CIPH celebrates 75th anniversary
The Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating kicked off its 75th anniversary celebration on February 12 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto (site of the first annual general meeting in 1933, in which 40 companies participated). The ciph executive/finance committee hosted a special dinner honoring the past chairmen of the board for their significant contributions, leadership and tremendous service to the industry and the Institute.
In the 1930s, the “founding fathers” of CIPH recognized the need to lobby the government of Canada to amend the Dominion Housing Act to encourage renovation and housing starts. As individual companies they had little power, but together, as one unified voice, they might be heard. Thus CIPH was incorporated on February 8, 1933.
Ivan Leger of the James Robertson Company became the first president. The nine founding fathers left a legacy of purpose and commitment that continues to this day. There were six objectives included in the incorporation. Four of these are:
- To raise and maintain the standards of the plumbing and heating industry (heating in the 1930s was primarily hot water/hydronic, fueled by either coal or wood)
- To study matters of interest to manufacturers, wholesale distributors, jobbers or manufacturers’ agents and to collect statistics
- To promote and conserve the right of the industry
- To maintain and continue the good feeling existing in the industry.
After 75 years, ciph continues to represent the interests of its members. In 2007, the CIPH board, with member input, created a new long-range plan. Under the leadership of Chairman Barry Raycroft, CIPH is embracing a strong future by focusing on the following six enhanced initiatives that complement its core values:
- Developing and nurturing industry relationships to present a unified voice to regulators and legislators to represent the best interests of the membership
- Developing a strategy to raise the positive awareness of the industry as a whole and CIPH in particular in the eyes of the public, potential member recruits, regulators and legislators
- Focusing more strongly on offering meaningful, relevant and affordable education programs aimed at members and selected supply chain partners such as contractors
- Enhancing the productivity and efficiency of members through leadership on the integration of technology
- Examining the evolving industry boundaries and aligning member criteria accordingly
- Attracting youth and professional workers to the Canadian plumbing, heating, cooling, and piping industry.
The highlight of the 75th anniversary celebrations will be the “Honoring the Past: Embracing a Strong Future” annual business conference scheduled for June 29-July 2 at the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Whistler.
For more information, visit www.ciph.com.
Ferguson recently announced the opening of two new showrooms and one new branch location.
Ferguson’s new showroom in Tampa, Fla., is a two-story venue in a historic area of the city. Located at 302 N. Willow Avenue, the location boasts 16,000 square feet of the latest products in the high-end plumbing and building industry, including appliances, lighting and cabinetry.
“This is the first destination showroom in the Tampa area,” said Steve Freund, manager for the location. “We offer the finest products in the industry and provide an unparalleled shopping experience that is warm, friendly and informative. I am pleased to have the opportunity to introduce Ferguson to the South Tampa area and to enhance our relationships with contractors and homeowners in the high-end builder market.”
Appointments are encouraged, and customers can contact the Tampa branch directly by calling 813/251-1690.
Ferguson opened a showroom in Cranberry Township, Pa., on March 10, allowing customers to choose from an array of high-end products. Attached to the company’s current location at 1214 Freedom Road, the 4,500-square-foot showroom features a first-class gallery showcasing plumbing, appliances and lighting.
“We are excited to enhance our current location by providing our customers with a state-of-the-art facility for their clients to select products for their home,” said Jim Battista, manager for the showroom. “This new site features a large selection of top-of-the-line products under one roof, providing a level of convenience never before available to our customers in this market.”
Highly trained consultants are available to help customers create a personalized, custom look in their home. The Cranberry Township showroom can be reached at 724/742-2330.
In addition, Ferguson opened its newest branch location in Indianapolis on March 3, providing a new venue for contractors to choose from a variety of quality HDPE products. Located at 2702 North Tibbs Avenue, the 35,000-square-foot facility features an 8-acre pipe yard and a vast inventory of the latest in HDPE pipe and fittings as well as fabrication capabilities and fusion machine rentals and repair.
“We offer the finest products in the industry and provide unparalleled service that is warm, friendly and informative,” said Tim Brizzolara, manager for the Indianapolis location. “I am pleased to have the opportunity to introduce this facility to the Indianapolis area and to enhance our relationships with contractors and customers.”
Customers can contact the new Indianapolis branch directly by calling 866-620-HDPE. For additional information, visit www.ferguson.com.
Julien: Taking “green” full circle
With increasing fuel costs and energy conservation awareness reaching new heights, the desperate search for innovative products and methods to “save the environment” continues. Because many companies align themselves with the green push, but do not follow green practices, consumers need to do a bit more research so that they can arm themselves with the real “green facts.”
One material that most people don’t equate with green, but that meets all the requirements, is stainless steel. Not only is stainless steel reusable but it can withstand extreme temperatures, doesn’t stain or rust and can be melted and recycled. While many homeowners are turning to stainless steel appliances, they are also turning to stainless steel sinks, for these very reasons.
Julien Home Refinements, manufacturers of kitchen and bath products and stainless steel fabricators, have been around for more than 60 years and use the most environmentally friendly procedures and materials possible. In fact, every item they create is composed of 100% recycled and recyclable stainless steel. And, amazingly, just last year the company collected and sold more than 1,078 tons of stainless steel to steel reclaimers, ensuring that all waste is recycled for future use.
Furthermore, Julien stainless steel is systematically separated and recovered back into the recycling process, and scraps are recharged into an electric furnace for re-melting back into stainless steel. Julien steel is melted electrically and is refined by using inert air-distilled gases such as argon. Extreme caution is utilized to minimize fume and dust emissions. Further enhancing their recycling efforts, several Julien plants are also equipped to recycle dust during the steel-making process.
For details, visit www.julien.ca.
LA-CO turns over the keys to promo winners
La-co Industries Inc./Markal Co. announced that Tim Hayden Jr., a plumbing technician for jd Precision Services in Conroe, Texas, was randomly chosen as the grand prize winner of its “Pick Up and Win” promotion. Hayden was given the choice of a new Ford F-150 pickup truck or $30,000 in cash.
Selected from among thousands of plumbing, mechanical and hvac contractors who purchased individual products or promotional bonus packs of Cool Gel® Heat Barrier Spray, Slic-Tite Thread Sealant or Regular Flux to gain entry into the promotion, Hayden truly had the luck of the draw.
Working as a plumbing technician for ID Precision for more than 10 years on mostly commercial construction projects, Hayden uses Regular Flux and Slic-Tite on a regular basis and purchases it from Morrison Supply Co. in Houston and Conroe, Texas.
Bob Benacka and Greg Palagi of La-co, presented Hayden with his grand prize winnings at Morrison Supply. Joining Benacka and Palagi for the check presentation were Robert Zvanut of pmi Sales and Greg Meyer of Morrison Supply.
As part of the promotion, an additional 25 contractors were selected to receive radio-controlled trucks.
For more information, call 847/956-3867 or visit www.laco.com.
Mitsubishi Electric HVAC hosts party during AHR
Mitsubishi Electric HVAC advanced products division showcased a variety of city multi VRFZ (variable refrigerant flow zoning) building comfort solutions at the acclaimed Vento Trattoria restaurant in New York City’s Greenwich Village on January 22. More than 500 engineers, architects, mechanical contractors and press attended the event.
“We organized ‘The Transformation Has Begun -- An Evening with city multi’ event because we wanted to show how city multi technology helped transform Vento from an 1880s meatpacking plant into an upscale Italian restaurant,” said William Rau, senior vice president. “We were able to demonstrate the city multi VRFZ advantage and explain how it could benefit our guests’ future projects.”
Guests enjoyed cocktails, Italian specialties and desserts as they toured the three-story restaurant and nightclub. The first and second floors featured detailed information about the Vento installation and how city multi VRFZ technology was able to meet the building’s exacting site and zoning restrictions. Level V, the nightclub on the basement level, displayed various city multi case studies. Mitsubishi Electric HVAC area managers were on hand to answer any questions and to discuss upcoming projects.
According to Rau, even though the restaurant was filled almost to capacity and the temperature outside was typical for New York in January, everyone inside was comfortable. “Despite the large number of people and the changing heat load, the temperature was ideal all night, which further demonstrates the city multi VRFZ advantage.”
For additional information, visit www.mehvac.com.
B.A. Robinson wins Canadian business award
For the fourth consecutive year, B.A. Robinson Co. Ltd. has been named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies. Sponsors of this prestigious national award are Deloitte, cibc Commercial Banking, National Post and Queen’s School of Business.
Established in 1993, the Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies is a national awards program, recognizing Canadian companies that have implemented world-class business practices and created value in innovative ways. Applications are reviewed by an independent judging panel that evaluates how companies address various business challenges, including new technologies, globalization, brand management, leadership, leveraging and developing core competencies, designing information systems and hiring the right talent to facilitate growth.
B.A. Robinson, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, first won the award in 2004. Since then, the company underwent a thorough review of its operations to successfully achieve “Requalified” status for 2005 and 2006. The award was officially presented at a ceremony in Toronto on February 25.
Uponor to promote commercial radiant uses
Uponor is setting its sights on educating the commercial market to the benefits of this increasingly popular technology with the help of the Green Mechanical Council, or GreenMech. Uponor has joined GreenMech as a Founding Member.
“Our expertise is in radiant. We’re combining that with GreenMech’s expertise in training and education to reach out to architects, specifying engineers and mechanical contractors in the commercial field and educate them on the sustainability of radiant heating and cooling,” said Aaron Smith, director of commercial sales-U.S.
“Our heating and cooling solutions help preserve our natural resources, and are the dominant form of indoor comfort in most European markets. That widespread acceptance is what we aspire to in the U.S., and it all begins with teaching the commercial construction market how to incorporate these sustainable solutions into their projects.”
Uponor’s success has long been rooted in customer education and training, according to Smith. “Our predecessor company, Wirsbo, introduced radiant to the domestic residential market, and now we are focused on extending the trend into the commercial market. With GreenMech’s help, we’ll be able to bring education and training to the commercial segments of the market that we haven’t addressed to date.”
For more information, visit www.greenmech.org, call 800/321-4739 or visit www.uponor-usa.com.
Warren Alloy announces new leadership
Warren Alloy Valve & Fitting Company announced that Leonard Fruci has joined the company as its new president and CEO.
Fruci has held many senior executive positions during his 28 years of experience in the global fluid handling market. He was formerly with Crane Energy Flow Solutions Group. The seasoned team at Warren Alloy is excited about Fruci coming on board because of his solid experience in distribution and knowledge through out the industrial marketplace.
Adam Finn, who has served as the president of Warren Alloy since 1989, is transitioning away from the day-to-day responsibilities. Finn will take on a strategic growth role as well as continue to serve on the board of directors.
Zy-Tech Global Industries changes name to Global Flow Technologies
Zy-Tech Global Industries has changed its company name to Global Flow Technologies. The name change is effective immediately as a series of new product and service offerings is being launched that demonstrate the company’s growth from its oil and gas roots to a position as a global provider of industrial valve solutions.
In addition to the name change, DSI and PBV are being separated from the legacy Zy-Tech business as individual operating companies, while a Corporate Engineering and Sourcing Services group has been established to deliver on Global Flow Technologies’ commitment to continue to deliver unmatched reliability and operational performance for its customers.
“We’ve been evolving and growing over the last few years, and it’s time to update our corporate identity,” said Steve Twellman, president and CEO of Global Flow Technologies. “Many of our customers rely on our well-known DSI and PBV brands, and we want them to realize we have greatly expanded our engineering, delivery and support capabilities by acquiring two fine companies -- ABZ Valves and Controls, and Quadrant Valve & Actuator -- to complement our offerings.”
Global Flow Technologies is bringing these established product companies into its family of four manufacturing and three international distribution companies. These changes will enable gft to advise and service large companies on a global scale. On a local scale, the individual companies will be tightly focused on offering customized products and services to end users and distributors.
Global Flow Technologies provides valves, actuators and related services worldwide to the oil and gas, petrochemical, power, mining, biofuels and several other industries. The firm recently reorganized to improve its domestic and international sales, service and support network, and launched a new website (www.globalflowtech.com) to improve communications with customers.