Is it still possible to do business on a handshake?

I think there are definitely times when you just need to trust that someone will do what they say they are going to do based on nothing more than a handshake. In the end, however it proves best to back up everything in written form to allow for our posterity to accurately reflect what was agreed or accomplished. Otherwise, risk a "he said, she said" conversation at some later date.
If there ever is a discrepancy this "back-up" will be the meter stick against whcih everything else that transpires will be measured. Try to be brief, accurate and succinct. Everyone will appreciate it.

Solar Powered Generators?

I don't know where you live, but in our part of the world if you have a generator over a certain horsepower you have to get a special permit for the diesel emissions. You also will have a lot of noise and moving parts when you have an electricity generator.

I now have access to solar powered generators. Up to 40KWs! Trailer mounted and completely portable.

You cannot get a greener generator for your temporary projects (if you can, let me know!).

Manage Your Customers Expectations

Effective account management spokes in several directions. Managing customer expectations can be a key component in retaining business opportunities. The same account management principles translate into the environmental, consulting and construction industries as well.

I always try to keep in mind when I advertise my services or products that not only do I have to give the customer what they want, but also I have to manage customers expectations so that they are not expecting something more than what they are getting. The old adage, "it is better to under promise and over deliver" is ever more apparent to me as I work with my customers.

As an example, grocery stores do a pretty good job of managing our expectations. We all have an idea what we expect when we go into the grocery store, right? We expect and usually get clean stores, well groomed employees, customer service once in a while, full shelves, etc. When we go to the store, we park the car, we grab a shopping cart and start heading down the aisles looking for the best deals on the stuff we like. We pick the best apples and bananas from the bunch, stand in line, pay and head back home.

It's a pretty mundane experience that happens all over, every day, all the time.

Now imagine what it would be like to visit a store and expect to get the best parking spot, perfectly ripe bananas and no more than 3 customers in a check out line. Imagine they advertised this over and over again so that you had an expectation when you went to that store that you could always get a ripe banana and never be in anything but a short checkout line.

How would you feel if you had these expectations and walked into the equivalent of your normal grocery store? You would be disappointed, right? In real life, the bananas are often green or too ripe, sometimes there are three or four people ahead of us in line and the car may parked in the 5th stall in the 4th aisle. You might still go back to the store, but in the back of your head you would probably think that this store does not perform as well as it is supposed to. The advertising campaign, the grocery store brand, the manager and employees would all lose credibility in your eyes, right? The knock-on effect is a lost loyalty between you and this store.

The same account management principles translate into the environmental, consulting and construction industries as well. Managing the customer's expectations, something I have learned to work on with my customers.

Ever been asked to bend the rules?

As environmental professionals, we are all placed in a position to try to save money for our clients. We in turn profit from reduced costs on the job and somewhere down the line it translates to more money in our pockets.
There are rules and laws, though, and we must follow these or risk costing our clients and ourselves even bigger problems.
So have you ever been pressured to take a "short cut"? I have. What did I do when confronted with that decision? I looked for a way to do it that was within the bounds of the policy and procedures that were laid out. Otherwise, I did not do it.
It is easy to see how others choose a different path. Laws and procedures on one hand, the potential huge costs and headaches on the other.
So I just had someone send me a link to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agemcy) fugitives list. The guys on this list have probably all been in your situation at one point but at least two things happened to them that did not happen to you:
1) They chose to try to save money and (relatively small) headaches and chose not to follow the rules and laws.
2) They got caught and are now being sought after by the EPA.

Man, I am never getting on this list; I am following the rules.

The list of the most sought after environmental fugitives:

http://www.epa.gov/fugitives/

Spare Parts Available

Do you need some help picking up a new blower? I can all but guarantee some of the best pricing around. Need an air pressure switch, catalyst cell, carbon filtration media, filtration vessels or even a pitot tube for flow measurement?
Many times I have stock and can ship same day.
Let me know!
Hey East Coasters: Say it is late in the day and you need a part overnighted, but all your fedex locations back there are closed because it is past their cut-off. I have three more hours to get you the same part and I will have it to you in the morning with next day air. Use the time difference between east and west to your advantage. E-mail me at coynebrendan@yahoo.com

Equipment I have access to.

So anyone want to buy some carbon vessels? Looking for environmental remediation equipment of any sort? Soil Vapor Extraction systems? Oxidizers including thermal/catalytic, all-electric CATOXs, water treatment systems. How about self contained rigs including on-board generators, carbon vessels and water treatment systems?
Sales. Service. Rentals.
In short I have access to some of the best around. Let me help you with an off the shelf system or a custom engineered piece of equipment.
We can manufacture up to 5000CFM no problem. Generally have rentals up to 500 readily available.
E-mail me at coynebrendan@yahoo.com

What Is The Purpose of Starting This Blog?

I have toyed with an idea of putting together a clearinghouse for information I have collected over the years. I wanted to try the idea of blogging and see what happens.
The intent is make this an ongoing newsletter of sorts, but also try to increase my personal presence and the presence of the products I sell on the web. I welcome anyone to comment or supply info on their products, as well as their ideas, rants or raves.