Plumbing & Mechanical articles from June 2001

Plumbing & Mechanical archives from June 2001

Letters To The EDITOR.
June 1, 2001... Blue-Collar Hope I'm writing in regards to Jim's recent editorial ("Blue-Collar Bias," February 2001), and I'll start by saying, "Amen." There is a ray of light out there! The F.A.T.E. (Foundations in Apprenticeship Training Experiences)...

Delta Takes On New Look.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Delta Faucet Co. announced several new marketing initiatives at a press breakfast held during the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, April 26-29, Orlando, Fla. "We've adopted a 'whole company approach' during the past months that has helped...

PM Trends.
June 1, 2001... PM Trends How often do you use the Internet to purchase PHC materials? Each month PMmag.com explores unique industry trends that affect our PHC industry. The results represent PM's online community's opinions. To vote for the current...

Al Moen, Inventor, Passes Away.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
June 1, 2001... Alfred M. Moen, 84, died April 17 at his home in Destin, Fla. His business card identified him as "inventor." He was best-known for his invention of the single-handle mixing faucet. Its creation eventually led to the formation of Moen Inc.,...

Erin Brockovich Targets Mold.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... An article in USA Today reports that crusader Erin Brockovich, is fighting a new battle. Brockovich was made famous by instigating a class action lawsuit against utility giant, Pacific Gas and Electric, who polluted her small town in...

Radiant Market Continues Growth -- But At A Slower Pace.(radiant heating tubing)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Sales of radiant heating tubing reached a record 150 million lineal feet in the North American market for the year 2000. This compares with sales of 140 million lineal feet in 1999 -- a 7.8 percent increase, according to the Radiant Panel...

DualStar To Appeal Nasdaq Staff Determination.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... DualStar Technologies Corp. has received a Nasdaq Staff Determination notifying the company that it has not met the minimum bid price requirements for continued listing. The notice of noncompliance subjects DualStar to delisting from the...

UA Creates New Department.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... To further commit to the growing service sector of the industry, the United Association General President Martin Maddaloni announced the establishment of a new UA department for the heating service, residential and plumbing areas. Don House,...

Comfort Systems Reports Fourth Quarter Results.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Comfort Systems USA announced revenues for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2000 at $399.6 million compared to $361.8 million in the fourth quarter of 1999. The company reported a net loss of $16.2 million. The fourth quarter results include pre-tax...

Fleet Management Program Measures Loss Reductions.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... DriveCam Video Systems has initiated a 12-month pilot program to evaluate the reduction in losses resulting from the installation of the DriveCam video event data recorder. DriveCam is a video recorder that captures everything a driver sees and...

Internet News: New Benefit For PHCC Members.(Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... A personnel management resource is now available to Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association members. Under the new program, PHCC members will be mailed a "Personnel Notebook" bulletin every month written by a professional...

Estimation, TradePower Complete Merger.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... TradePower acquired Estimation Inc. on Feb.23 and continued to operate the companies as separate entities. Now, TradePower will incorporate the products and operations of Estimation into its own organization. Estimation will assume the...

Home Depot Expands Online Services.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Starting immediately in the 48 contiguous states, 20,000 Home Depot products are available online for order and delivery via UPS. Larger items, such as lumber and water heaters, still are not available for online ordering in most of the United...

ImproveNet Offers Member Insurance Programs.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... ImproveNet Inc. announces agreements with InsuranceNoodle, an online e-broker of business insurance and Healthinsurance.com, a leading online health insurance broker. Both new services can be accessed via the ImproveNetPRO Web site,...

Educational Web Site.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Continued education is provided at www.plumbingpro.org. Designed to educate your workforce and others in the plumbing trade, weekly exams are posted on the site, as well as printable pages from several books. Users of the site can provide input...

B&F Introduces Newly Designed Web Site.(B and F Technical Code Services Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... B&F Technical Code Services Inc., introduces a new version of its Web site, www.bftechcs.com. The site includes a Code Questions section, where questions submitted by industry professionals are discussed by B&F technical staff members. The site...

Outhouses That Can Save A Life.(online)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... June's Web site of the Month, www.jldr.com, started as a way for John Loose, a manager for Sun Microsystems and a student working towards an MBA, to "practice his Web page designing skills." Back in the mid 1990s, when the Internet was still...

Tradesource Warned By New York City.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... In a letter from the Department of Buildings' Investigation, Audits and Discipline Unit for the City of New York, Tradesource, supplier of temporary labor, has been warned that sending unlicensed workers to perform plumbing work is illegal....

Electrical Industry Expands Recruitment Efforts.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... To battle a critical shortage of electrical and technical workers, the electrical construction industry is taking aim at every high school in the country with an unprecedented recruiting campaign. NECA and the IBEW have blanketed 30,000...

Sunroc Corp. Buys Cordley/Temprite Division From Elkay Mfg. Co.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Sunroc Corp. announced it has purchased the business and assets of the Cordley/Temprite bottled water cooler division from Elkay Mfg. Co. of Oak Brook, Ill. Sunroc, founded in 1922 as Sunroc Spring Water Co., initially bottled and sold...

ServiceMaster Reports First Quarter Results.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... After adjusting for divested operations in the prior period, ServiceMaster announced first quarter 2001 revenues up 3 percent to $1.33 billion. On a reported basis, revenues were lower by 1 percent compared with $1.34 billion in the first...

CIPHEX Permanently Located In Calgary.(Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating trade show)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... After rotating between Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary since 1985, Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating officials decided to permanently locate the CIPHEX trade show in Calgary. The decision was made, because of numerous requests by...

Ferguson Becomes National Sponsor, Vendor Of Habitat.(Ferguson Enterprises)(Habitat for Humanity International)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Ferguson Enterprises has reached an agreement with Habitat for Humanity International as a Preferred Vendor. Ferguson will sell its branded products -- PROFLO and PROFLO Aire -- to Habitat as a partnership product. This announcement comes on...

PSI, AirTime 500, Burcor Form Captive Insurance Program.(Plumbers' Success International)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... AirTime 500[TM] and Plumbers' Success International (PSI) have joined with Burcor International to create a captive insurance program for AirTime 500 and PSI's membership. General liability, property, builders' risk, installation floater,...

Industry Deaths.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
June 1, 2001... John C. Bock, president of Bock Water Heaters, has passed away. After graduating from Northland College in Ashland, Wis., Bock began to work at his father's water heater company. In 1990, after his brother, Robert, died, John took over as...

K/BIS 2001 At A Glance.(200l Kitchen/Bath Industry Show and Conference)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The 200l Kitchen/Bath Industry Show and Conference had record-breaking results: * More than 710 companies were represented; * A total number of 3,985 booths were exhibited, compared with 3,725 exhibitors in 2000; * There were...

Milwaukee Valve Celebrates 100 Years.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Milwaukee Valve Co. is now operating in its 100th year. The family-owned business, which began selling valves in 1901, is still headquartered in Milwaukee. Today, the company manufactures more than 4,000 items under the leadership of...

Jay R. Smith Celebrates 75 Years.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... It began in a basement in New York, but Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. has endured to become one of the industry's leading plumbing and drainage product manufacturer for the non-residential construction market. The company celebrates 75 years in the...

Chicago Faucet's Rep Of The Year.(Chicago Faucet Co.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Chicago Faucets announces Renco Sales of Corona, Calif., as the 2000 Chicago Faucets Sales Representative of the Year. George Vandergrift, owner of Renco Sales, was recently presented with the President's Award, a crystal ball with intricate...

Leonard Farbman Lifetime Achievement Award.(created by New York City Plumbing Foundation)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Plumbing Foundation of the city of New York has created the Leonard Farbman Lifetime Achievement Award to be awarded periodically to a member of the industry who has served with distinction as a role model for the industry.

Barking Up The Wrong Tree.(selling a one-man business)
June 1, 2001... It's OK to operate as a one-man shop -- just don't expect to sell the business. My March article "What's Wrong with This Ad?" generated quite a bit calls and e-mails from readers who operate small shops. They recognized themselves as...

Inspirations From The Past.(hydronic radiant heating systems)
June 1, 2001... Our high-tech systems are older than you think. Those of you who've been installing hydronic radiant heating systems during the past few years have no doubt heard about, if not used, injection mixing for water temperature control. Judging...

Home Is Where The Spa Is.
June 1, 2001... High-end fixtures in the bath make remodels more rejuvenating for consumers. Today's consumers want it all: fashion, uniqueness and usefulness. "We are definitely seeing a 'cocooning' effect in bathroom remodels," says sales and...

ISH 2001: A Grand Tour Time Was Had By Us.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The statistics defy easy summary 2,285 exhibitors from 42 countries; more than 225,000 visitors from 100 countries. Here are sample reactions from people in our tour group about ISH 2001; Donny DiCarlo, Trademaster Contracting Inc,...

Going COLD Turkey On Credit.(accounts receivable)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Accounts receivable can easily do you in. But the good news is, it's one of the easiest problems to solve. The biggest barrier to profitability in most contracting companies today can be described in two words: accounts receivable. In...

Selecting Kitchen Plumbing Appliances.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... It may not be wise to dedicate yourself to a particular brand. There two kitchen appliances that always associate with the plumbing industry -- the dishwasher and the food waste grinder. You may call the food waste grinder the garbage...

Multipurpose Designs.(sprinkling systems)
June 1, 2001... Question: You have written about combined sprinkler and water piping systems in the home. Our state plumbing code limits the velocity in the water piping system to 8 feet per second. Are we required to design the sprinkler system with the same...

One Little Candle -- Workplace Timeshares.(sharing knowledge on a job site)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... How to light up your employees' (working) lives. Our industry's skilled craft shortage has created darkness, doom and despair for contractors in every trade. We do not have enough craftsmen now and the future is definitely not looking any...

Solid Margins Mean Steady Profits.
June 1, 2001... Boosting your margins doesn't necessarily mean raising prices. As soon as I mention margins, almost all business owners and managers turn their attention to pricing. Some are uncomfortable examining their margins and others may protest, "I...

Chicago Faucets Unveils High-Tech Faucets.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... A new breed of electronic faucets is being introduced by The Chicago Faucet Co. The Galileo series of faucets was designed with ultra high-tech infrared and diagnostic technology using embedded intelligence designed by Synapse Inc. These...

Travel Is So Enlightening.(historical plumbing equipment)(Column)
June 1, 2001... Except some of the things you learn, you wish you hadn't! Bear with me while I tell this story of how infatuated I am with the plumbing industry, and how this affliction came across as oh so smug to the rest of my family. On March 19,...

Watts Reports First Quarter Earnings Results.(Watts Industries)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Watts Industries Inc. announced net sales at $135.9 million from $131.6 million for the comparable period one year ago. Net income was $7.2 million for the quarter.

EMCOR Reports Record First Quarter Results.(EMCOR Group Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... For the first quarter of 2001, EMCOR Group, Inc. reported a net income of $5.7 million, a 16 percent increase over first quarter 2000 Revenues totaled $837.6 million. Gross profit was $80.5 million. As a percentage of revenues, gross profit in...

NSF Qualifies To Deliver Japanese Water Mark.(NSF International )
June 1, 2001... NSF International is approved to conduct tests and plant audits to criteria set for the, Japanese Water Mark. Recognized by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare, the' Japanese Water Mark is a certification toot for water supply...