I realize some of you may be operating your businesses on a fiscal year instead of a calendar year, but it's still a pretty important question as we wind down the first calendar quarter of 2010. There're a couple of reasons for that. 
   First, there are some who have predicted Q1 will mark the beginning of The Turnaround. In fairness, some estimates have been revised to mid-2010, but we should be seeing signs by now, eh? Feeling "turned around," are you? Second, we hear though the grapevine the industry is going through some big changes. Couple advancing technologies with hyper-competitive market in some areas and it's easy to see the need for a small business in a tight segment like plumbing to stay alert for new opportunities and new positioning strategies if it wants to survive and thrive. 
   Well, nobody ever accused us of not having a pretty firm grasp of the obvious, so we've pulled together a pair of features this month about plumbing contractors who are making some noteworthy strides toward differentiating themselves from The Other Guys.
   Our featured companies this month are each working to discover new paths to travel on the way to success in our brave new world. The first, our cover story, is a look at how one contractor flexed his "green" bath remodeling skills; the other is a visit with a husband/wife team that has discovered a couple of simple and effective ways to set itself apart in a competitive market. 
   Maybe you think you've got something interesting going on in your neck of the woods. Why not let us know?