All posts by Mike Malone

Industry News|REZNOR

Infrared Heating for New Warehouse Construction — Why Early Coordination Matters

Leave a comment

Construction season is here. If you’re specifying heating for a new warehouse, distribution center, or industrial facility, infrared belongs in the conversation early.

Why Infrared in High-Bay Environments

REZNOR infrared heating systems offer significant advantages over forced air in high-bay environments:

  • Lower operating costs through radiant efficiency
  • Faster comfort at floor level where workers actually are
  • Reduced air stratification in tall spaces
  • No ductwork to design around or maintain

The Coordination Requirement

Infrared requires early coordination in the design process. Ceiling heights, mounting configurations, gas line locations, and clearance requirements all need to be worked out during design — not during construction when changes are expensive. Bringing infrared into the conversation after the structural steel is set creates problems that don’t need to exist.

We Support the Full Specification Process

We work with mechanical engineers and contractors across our eight-state territory to get REZNOR infrared specified correctly on new construction and major renovation projects. We support the load calculation, product selection, and submittal process.

If you have a high-bay facility on your project list this year, contact us at info@jjmorgan.com and bring us in early.

Industry News|Bromic

Outdoor Hospitality Heaters: Why the Product Has to Look Like It Belongs

Leave a comment

Outdoor hospitality projects keep landing on the same conclusion: the heater has to look like it belongs.

An orange propane tank or a wall-mount industrial unit kills the design intent of a rooftop bar, hotel terrace, or restaurant patio. Architects know it. Owners know it. The product selection conversation usually ends in the same place once the design team gets to choose.

What Bromic Heating Solves

Bromic Heating built the Tungsten and Platinum Smart-Heat lines for exactly that gap. Stainless finishes, low-profile mounting, controllable zones. The product earns the spec on both performance and design — which is not something most outdoor heating manufacturers can say.

These systems are specified for restaurants, rooftop bars, hotel terraces, and brewery patios across our territory. The difference between a functional outdoor heater and an architectural element that guests actually appreciate is what Bromic delivers.

The Catch: Get It Into Design Early

The mounting and zoning design has to be locked in early. Once the ceiling deck is in or the structure is set, your options narrow fast. Bringing the heater conversation forward in design development is what keeps it from becoming a value-engineering casualty at the end of the project.

Have an Outdoor Hospitality Project Coming Up?

If you have an outdoor hospitality project in our territory — new construction or renovation — let’s talk before the design is frozen. Contact us at info@jjmorgan.com or reach out to your JJM representative with the project details.

Industry News|Mars Air

Foodservice Has a Door Problem — Air Curtains Were Built for It

Leave a comment

Foodservice has a door problem that air curtains were built for.

Back-of-house entries stay open for a reason. Product comes in. Garbage goes out. Crews need to move. You can’t solve that with a door closer or a screen — and the health code doesn’t care that the door has to be open.

The Compliance Problem

Air curtains are often the only specification that lets a kitchen operate normally while meeting the pest exclusion requirement that inspectors need to see. A properly sized Mars Air unit holds the barrier — and your operation keeps moving.

Why Sizing Matters

The catch is sizing and installation. An undersized or improperly mounted unit creates a compliance problem on top of an energy problem. Mounting height, opening width, and air velocity all matter — and getting those parameters right at spec time is what separates a unit that works from one that generates callbacks.

We Can Help Size It Correctly

We work with foodservice operators, contractors, and mechanical engineers across our eight-state territory to get Mars Air curtains properly specified. If you’re working on a foodservice project with exterior door compliance issues, the time to think through the air curtain spec is before the building is roughed in.

Contact us at info@jjmorgan.com with the project details and we’ll help size it correctly.

Industry News|Magic Aire

Summer Is the Critical Window for School HVAC — Is Your District Ready?

Leave a comment

For K-12 and higher education facilities, summer is the critical construction and renovation period. The buildings are accessible, classes are out, and there’s time to commission properly before students return. That window is shorter than most people expect.

Why Magic Aire Belongs in the Conversation

Magic Aire custom air handling units, unit ventilators, and fan coil units are built for exactly these environments — and they’re designed to meet ASHRAE 62.1 IAQ requirements that schools need to satisfy. When the goal is better indoor air quality for students and staff, the equipment selection matters.

Lead Times Require Early Action

Custom equipment doesn’t ship on short notice. If your district or institution has a ventilation upgrade, AHU replacement, or new construction project coming this summer, now is the time to confirm specifications. We work directly with mechanical engineers, architects, and facility directors across our territory to get Magic Aire equipment properly specified and scheduled for summer delivery.

What Projects Are You Scoping for Summer?

Whether it’s a full AHU replacement, a unit ventilator upgrade, or new construction, we can connect you with the right technical support and get the specification process moving. Contact us at info@jjmorgan.com with your project details.

Industry News|DCA

Humidity Follows Warm Weather — Is Your Facility Ready?

Leave a comment

Humidity follows warm weather. For some facilities, that’s a serious problem.

Natatoriums, cannabis cultivation spaces, pharmaceutical environments, and cold storage facilities all face the same challenge: moisture control is not optional. When ambient humidity rises in spring and summer, the demands on your dehumidification system increase — and a system that was marginal in winter becomes a problem in July.

Why DCA

We represent DCA (Dehumidifier Corporation of America) because their commercial and industrial dehumidification equipment is engineered for exactly these environments. From quick-ship units to fully custom-engineered solutions, DCA is specified and trusted in applications where humidity is a primary design parameter and getting it wrong has real consequences.

Signs Your System Isn’t Keeping Up

If your facility is seeing any of the following, a properly sized DCA system is likely part of the solution:

  • Condensation on surfaces or equipment
  • Elevated mold risk in occupied spaces
  • Crop quality issues in cultivation environments
  • Refrigeration system stress from elevated ambient humidity
  • Compliance concerns in pharmaceutical or clean environments

Get Us Involved Early

We cover MN, WI, IA, ND, SD, KS, MO, and OK. If your project is in our territory and involves a humidity-sensitive environment, we want to hear about it early in the design process — before the system is sized and before the problem exists.

Contact us at info@jjmorgan.com or reach out to your JJM representative directly.

Industry News|BARD

Is Your Server Room or Outdoor Electrical Enclosure Ready for Cooling Season?

Leave a comment

Server rooms and outdoor control enclosures face their highest thermal load in summer. If your cooling equipment is marginal, aging, or undersized, July is when you’ll find out — and that’s not when you want to find out.

Where BARD Wall-Mount Units Are the Right Answer

BARD Manufacturing wall-mount units are engineered for exactly these environments. They operate in extreme outdoor conditions, require no indoor air connection, and are built to protect sensitive equipment when ambient temperatures spike. We’ve specified BARD units across our territory for:

  • Process controls and outdoor switchgear enclosures
  • Telecom equipment shelters
  • Critical server infrastructure
  • Industrial control environments

The form factor works where nothing else fits. The reliability is there when it counts.

Don’t Wait Until There’s a Problem

If you have a cooling application that standard HVAC can’t touch, bring us in early. We can help you select the right unit, validate the load calculation, and support the specification. A conversation now is significantly cheaper than an emergency in the middle of July.

Contact us at info@jjmorgan.com with your application details.

Industry News

The Contractors Who Are Busy in August Are the Ones Who Planned in April

Leave a comment

The contractors who are busy and profitable in August are the ones who confirmed their summer project list in April and May. That’s been my pattern observation across the territory for a long time.

What Separates the Contractors Who Win

The contractors I see winning aren’t necessarily the fastest at picking up the phone. They’re the ones who already know what’s coming three months out. Planning in spring means:

  • Equipment gets ordered with real lead time
  • The right crew gets assigned before everyone else claims them
  • Submittal cycles don’t hold up the construction schedule
  • Projects close on time

Planning in August means none of that.

Lead Times Have Improved — But Not Enough to Wing It

Lead times have improved over the last two years, but specialty equipment still needs more runway than most people expect. A custom air handler, a specific BARD unit configuration, an infrared layout that requires early coordination — these don’t happen on short notice without pain.

We’re a Good Sounding Board

If you have summer commercial HVAC work that’s still in design or scoping, this is the right time to push those conversations forward. We’re happy to be a sounding board on a project or get directly involved in the specification and selection process.

Reach out to your JJM representative or contact us at info@jjmorgan.com.

Industry News

Most Commercial HVAC Problems Are Designed In — Not Installed In

Leave a comment

Unpopular opinion: most commercial HVAC problems are designed in. They’re not installed in.

By the time a system shows up wrong on a job site, the decisions that made it wrong were made months earlier. Wrong load calculation. Wrong product family for the application. Wrong control strategy. Wrong sizing assumption. Wrong outside air quantity. Wrong filtration class.

The Contractor Takes the Call

The contractor gets the call when the building isn’t performing. The contractor takes the heat when the owner is unhappy. Most of the time, the contractor installed exactly what was specified and the system is doing exactly what it was designed to do. What the building actually needed got missed at the spec stage.

Why the Spec Stage Is Where We Earn Our Keep

This isn’t about blaming engineers. The spec process is hard. Lead times are short. Owner programs change late in design. The number of specialty applications most engineers see in a given year is limited. That’s part of why a good manufacturer’s rep exists — to help raise the right questions early, when it still costs nothing to fix the design.

Get Us Involved Before Submittals Are Issued

If you have a project that’s still in spec or design development, get us involved before submittals are issued. We support the load calculation, product selection, and specification process across our full line of manufacturers — at no cost to your design team.

The cheapest fix is always the one that happens before the equipment is bought. Contact us at info@jjmorgan.com.

Industry News|Mars Air

Open Loading Dock Doors Are Costing Your Facility More Than You Think

Leave a comment

Warm weather is here. So are open loading dock doors, insects, and conditioned air walking straight outside.

Every hour a loading dock door stays open, your facility is paying for it in energy costs, pest infiltration, and temperature control problems in adjacent spaces. And asking your operations team to keep the doors closed isn’t a realistic solution when product movement depends on those openings staying accessible.

The Air Curtain Solution

Air curtains from Mars Air Systems solve this without asking your team to change behavior. A properly specified Mars unit creates an invisible barrier at the door opening — blocking air transfer and pests while allowing forklifts and foot traffic to move freely. The ROI case is straightforward and the installation is clean.

Where We Specify Mars Air Curtains

We specify Mars air curtains for loading docks, coolers, food production areas, and high-traffic commercial entries across our eight-state territory. The applications are consistent, the sizing parameters matter, and getting the spec right the first time is what separates a system that works from one that creates callbacks.

Is an Air Curtain Right for Your Next Spec?

If you’re designing or managing a facility with high-traffic doors, we should talk about whether an air curtain belongs in your next specification. Contact us at info@jjmorgan.com or reach out to your JJM representative.

Industry News|REZNOR

Spring Is the Best Time to Service Your Commercial Unit Heaters

Leave a comment

Most facility managers don’t think about their REZNOR unit heaters once the weather breaks. That’s exactly when a quick PM visit can save thousands in emergency repair costs next fall.

Why Spring Is the Right Time

We see a consistent pattern across our territory: facilities that schedule spring service calls catch issues early — dirty heat exchangers, worn belts, ignition problems — and resolve them during the slow season when parts are available and technicians aren’t slammed. By October, it’s too late to plan. You’re competing with every other facility in a five-state radius for the same service window.

What a Spring PM Should Cover

  • Burner inspection and cleaning
  • Heat exchanger integrity check
  • Controls and ignition verification
  • Belt and motor inspection
  • Venting and combustion air review

REZNOR Is Built to Last — With Maintenance

REZNOR unit heaters are built to run for decades. But they perform best when they’re maintained. If your facility runs unit heaters, rooftop equipment, or suspended infrared, get your spring PM scheduled now — before the service calendar fills up.

Have questions about your equipment? Contact us at info@jjmorgan.com.