WATTS WATER TECHNOLOGIES North Andover, Massachusetts Plumbing Gear Maker Is Flush With Business.(THE NEW AMERICA)

Byline: PETER BENESH

Talk about going with the flow.

Watts Water Technologies just celebrated its 130th year in business, and chances are its parts are somewhere in your house, business and local mall. The company makes a variety of plumbing and water-flow products it sells at the wholesale and retail levels.

Unless you're a plumber or building contractor, you might not know it by name. Watts' products have been sold at retail for only 10 years.

That's where it plans to build more name recognition, says Chief Financial Officer William McCartney.

"We know ours is the preferred brand on the wholesale side," he said. "We're trying to build our brand ID on the retail side with more shelf space, more advertising and a common brand across our product lines."

Thanks to acquisitions, those lines keep expanding. Watts has gobbled up 30 companies since going public 18 years ago. Its criteria are simple, says analyst Ned Armstrong of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co.