Although I’m writing this in December, you will likely be reading it in January, and hopefully you will be at McCormick Place where the 2012 AHR Expo is being held this year. Every three years, the Big Show comes to Chi-town. And while I love Chicago, you have to admit that having your signature conference in the [Very Cold and] Windy City in the throes of winter defies conventional wisdom.

In fact, as my wife pointed out the one year she came along, leave it to a bunch of engineers to hold their most important industry event during the coldest time of the year on the banks of Lake Michigan when the beaches of any number of warm ocean destinations beckon. I must confess I didn’t have a logical counter-argument for my lovely bride.