PVF Hall of Fame celebrates decade of industry focus

BY MORRIS R. BESCHLOSS
PVF and economic analyst

When Portland, Ore.-based Paramount Pipe and Supply’s 19-branch operation joins the exalted group of manufacturers, distributors and industry leaders comprising the previously chosen inductees into the Pipe, Valve & Fittings Hall of Fame, increasing focus will be bestowed on an annual, highly celebrated PVF industry institution.

The gratitude for making this PVF Hall of Fame recognition possible must go to Tom Brown, owner and publisher of The Wholesaler magazine. I presented this idea to him after joining The Wholesaler as the PVF industry and economic analyst in 2001. It’s worthy of his understanding the expanding role of PVF activities in the PHCP industry as a whole that he gave me carte blanche to move this idea forward.
The independent stature of the PVF manufacturers and distributors as a group with a distinguished identity dates back to the 1970 birth of the American Supply Association. This event was culminated by the merger of the Midwest-based Central Supply Association and the national federation of distributor regionals, the American Institute of Supply Associations. This new entity, the ASA Industrial Piping Division, was recognized by the ASA’s charter board of directors, which I had the privilege to present to the initial meeting of the combined national distributor organization.

I was privileged to have been one of the architects of the ASA-IPD. As chairman of the Valve Manufacturers Association, I joined Fred Keenan of Keenan Pipe, George Keenen from Keenen-Cashman, and Charlie Ransburg of Pittsburgh Gage in constructing this originally crafted distributor-oriented association of wholesalers, who craved a separate identity in their relationship with mechanical contractors, industrial end users and original equipment manufacturers. Previously, those not familiar with overall plumbing­-heating-cooling-piping practices had lumped PVF together with PHC on the one hand, or mill supply distribution on the other, even for those who catered solely to the industrial project and MRO trade.

Prior to the PVF Hall of Fame introduction in 2001, oilfield expert and manufacturer Westbrook Manufacturing Company’s co-owner Sid Westbrook organized the PVF Roundtable, which brought together the “vertical” interest groups: raw material suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, architect-engineers, specifiers, turnkey constructors, master distributors, exporters, etc.

This has evolved into today’s PVF Roundtable, meeting quarter-annually in Houston at the H.E.S.S. Club. This organization is on a roll, having reached an attendance of over 250 at the February meeting. The highlight of these meetings has become the two-hour networking between the varied industry factor representatives. These include raw material suppliers, manufacturers, manufacturers’ reps, wholesale distributors, master distributors, end users, OEMs, turnkey constructors, exporters and importers.
It is a fitting tribute to the unified nature of the joint associations to declare the May PVF Roundtable meeting as the Hall of Fame all-star extravaganza. In fact, the ASA-IPD has graciously worked their spring executive council meeting into a permanent session to follow the Houston evening Roundtable meeting with a Wednesday morning program. The prestigious Delta Group is also expected to be in attendance at this all-industry summit.

Needless to say, all PVF partisans are cordially invited to register for the PVF Roundtable session on May 17, which will not only feature the induction ceremony and an introduction of previous inductees present but also short talks by Hall of Fame member and IPD chair Pat Adams, MKS Supply, and, of course, this year’s recipient, Paramount Supply’s president and majority owner, Ken Grothe.
With a record attendance at the February meeting already established, we expect all interested PVF participants to celebrate what is on the verge of coalescing into one of the greatest industry years ever.

Ken Grothe — flow control upgrading leadership provider

By a remarkable coincidence, I had occasion to interview Ken Grothe for the American Supply Association’s former publication ASA News in 1996. This dialogue was particularly memorable to me, since Ken had the foresight to commit himself and his fast-growing multi-branch operation to flow control instrumentation, actuation, systemization and gasketing.

Even then, Grothe was passionately committed to the future development of upgraded valving opportunities in a territory encompassing Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. At that time, his offerings already included such exclusive or limited distribution lines as Asco, Yarway, Dresser, Garlock and Chesterton, Durco and American Valve’s family of 4000s.

Amazingly, he had already stationed engineers at most of his then-15 locations, with a 48-strong outside sales force. This enabled Grothe to penetrate such major end use sectors as pulp and paper, food processing and oil refining. He was also on the cutting edge of semi-conductors, which were then experiencing dramatic growth.

Grothe also commented on the continuous product orientation sessions his teams were holding with such diverse users as Intel, Boise Cascade and Ponderay Newsprint, a paper specialty provider. This led to Ponderay naming Paramount Supplier of the Year in 1995.

He further informed us that Paramount’s Anchorage branch provided engineering advice and valve product services to the Aleyeska Oil consortium operations. As future developments have proven, this helped develop intimate relationships for Paramount and its suppliers and end use customers.

Grothe further intrigued me with his intimate professional relationship with Bob McCray, founder and developer of the Worcester ball valve line, which Paramount helped introduce. McCray was a valve industry colleague of mine and succeeded me as chairman of the Valve Manufacturers Association in the mid 1970s.

It’s a matter of pride and satisfaction to observe that Grothe and Paramount have stuck to their founding principles during the past 15 years, which has led to the continuation of their “Paramount” success and continued leadership in the expanding flow control technology.

Morris R. Beschloss, a 55-year veteran of the pipe, valve and fitting industry, is PVF and economic analyst emeritus for The Wholesaler.