NASHVILLE, Tenn. — More than 20 Unified Group members gathered to attend the Group’s 2024 Financial Forum, held August 18-21 at the Hyatt Centric Downtown Nashville. The event featured workshops, general sessions, roundtable discussions and breakouts on financial topics, which gave attendees the opportunity to hear from multiple perspectives and discuss challenges in an open environment with their peers.

“Today’s forum on financial issues highlighted the interconnectedness of Unified Group meetings. I expected the discussion to focus solely on numbers, but it covered a broader range of topics, including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, retention, culture, time management, work-life balance and employee engagement,” Tom Dacres of Winooski, Vermont’s VHV Company said. “We also delved into profit margins and corporate-level annual budgets and their impact on overall strategy. Such a great way to exchange ideas.”

Randy Nemchin of Radical Guidance Consulting gave a presentation on essential strategies for preventing profit fade in businesses to open the forum. Attendees gained insights into proactive measures to maintain or enhance profit margins, covering a range of tactics from controlling costs to optimizing pricing strategies, all aimed at ensuring sustainable profitability. He then introduced his trademarked “Productivity Compass,” an instrument intended to aid in task prioritization and increased productivity, which taught attendees methods to reduce stress and achieve a better work-life balance.

The next half of the first day included a panel discussion on budgeting, which included tips, tricks, processes, strategies and tools. To wrap up day one, Liliana Gonzalez, of Intech Mechanical, and Tom Dacres of VHV Company gave a presentation on hiring and employee retention. Gonzalez emphasized the importance of empowering a company’s number one asset, their employees. Dacres explained his “Delta Force Team Recruiting Plan.”

In Tuesday’s session, members shared presentations on ideas they have implemented within their organizations and how they’ve made a positive impact. These segments addressed EOS implementation, measuring productivity, an 18-month forecasting tool, and a shared accounting task calendar. Second day panels covered PO processes, data and device security, and monthly review of financial statements and dashboards.

“My biggest takeaway was the importance of connection between finance and operational work groups. Developing or strengthening relationships, creating trust and accountability will get us the forecasting results we need to be successful,” Intech Mechanical’s Pansy Romo said.

Overall, members of the Unified Group departed this year’s Financial Forum with a wealth of new ideas and valuable connections.

Upcoming Unified Group forums include the Construction Forum, the Annual Meeting and Owners’ Forum, and the Service Management Forum. If you’re interested in learning more about attending a forum or becoming a member of The Unified Group, contact Janet Kelleher at KelleherJ@TheUnifiedGroup.com.

About The Unified Group
Formed in 1998, The Unified Group is an organization of the leading independent HVAC commercial contractors in the industry. The association helps strengthen its member businesses through a variety of training and resources and is dedicated to raising the standards of excellence in the HVACR industry. For more information, visit www.theunifiedgroup.com.