News Briefs - Industry News

In accordance with the ANSI-designated 2009 Uniform Plumbing Code and Uniform Mechanical Code change timeline, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials Standards Council has issued a call for proposals beginning Oct. 3 and ending Feb. 1, 2007 at 5:00 PM PST. Anyone interested in submitting a code change proposal should download the form entitled "Form on Proposals," found under the "Downloads and Applications" link at www.iapmo.org. Both the Plumbing and Mechanical Technical Committees will be meeting in St. Louis Apr. 23-27 to discuss proposed changes. For more information call (909) 472-4100.

PHCC Apprentice Competition Winners

Three top apprentices emerged when the dust cleared after the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association Educational Foundation''s 2006 International Plumbing Apprentice Contest during the Sept. 26-30 Network ''06 and ISH North America Trade Show in Chicago. The first place winner, Christopher Platner, received $1,000. Platner is an employee of L.N. Piccianno and resides in Windsor, NY. The second place winner, Thom Allen, received $750. Allen is an employee of Gateway Mechanical and resides in Fenton, MO. The third place winner, Matthew Nickelson, received $500. Nickelson is an employee of Gotelli Plumbing and resides in Novato, Calif. State Industries, Inc., sponsored the cash prizes, and all 15 contestants received plaques commemorating their participation.

AEC Officers Named

New officers of the Association Executives Council of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association were installed during the recent PHCC national convention in Chicago. They are: president--Bev Potts, Illinois PHCC; president elect--Kevin Kruse, PHCC of Iowa; secretary-Jory Isakson, Minnesota PHCC; permanent treasurer--Linda Lindsten, Oregon PHCC. The new AEC Board members are:

Rodney Jones, Egyptian PHCC; Cheryl Maas, Washington PHCC; Betty Leverett, North Central Indiana PHCC; Stacy Grewek, Nebraska PHCC; Nancy Jones, Texas PHCC; and, Tom Theroux, PHCC of Massachusetts.

Water Heaters in Less Than Two Hours

A. O. Smith and Ferguson Enterprises, Inc., have teamed up to offer customers quick and easy commercial water heater delivery, and will feature this new service in an A. O. Smith/Ferguson truck. Ferguson has begun delivering commercial water heaters in less than two hours exclusively for its Southern California customers. Ferguson has more than 600 A. O. Smith brand commercial gas and electric water heaters in stock ready for installation, as well as five full time electric conversion centers with delivery crews standing by. Customers from Santa Barbara to San Diego can now expect speedy delivery, unsurpassed quality, and 24-hour emergency service all from Ferguson and A. O. Smith.

PMI 2007 President And Board Members

Members of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute of Schaumburg, Ill., have elected Ken Martin as president for the year 2007. Martin, senior director commercial product development for the Delta Faucet Company in Indianapolis, was elected at the 2006 Fall Meeting in Washington, DC held Oct. 8-11. Martin succeeds 2006 PMI president, Claude Theisen, president and CEO of T&S Brass and Bronze Works, who will continue to serve as PMI immediate past president. The 2007 PMI Board of Directors will include Martin, Rod Ward, president of Speakman Co., as first vice president; Bill Axline, executive vice president and COO of Fluidmaster, Inc., as second vice president; and Pete DeMarco, director, compliance engineering at American Standard, Inc., as treasurer. New Directors at Large include Jack Krecek, vice president of marketing of Elkay Manufacturing Co., and Stephanie Leonardos, president and CEO of Amerikam, Inc.

ASHRAE Developing Water Conservation Standard

Requirements regarding the amount of water used to operate HVAC, plumbing and irrigation systems would be established under a proposed standard from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. The proposed standard, "Conservation of Water Use in Building, Site and Mechanical Systems", would provide baseline requirements for the design of buildings, landscapes, and mechanical systems that minimize the volume of water required to operate HVAC systems, plumbing systems, and irrigation systems. The proposed title, purpose and scope of the standard are open for public comment until Nov. 20. Also, members are being sought to serve on a committee to write the standard. To join the committee or comment on the draft title, purpose and scope, visit the standards actions for Oct. 6 at www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.

New CSLB Publication Highlights Contract Info.

The Contractors State License Board in Sacramento has recently announced the availability of its newest publication, "Contracting for Success--A Contractor''s Guide to Home Improvement Contracts." The 24-page booklet guides contractors through all the elements that are required to be in home improvement contracts, and in service and repair contracts. The CSLB publishes about two dozen different publications. While many publications help consumers through the construction process, others are geared towards contractors or those interested in getting their license. With the exception of the "License Law and Reference Book," all CSLB publications are available free of charge. To order, simply visit www.cslb.ca.gov and click on "Services and Publications."

Affiliated Distributors Recognizes BrassCraft

BrassCraft Manufacturing was awarded the Supplier of the Year, Leadership Award for the Plumbing Division during Affiliated Distributors'' 2006 North American Meeting for the Plumbing and PVF Divisions on Sept. 10-14, 2006. The Recognition of Excellence Awards ceremony identifies individual affiliates and suppliers who have excelled in one or all of the following areas: marketing, performance, and leadership. Accepting the award on behalf of BrassCraft were Jim Whiteherse, Steve Adams, and John Stankrauff.

Promo Winners

SJE-Rhombus Controls, provider of water, wastewater and embedded controls, has announced 100 winners of its Carhartt jacket promotion which ran this summer. The winners were selected by random drawing from all entries to receive an insulated, hooded Carhartt jacket emblazoned with the SJE-Rhombus logo. For a complete list of winners, log onto www.sjerhombus.com.

Lennox, Bradford White Rank Highest

Lennox International ranks highest among HVAC manufacturers and Bradford White ranks highest among water heater and boiler manufacturers in satisfying subcontractors, according to the J.D. Power and Associates/McGraw-Hill Construction 2006 HVAC and Water Heater/Boiler Subcontractor Satisfaction Study. The inaugural study focuses on how subcontractors evaluate and rate manufacturers of HVAC and water heater/boiler systems. The study includes responses from 559 subcontractors evaluating HVAC manufacturers, and 323 subcontractors evaluating water heater/boiler manufacturers.

Flowserve Receives Industry Leadership Awards

Flowserve Corp., a provider of fluid motion and control products and services, has received two industry awards from Frost & Sullivan honoring its market leadership in the pump sector. The first is the 2006 North American Growth Excellence in Customer Value Leadership recipient in the pumps solutions market space. The second was the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Global Vertical Market Penetration Leadership Award recipient for its market-oriented and strategic approach to offering highly reliable and efficient pump systems to the oil and gas industry.

PHCC Launches E-mail Discussion Group

The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association Nov. 7 launched an e-mail discussion group called PHCCList. Members who sign up for the online discussion will be able to share ideas, find solutions to specific business management and technical problems and keep up on the latest industry trends. The discussions also will be available in archive format on the just-revamped PHCC Web site at www.phccweb.org.

Getting it Right:

In a news item last month [RJ, Oct. 2006: "ICC, IAPMO End Joint Code Talks," Pg. 16], we reported the International Code Council uses a code development process that, "permits any interested party to participate on committees and vote." Of course the only people allowed to participate in the final vote on ICC code change proposals are the group''s governmental members. Reeves Journal regrets the error.

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