Videos Webinar

Don't be paralyzed by COVID-19; instead, be motivated. Use the time assets you have now to create a more stable future. Start perfecting your standard operating procedures. We will discuss in detail five standard procedures plumbers, drain cleaners and relining professionals should have in their SOP toolboxes. Attendees will learn current best practices that will help them now and into the future as COVID-19 becomes just a bad memory. At the end of the presentation, we will be sure to take time for questions. I'm passionate about this topic, and I'm grateful to share it with Dig Different's readers. As the founding senior vice president of Zip Solutions, Russ Duker realized that plumbing and other service companies needed a way to empower technicians to grow sales without being smooth salesmen. The answer was field service management software, Zip Solutions. With a quickly evolving economy, Duker is passionate about helping business owners and managers grow their revenues and discover greater peace of mind, and he often worries that plumbing companies that don't adopt modern solutions will cease to function. Duker knows firsthand that businesses with inefficient processes tend to own their owners. With four decades of experience in the field service industry, including three decades as an owner and manager of multiple companies, Duker is determined to help plumbing, HVAC, electrical and other service businesses thrive today and into the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised many questions about the short- and long-term impact of the virus on businesses. We will explore how the coronavirus will cause your current insurance policies to react to various issues, including current and future loss of business income, workers’ compensation, liability and insurance pricing. Learn actions you can take now to protect your business from getting sued and to communicate effectively with your employees, keeping them happy and working. Tap into the creativity of the larger business community by hearing what others have done to generate new business opportunities and implement precautions and protections. Mark Herring has been a commercial insurance broker for 34 years. He has had a national program for 28 years that specializes in providing insurance coverage to septage businesses. He currently insures more than 200 liquid waste removal/haulers. He has many clients that he has provided insurance to for more than 27 years. When it comes to understanding the industry of liquid waste, Herring has been the go-to guy for 25 years. Keeping a program of any type this long is almost unheard of. He has spent the last 22 years at Heffernan Insurance Brokers, which is one of the largest insurance brokers in the U.S., where he is a senior vice president. Heffernan Insurance Brokers specializes in program business and has done so for more than 30 years. Herring’s office is in Bend, Oregon. He has lived in Oregon for 54 years.

Let’s talk about trademarks, copyrights, patents and related litigation with respect to how these topics relate to wastewater service providers, dealers and distributors. Specifically, we will discuss why trademarks, trade dress, brands, branding, and product and store names are important considerations for these individuals and companies. Learn the steps individuals and companies should take if they are the subject of trademark infringement or accused of infringing another’s trademark. We will also discuss utility and design patents, what protection patents provide to the patent owner, what to do if a person or company is accused of patent infringement, and the law of copyright as it concerns websites and related media. Gary Lambert is the founder of and managing partner at Lambert Shortell & Connaughton. He has obtained hundreds of patents and registered trademarks for his clients in areas as diverse as mechanical, electrical, software, business methods, biotechnology, computer systems, musical instruments, energy and environmental innovations. Lambert has a special interest and expertise in the energy and environmental areas of patent law and worked on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee of the New Hampshire Senate as the state senator representing Nashua from 2010-12. Lambert has resolved many intellectual property disputes between patent/trademark/copyright owners and alleged infringers, either by litigation, mediation, arbitration or settlement. Additionally, he has an extensive and unique litigation background, having successfully tried hundreds of jury and bench trials in state and federal courts. Lambert holds bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biology and was admitted as an attorney at age 24 in 1984, the same year he graduated from law school with a doctorate in jurisprudence with honors. He is admitted as a registered attorney at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, D.C. Lambert also served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for more than 35 years and retired in 2014.