year ago, ACCA introduced its first accreditation program for contractors, QA for new homes, and in one year we enrolled nearly 500 companies in this new program, far outpacing our expectations.”
Outgoing ACCA chairman Joe Nichter issues a final challenge to the indoor environment industry at the 2012 ACCA Conference ...
ACCA 2011-2012 Chairman Joe Nichter welcomes participants to the 2012 ACCA Conference, March 5 at the Paris Las Vegas.
Part 2 of 2 - 2011-2012 ACCA Chairman Joe Nichter speaks at the chairman's banquet during the 2011 ACCA Conference ...
Part 1 of 2 - 2011-2012 ACCA Chairman Joe Nichter speaks at the chairman's banquet during the 2011 ACCA Conference ...
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