Fifth anniversary entrants add luster to PVF Hall of Fame

BY MORRIS R. BESCHLOSS

PVF and economic analyst

The Wholesaler’s 2007 PVF Hall of Fame entrants add luster to an already highly respected membership, comprising the “best and brightest” of an industry sector that has long languished in undeserved anonymity.

With the sponsorship of publisher Tom Brown’s The Wholesaler magazine, and supported by valve industry expert Don Caffee and The Wholesaler’s editorial director Mary Jo Martin, I launched this innovation with the magazine’s May 2002 issue. As an industry veteran, I had long felt that this industrial sector, comprising one-third of the PHCP industry’s $70-billion annual revenues had not been properly identified and recognized.

The first two years of “The Hall” were devoted to recognizing the leading manufacturing pioneers and those PVF distributors who had long been involved in focusing on marketing PVF industry products, primarily. During the last three years, we have added a handful of additional manufacturers, distributors and organizations who have recently enhanced the PVF sector’s market growth, despite a less than dynamic economic climate earlier in the decade.

The Hall of Fame Committee must unanimously approve the incoming nominees. A major criterion is that the new additions must have distinguished themselves in bringing stature and dignity to the PVF sector. Size itself is not an overwhelming factor, although a substantial majority of a candidate company’s revenues must be in the PVF sector. They must also reflect their peers’ recognition in order to maintain the Hall’s high credibility. It’s significant that a number of the original distribution entrants have lately become attractive acquisition targets. However, commitment to the independent standards of the PHCP industry ownership continues to be a major basis of consideration for entry.

This year’s entrants hold no backseat to previous members. The positive reaction we’ve been getting from many industry members is a strong sign that we’re on the right track.

Reflecting the aforementioned major contributions to the expansion of the pipe-valve-fittings sector are manufacturers Fisher Controls and Victaulic, as well as distributors All-Tex Pipe and Porter Pipe.

Each new entrant adds to the substance provided by the predecessor membership. This consideration for election to the PVF sector’s stellar performance will continue to be featured annually in The Wholesaler’s May issue.

The award ceremony for the new entrants’ representatives took place at the May 15 meeting of the PVF Roundtable at the Hess Club in Houston.

A short sketch of the new entrants follows. A more comprehensive write-up on each of the companies is presented in the special Hall of Fame section in the May issue of The Wholesaler and in a special PDF that you can download here.

In keeping with the methodical balance of the pvf industry’s leading manufacturers and the primarily family owned and multi-generational distributors, we are proud to announce the following, well-known entrants.

Although such large distributors as McJunkin and Ferguson have previously been honored, even these PVF giants have grown from the dynamics of industry veterans and their continued impact on such companies’ unprecedented growth. As these 2007 newcomers indicate, The Wholesaler is irrevocably committed to helping preserve the independents.

There are no finer examples than Chicago’s Porter Pipe and Dallas’ All-Tex Pipe. As the write-ups elaborate, both of these full-line distributors have grown significantly, primarily from the leadership of the controlling families, supplemented by judicious acquisitions.

In manufacturing, there are no more highly respected brand names than Fisher and Victaulic. Although the former has been under the corporate banner of Emerson and others for years, today’s St. Louis-based parent has given Fisher total autonomy by which to achieve its optimum gains. Victaulic, one of the industry’s rare family controlled manufacturing super giants, has never seen its image shine more brightly.

The continued passing of this torch to future generations will guarantee that such illustrious names will not fade from the PVF industry’s leadership position.

Morris R. Beschloss, a 50-year veteran of the pipe, valve and fitting industry, is PVF and economic analyst for The Wholesaler.