Last Tuesday morning, I departed Philadelphia in freezing snow.  The interstate barely moved.  Took four hours to get to Baltimore.

With the Boer Brothers team. Kevin Williams is on the far right.

South of the Washington DC loop, things started to pick up.  Arrived in Chapel Hill, NC that night ready for the next day’s seminar hosted by Boer Brothers Heating and Cooling.

Kevin Williams, Boer Brothers’ service manager, did it right.

He invited other local contractors (electrical, duct cleaning, commercial, etc.) to gain valuable insight.  The room synergy was dynamic – very interactive group.  They were engaged and asked terrific questions.

Hats off to Boer Brothers Heating and Cooling for the vision, foresight and generous inclusion of other local contractors.

After the seminar, I drove east to Rt 95 and remembered that Pernell Heating and Air in Smithfield, NC was on the way.

Me and Chandler Pernell outside their shop.

A brief e-mail message (not sent while driving) with the subject: “Lunch Today?” resulted in a quick reply from Chandler Pernell.  And thus began a tasty combination BBQ meal of pulled pork, fried chicken and hushpuppies at the White Swan.

I am not a hushpuppy fan, but the White Swan’s hushpuppies are the best – period.

During lunch, it felt as though I were sharing a meal with family.  Me and Chandler’s dad, Carlton Pernell, shared teenage stories about  heroic and adventurous travel.  No shortage of conversation topics.

The Miami trek required a night’s sleep in Jacksonville.  Heading south, the warmer weather made me smile.  The thermometer on my pickup’s rear view mirror kept inching up to the 70s.

Three days at the Miami conference was a treat.  Nice weather and sunshine does much to boost one’s spirits.

After the conference, I headed west to Fort Myers for a two-day stay with my sister and her husband.

With Fort Myers Institute of Technology students

While there, I remembered that the Fort Myers Institute of Technology taught my soft skills curriculum.

A phone call to instructor, David Wahl, resulted in my apology for the last-minute notice and his invitation to teach a soft skills class.

The students and faculty got a break from their usual routine and I had a boatload of fun.

The students were engaged in hearing about and participating in commercial and residential soft skill anecdotes.  We also analyzed a customer’s actual complaint call about a recent furnace installation.  Using the Contain, Qualify and Correct flowchart, we dissected elements of the customer’s experience.

These smart students possessed both optimism and critical thinking skills.  A terrific combination.

Today, I begin heading north to Georgia.  

Carter Stanfield, instructor at Athens Technical College, invited me to conduct a half-day seminar for the benefit of students, faculty and local contractors.  Anyone nearby is invited to register b y phoning 706-369-5763 or click here for more information.

Overall, a fun trek thus far.

Keep an eye out for more blog posts.