March 31, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Age differences.

Bob, my former ac/heating contractor did a good job. I had an annual contract with him to check the systems before each season. Our routine was to call him when we had settled in, then call to come. Our drill never changed. Once a year I paid him for the year. I never got a receipt. And he could never remember when I should pay. He was in his mid 50s. He was pleasant and competent. He never alerted me that he had moved. He just waited for consumers to call. He was a low tech guy. And he worked by himself. Brad is the owner of the present company, referred to me by Bob. He is young and high tech. And he always has a helper with him. He might be 30. When I called him and we made an appointment, he e mailed me that evening confirming the appointment. And the day before the appointment I received another alert. The morning of the appointment, I got a phone call to tell me that they were on the way. When I asked him about the prompts, he told me that they are automatic. After his first call, he e mailed me an application for the contract. I e mailed him back the information but before he came back to complete his annual service, he wanted me to be sure I had made a copy of the contract. After he left and completed his check, he sent me a receipt telling what he had done and that there was no additional charge. He also arrived with several new filters, which he left in the furnace room. I can not change the filters as two require a ladder. The same afternoon, I was asked to send in a review, which I did. Brad did a good job but he makes much more use of technology that did Bob. And my appointment with Brad in October has already been set. It also will be automated. "As much as possible, I want my business to be automatic," said Brad. There is not so many years between Bob and Brad but their use of technology is dramatic. Every day the computer tells Brad what to do and where to go. Any emergency gets done at the end of his schedule. I would love to see Brads P& L so see his efficiency. I would love to know how much more he earns than Bob. Not much difference in age but a dramatic difference is practice. It was interesting for me to see the differences.