Prior to being nominated by ACCA in the 2004 competiton we were considering a Web site redesign, learning that we had been nominated, we decided to hold off on the site's redevelopment to see how our site faired.

In the competiton we were nominated as a finalist and received a runner-up designation when all the votes were tallied. Pleased with results but not satisfied because of our competitive spirits, John Spezza, Gordon Spezza/Owners and Buck Sheppard Commercial/IAQ/Internet Technologies Manager pushed forward with our original plan to do a site redesign.

ARLINGTON, VA - The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), the nationwide organization of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) contracting businesses, has announced the winners of its third annual "Best Contractors on the Web" Internet Marketing Awards.

"The caliber of entries was outstanding," commented Kevin Holland, ACCA Vice President for Communications, Membership & Corporate Development. "It was difficult to choose the finalists, let alone the winners."

The winner of the 2005 ACCA "Best Contractors on the Web" in the Residential Category is AAA Indoor Air Quality, Portland , Oregon . The website, located at www.aaaiaq.com, was chosen for its visual appeal and ease of navigation. Photos on the home page allow visitors to identify the company's services and accompanying links send them to the right information quickly and easily. They can also schedule appointments online.

The best of the best: AAA Indoor Air Quality.

Competition as Motivator
AAA Indoor Air Quality's first website went live in 2001. Buck Sheppard, commercial/IAQ manager, related that the company had found a designer in the Yellow Pages. "It was abysmal," he admitted, and they were "also rans" in last year's ACCA competition. Said Sheppard, "We vowed that wasn't going to happen again!"

They fired the first design firm and started from square one, this time with Kelly Burbank of Northwest Web Construction Company in Portland. "He's been a godsend to us," Sheppard said.

The site is extremely successful. AAA uses a web monitoring service that tracks overall traffic on the site (an impressive 15,000-18,000 "hits" a month) and the length of stay at each page, a refinement that allows Sheppard to fine tune the site as needed.

Sheppard thinks there are two primary reasons for the site's popularity. First, it's loaded with good information that's easy to get to. The navigation bar on the left is clear - consumers don't have to guess what to click on.

Second, consumers control communication with the company. The "contact us" form takes less than a minute to fill out, and customers can make an appointment or just ask for more information. Sheppard checks the resulting e-mails every morning and forwards them to the appropriate sales or service manager for follow up - at the customer's convenience.