Supply House Times articles from April 2009

Supply House Times archives from April 2009

Showroom merchandising Webinar feedback.(letters home)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2009... I really enjoyed the recent Supply House Times Webinar with Hank Darlington. His presentation was informative, direct, practical and on the mark. He speaks very clearly from his real world experience, which makes him credible. I recently...

Something old, something new in HVAC.(letters home)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2009... After reading Jim Wheeler's column ("'Hey, Wait A Minute' Technology," February 2009 Supply House Times, page 50), I found a catalog page showing the Hart & Cooley #400 Flomatic Diffuser offered around 1971. We carried it here for years. It...

Darlington's bike ride to benefit DPHA scholarship fund.(Industry News)
April 1, 2009... Showroom consultant, author and Supply House Times showroom columnist Hank Darlington will embark on a 3,415 mile bicycle ride May 9 from Los Angeles, arriving in Boston June 27, to help raise funds for the Decorative Plumbing & Hardware...

George T. Sanders Co. hosts field marketing summit.(Industry News)(George T. Sanders Company Inc.)(Conference news)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Employees of wholesale firm George T. Sanders Co., Wheatridge, CO, met with local representatives from 12 Affiliated Distributor vendors in February for the company's third annual field marketing summit at which branch managers and salespeople...

Cregger Co. adds branches, moves into HVAC.(Industry News)
April 1, 2009... Cregger Co. (West Columbia, SC) acquired the assets of the 20,000-sq.-ft. Lexington, KY, branch of Kenny Pipe & Supply in February. Also, the wholesaler opened a 17,000-sq.-ft. branch in Brunswick, GA, and relocated both its Charlotte, NC, and...

Leaky pipes.(Cartoon)
April 1, 2009... THIS GUY SAYS HE WON THE LOTTERY, AND HE'LL SPLIT THE MONEY IF I ASSIST HIM IN SMUGGLING IT OUT OF OHIO... GEEZ, HOW STUPID DO THESE PEOPLE THINK WE ARE? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SPAM AT A NIGERIAN DIPLOMAT'S OFFICE

Ferguson.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE)
April 1, 2009... Ferguson (Newport News, VA) promoted Brian Peelver to general manager for the Evansville, IN, branch. Since joining the company in 1999, he has served as an outside sales associate, branch manager and sales manager. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

First Supply.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE)
April 1, 2009... First Supply (Madison, WI) promoted Mitch Anderson to branch manager for its New Brighton, MN, facility. Most recently he was outside sales manager for the Rochester and Owatonna facilities. He will retain responsibilities for the outside sales...

Murray Supply.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE)
April 1, 2009... Murray Supply Winston-Salem, NC) named Andrew Anglin branch manager of the Winston-Salem branch. Most recently he was operations manager.

Stiebel Eltron.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE)(Stiebel Eltron)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Stiebel Eltron named Doug Belden western regional sales manager and Glenn Isaac eastern regional sales manager. Belden, formerly employed by Ferguson Enterprises, has more than 15 years of experience in the plumbing and HVAC mechanical area....

Mestek Inc.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE)
April 1, 2009... Mestek Inc. appointed John Loges as Mid-Atlantic regional sales manager for distributor products, overseeing the company's sales efforts for Hydrotherm, RBI, Smith, Ray, Sterling and Beacon Morris. Previously a member of Mestek's commercial...

Cascade Faucets.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE)
April 1, 2009... Cascade Faucets appointed Andrew Schor as sales director for the U.S. and Canadian regions. He has 23 years of experience in faucet manufacturing, plumbing and the decorative plumbing and hardware industry. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Webstone Co.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE)(Webstone Company Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Webstone Co. appointed Grant Dow as western regional sales manager, serving the western portion of the U.S. and the western provinces of Canada. He has experience in sales management, is a licensed plumbing contractor and is a member of IAPMO....

Rotobrush International LLC.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE)
April 1, 2009... Rotobrush International LLC hired Clint Harris as vice president of business services. He spent the past 13 years with Lennox where he worked in the Service Experts division.

EnerWorks.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE)
April 1, 2009... EnerWorks appointed Wilfred Laman, P.Eng. as commercial and industrial business development director, and Kathleen Barnard as marketing and inside sales manager.

A.I. McDermott Co. hosts dealer meeting.(down the PIPE: COMPANY / ASSOCIATION
April 1, 2009... The A.I. McDermott Co. (Oshkosh, WI) hosted more than 300 dealers, suppliers and employees at the Oshkosh Convention Center for its 64th annual Dealer Meeting in March. The meeting focused on the repair and replacement market, emerging new...

Obituary.(down the PIPE: COMPANY / ASSOCIATION / TRENDS / PEOPLE / GOVERNMENT ... NEWS)(Obituary)
April 1, 2009... Howard J. Locke, 77, who served as manager of purchasing and inventory control at American Industrial Supply, Perth Amboy, NJ, died March 7 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. "Our company has lost a friend and loyal employee," Ned...

A supply house times exclusive.(down the PIPE: COMPANY / ASSOCIATION
April 1, 2009... A SUPPLY HOUSE TIMES EXCLUSIVE Residential Building Permit Activity Regional & Local Market Survey JANUARY 2009 Residential Permits REGION JAN. 09 YTD 09 vs. 08 WEST...

Cooper B-Line.(REP UPDATE ...)
April 1, 2009... Cooper B-Line, a division of Cooper Industries, honored PMI Sales and Marketing, based in Houston, TX, with its 2008 Rep of the Year award.

Kaldewei.(REP UPDATE ...)
April 1, 2009... Kaldewei has appointed two sales reps: Elite Brands Sales & Marketing for Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina; and KL Nicolai & Associates for Arizona and the southern regions of California and Nevada.

Cascade Faucets.(REP UPDATE ...)
April 1, 2009... Cascade Faucets appointed the following rep agencies: Levitt Associates for New England; Gotham Sales for New York and New Jersey; Klein & Associates for Florida; J.D. Sales for Texas, Oklahoma, Atlanta and Los Angeles; Pahl & Associates for...

EternaBond.(REP UPDATE ...)
April 1, 2009... EternaBond named Northeast Marketing Associates its Rep of the Year. Pictured, Chris Margarites, president of EternaBond (left) presents the award to Dave Tura, owner of Northeast Marketing Associates. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Sioux Chief Manufacturing.(EXPANSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS ...)
April 1, 2009... Sioux Chief Manufacturing is purchasing REHAU's North American fittings business for PEX plumbing systems. This will include transition of REHAU's existing fittings inventory and associated certifications, and the licensing of the technology,...

Northeastern Supply.(EXPANSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS ...)
April 1, 2009... Northeastern Supply (Baltimore, MD) relocated its store in Leonardtown, MD, to a larger and more convenient spot for its customers, just five minutes from its former location. The new facility has 15,000 sq. ft. of interior space, a 26-ft. high...

Liberty Pumps expands warehouse.(down the PIPE: COMPANY / ASSOCIATION
April 1, 2009... Liberty Pumps held an open house celebrating its new building expansion--one that more than doubled its current size, providing more space for manufacturing and warehousing. It also allows for an upgrade and expansion of the engineering area...

Rinnai leasing tankless water heaters.(down the PIPE: COMPANY / ASSOCIATION
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rinnai has launched a leasing program to encourage the use of tankless or direct vent heating technology among consumers. The company has an agreement with AWHR, an appliance leasing company, that offers 60-month...

Taco honored for safety and health programs.(down the PIPE: COMPANY
April 1, 2009... Taco Inc. received the SHARP (Safety & Health Achievement Program) certification award granted by the U.S. Department of Labor in conjunction with the Rhode Island Dept. of Health and the RI OSHA Consultation Program. Pictured (L-R): David...

Munters Corp.(AWARDS ...)
April 1, 2009... Munters Corp. was named a recipient of the Intel Corp.'s 2008 Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) award.

Kohler Co.(AWARDS ...)
April 1, 2009... Kohler Co. received the Associate of the Year Award, presented by the International Surface Fabricators Association for its support of the kitchen countertop industry.

The National Disaster Reconstruction Conference & Expo.(INDUSTRY NEWS ...)(Conference news)
April 1, 2009... The National Disaster Reconstruction Conference & Expo (NDRExpo) announced registration for its educational programs is now available by visiting www.ndrexpo. com. The conference, which takes place June 17-18 in New Orleans, features experts...

Luxaire.(INDUSTRY NEWS ...)
April 1, 2009... Luxaire announced its spring promotion that will continue through June 15. Participating Luxaire Liberties dealers will offer customers up to $1,700 in cash-back rebates or free l O-year extended warranties on parts and labor (unless prohibited...

Wolseley.(INDUSTRY NEWS ...)(Wolseley Centers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Wolseley (Reading, UK), plans to dispose of or exit its U.S. Materials Building business, Stock Building Supply, by Aug. 1, 2009, but would prefer to identify a joint venture partner for the business. Also, Ferguson (Newport News, VA) will...

Curtiss-Wright Corp.(ACQUISITIONS ...)(EST Group)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Curtiss-Wright Corp. acquired all of the stock of EST Group for about $40 million in cash. Headquartered in Hatfield, PA, and with two other U.S. locations in Baton Rouge, LA, and Baytown, TX, EST Group provides engineered products and repair...

Flowserve.(NUKE DEALS ...)
April 1, 2009... Flowserve signed a nuclear power industry valve joint venture agreement with SUFA Technology Industry Co. Ltd. CNNC. The joint venture, called Flowserve-SUFA Nuclear Power Equipment Co. Ltd., will be headquartered in Suzhou, in the province of...

SPX Corp.(NUKE DEALS ...)
April 1, 2009... SPX Corp. said its flow technology business has reached an agreement with Westinghouse Electric Co. to provide highly specialized squib valves for up to 12 new nuclear power plants in the United States and China. The contracts combined are...

United States Steel Corp.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE ...)
April 1, 2009... United States Steel Corp. appointed Douglas Matthews vice president-tubular operations and president of its U.S. Steel Tubular Products subsidiary effective immediately. Matthews, who joined USS in 1988, succeeds Joseph Alvarado, whose...

Eastern Industrial Supplies.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE ...)
April 1, 2009... Eastern Industrial Supplies promoted branch managers Paul Thompkins to regional manager of Western Georgia and Michael "Scat" Scaturro as regional manager of Coastal Carolina.

Flowserve Corp.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE ...)
April 1, 2009... Flowserve Corp. named Lars Rosene chief sustainability officer and vice president public affairs.

Allied Piping Products PA.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE ...)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Allied Piping Products PA (Oaks, PA) president Michael J. Jones was elected national president of the Antique Automobile Club of America for 2009. Allied Piping Products PA is a manufacturer and distributor for the...

The Hydraulic Institute.(PEOPLE ON THE MOVE ...)
April 1, 2009... The Hydraulic Institute named Bill Waltz, president of the Flow Technologies Division of Pentair Water, its chairman; elected Dennis Ziegler, president and CEO of GIW Industries, as president; Steve Oswald, president of the Industrial Division...

Hydraulic Institute.(AWARDS & HONORS ...)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Hydraulic Institute presented awards to the following at its 92nd annual meeting held in Marco Island, FL: Randy Ferman, manager of R&D for Flowserve's Pump Division, as 2008 Member of the Year; Bill Waltz, president of the Flow Technologies...

Stainless production falls second year in a row.(Pipe, Valves & Fittings News)
April 1, 2009... Global stainless steel production reached 25.9 million metric tons (mmt) in 2008, according to preliminary figures released by the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF). The total is 6.9% lower than the 2007 level. After a decrease of 2%...

Ferguson.(AWARDS & HONORS ...)
April 1, 2009... Ferguson (Newport News, VA) received the President's Award from McElroy for outstanding achievement in the high density polyethylene (HDPE) industry.

supplyForce.(AWARDS & HONORS ...)(Coyle Supply)(JF Good Co.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... supplyForce (King of Prussia, PA) presented awards to members of its Pipe, Valves & Fittings Division at its annual meeting held in Phoenix in February. Coyle Supply (Granite City, IL) was honored for Excellence in Sales Leadership; the JF Good...

Lean for sales.(PVF TALK)
April 1, 2009... Lean is all about streamlining processes to make them simpler, more transparent and easily understood. Typically we think of Lean as being applied to manufacturing. How can we make more stuff, in less time, using fewer resources (people, space,...

Pushing forward through the downturn: Indiana wholesaler Lee Supply Corp. continues to expand its showroom operations.(Company overview)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Family-owned Lee Supply Corp. has not allowed the economic downturn to interfere with its showroom merchandising efforts or force cutbacks. In fact, during this recessionary period, the Indianapolis-based wholesaler...

The 10 top products of 2008.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2009... By Supply House Times Staff Here are the top 10 products from 10 different manufacturers that were featured in Supply House Times in 2008, based on the number of reader inquiries we received after their publication. For more information on...

The fork in the road.(LETTER FROM ASA PRESIDENT)(Strategic planning (Business))(Personal account)
April 1, 2009... Dear Industry Colleagues, When my daughters were young, they liked the story Alice in Wonderland with those fantastic adventures and characters she met along the way. As with many children's stories, when you're an adult and read them you...

ASA strengthens benchmarking offerings: new weekly, monthly reports enhance Materials Market Digest and annual OPR.(NEWS: the voice of the industry)
April 1, 2009... ASA has taken significant steps in strengthening its cadre of benchmarking reports available to ASA members. The collection of reports, developed under the banner of ASA Intelligence Reports, represent the latest efforts taken by ASA in...

ASA advocacy efforts achieve success in D.C.: metals theft bill and inclusions in stimulus package were legislative priorities.(ASA NEWS)
April 1, 2009... In recent weeks, ASA's advocacy efforts have scored wins for the PHCP and PVF industry in two legislative priorities U.S. Congressmen Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) were joined by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and...

Now online! A great new resource from The ASA Education Foundation 3D residential schematic.(ASA NEWS)(www.asa.net)(American Supply Association )(Website overview)
April 1, 2009... Click on www.asa.net Free Preview for a Limited Time! Through the month of April, the ASA Education Foundation will allow free access to the 3D Residential Schematic tool. Thereafter, subscription-based access will be implemented. This new...

Tightening your belt in tough economic times.(SHOWROOM STRATEGIES)(Personal account)
April 1, 2009... In 1990 when times were tough, two friends of mine and I were asked to document as many "belt-tightening" ideas as we could think of for a booklet that the National Kitchen and Bath Association distributed to its membership. I pulled this...

HVAC--the water-to-air connection: water-source heat pumps are one of the HVAC industry's fastest growing segments.(THE AIR SIDE)
April 1, 2009... While I was attending this year's AHR Expo at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago (January 26-28), I was collared by an old friend, PR agent extraordinaire John Vastyan of Common Ground (www.seekcg.com/experience.htm). And he insisted...

The sky isn't falling.(GET IT TOGETHER)
April 1, 2009... Many of you may assume that due to the current economic crisis, business is going to be in the tank for a long time. Some business segments may take much longer to recover than most, but I still believe in our free enterprise system. The market...

Advertising options.(THE INSIDE DESK:: (An insider's view of the PHCP supply business.))
April 1, 2009... As director of marketing, I spend most of my days listening to people pitch ideas for my company. They represent radio stations, TV stations and various Web sites, and they all have their own ideas regarding what to focus on for Metropolitan...

Refrigeration scroll compressors.(PRODUCT PREVIEW)
April 1, 2009... [1] Danfoss' MLZ scroll compressors are a new line of highly efficient, low noise refrigeration scroll compressors that include 11 models for medium temperature. Designed for ice machines, soft serve ice cream machines, cold rooms, milk cooling...

Customer relationship management (CRM) software.(PRODUCT PREVIEW)
April 1, 2009... [2] Inform, DDI System's distribution management software, now includes advanced, integrated CRM that can help drive new business and strengthen existing customers. Functions include: Marketing Manager, which targets sophisticated, richly...

UV resistant clear PVC piping.(PRODUCT PREVIEW)
April 1, 2009... [3] Harvel Plastics introduces EnviroKingUV, a clear PVC piping that is suitable for exposure to sunlight. Unique UV blocking technology reduces harmful ultraviolet light wavelengths from penetrating the plastic while allowing beneficial...

Extra heavy seamless pipe nipples.(PRODUCT PREVIEW)
April 1, 2009... [4] Matco-Norca has expanded its steel pipe nipple product line with Extra Heavy Black Seamless Nipples, ranging from 1/8-inch to 4-inch diameter, and up to 12-inches in length. They meet or exceed all ASTM and ANSI standards and are used in a...

Forte's stimulating story.(IN CLOSING)(Forte Buying Group Inc.)(Conference news)
April 1, 2009... An old saying has it that the Lord helps those who help themselves, and the Forte Buying Group is testing that premise. Forte represents around 100 companies operating some 300 decorative plumbing and hardware showrooms. At the group's annual...