Dakota Supply Group - Index

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Becoming Part Of The Solution: Part 2
Let me start this article with something of a
disclaimer: I have nothing against lawyers.
I know some very nice lawyers who I would
consider my friends. Lawyers are just like
everybody else, and that’s really the point of this
article. If being a lawyer is just like any other job,
why do so many people regard it as a better
career than that of a tradesperson like an
electrician, carpenter or plumber?
Part of this is about money (as it is so often).
The perception is that lawyers make a lot of
money, and public defenders aside, it’s probably
true. But the salaries of tradespeople such as
electricians have increased a lot in the past
twenty years. It doesn’t take long to reach $20 an
hour in the trades anymore, and experienced
tradespeople make much, much more (and, in
my opinion, they are still a bargain).
So why do so many young people consider
the trades as a “last resort”? The truth is that we
have an image problem. For some reason,
people think that being a lawyer is a more
important job than being a tradesperson. Yet
consider how many times you’ve needed a lawyer
compared to how many times you’ve been saved
by an HVAC technician. Sorting out the details
on a contract? Pretty important job. Getting your
furnace going when it’s 10 degrees below zero?
Really important job.
But how can we expect everyone else to treat
tradespeople as important if we don’t do it
ourselves? Here’s what I mean. Try to find a law
firm that doesn’t have a package of benefits for
its employees. Good luck. Now ask most
electricians how they get their health insurance
or how good their 401(k) plan is, and you’ll get
a wide variety of answers – many of them less
than positive.
But good benefits and employee
compensation cost money, which, of course,
comes back to the consumer. Will consumers pay
more for good service from the trades? Yes, they
will. If we stop treating ourselves like we are a
commodity, we will stop being treated like a
commodity. When we make it a better career,
more people will want to pursue it. I really
believe that it is that simple. It won’t be easy, but
it is necessary. The future of the trades depends
on attracting really good people. If you’d like
to find out more, drop me an email – together,
we can ensure the health of all of our businesses.
Tom Rosendahl
President
Table Of Contents
• Automation 4
Bringing Heat 5
• Electrical 9
An EXTREMEly Good Customer 10
• Waterworks 15
The Open Road Awaits 16
• Mechanical
“DSG has been with us since
20
the beginning” 21
• Utility 27
New D.O.E. Efficiency Standards 28
• Communications 30
• Metering Technology 32
Keeping An Eye On The Target 33
• Filtration 37
Clean Air By The Truckload 39
• News Bits 42
CONNECTIONS
Spring 2008 CONNECTIONS 3