- Home
- Current Issue
- Industry Links
- Manufacturer Spotlights
- Newsletter Archives
- Webcast Archives
- Archives
- Advertiser Information
- Classifieds
- Sister Publications
- Contact Us
Jack Wilhelmi assumed the office of president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America, Inc. (MCAA) during the association’s annual convention in Palm Desert, California. The presidential gavel was passed from 2007 president David Kruse to the new MCAA president during the convention’s closing session.
Wilhelmi is president of the Omaha Division of Waldinger Corporation, a mechanical contractor located in Omaha, Nebraska.
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2001, Wilhelmi is active in the association on both the national and local levels. At the national level, he serves on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. He also serves on the Strategic Estimating Conference Task Force, and as vice president of the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation’s (MCERF) Board of Trustees. In addition, he served as chairman of the Career Development Committee and as a member of the Advanced Leadership Institute Committee.
At the local level, he is very active in the MCA of Omaha, where he served three terms as president after having served as treasurer and vice president. Wilhelmi has chaired the Negotiating Committee, the Safety Committee, the Program Committee, and the OSHA Multimedia Development Committee, and has served on the Scholarship Selection Committee.
He also serves as a Pension and Welfare trustee.
The MCAA also elected Lonnie Coleman as its president-elect during the convention.
Coleman is president of Coleman Spohn Corporation, a mechanical contractor located in Cleveland.
Appointed to the Board of Directors in 2002, Coleman is active in the association on both the national and local levels. At the national level, he serves on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors. He is also a past chairman of the Government Affairs Committee.
At the local level, he is active in the MCA of Cleveland, where he served as president, vice president, and treasurer. He also served on the Board of Directors and the Hiring Hall Committee.
GreenPlumbers partner with American Standard
American Standard has become the first founding partner of the innovative GreenPlumbers training and accreditation program.
“We are very pleased to announce this key founding partnership,” said GreenPlumbers spokesperson Stephen J. Lehtonen. “American Standard’s quality products and commitment to environmental issues make it a great match for our program.”
GreenPlumbers offers training workshops and accreditation to plumbers and contractors throughout the United States, with more than 200 California participants and upcoming workshops in Connecticut, Kansas, Wisconsin and Texas. The program offers five workshops on climate care, water care, water recycling and conservation and solar water heating. The goal for GreenPlumbers is to make this training free and available to all plumbers across the nation.
For info, www.greenplumbersusa.com.
Nearly 200 people attended the recent 2008 Green Manufacturing Summit in Milwaukee presented by Bradley Corp., manufacturer of efficient plumbing solutions, in partnership with Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy. Architects, engineers and business leaders shared green strategies to offset rising utility costs and increased global competition.
Keynote speaker, Ann Beier, director of Milwaukee’s Office of Environmental Sustainability, shared the importance of greening Milwaukee and was followed by a panel discussion, which focused on the current state of green and the costs, or lack thereof, for going green. The distinguished panelists were: Monique Charlier, president of Jansen Construction Group; Mark Hanson, director of sustainable services at Hoffman llc; W. Brent Peterson, an industrial engineer for hga; David Scherzer, principal and president of The Sigma Group; and Mike Sipek of Bradley Corp.
Going green is a natural extension of lean, a process that reduces waste to increase bottom line savings, according to several panelists. Bradley, for example, quickly achieved savings from energy-efficient lighting systems and reclaiming and recycling water used in its manufacturing processes. Green Manufacturing Summit attendees also listened to several other presenters during breakout sessions of their choosing. Several of these experts echoed and expanded on what the panelists said about reducing waste.
Connie Lindholm, executive director of the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance (wgba) and Joseph Jacobsen, an associate dean at Milwaukee Area Technical College presented a Green Building 101 seminar for those newer to the green movement.
Lindholm disputed that cost is prohibitive for environmentally-conscious building, saying that a $4 investment per square foot in building green nets a $58 benefit per square foot over 20 years, primarily as a result of increased health and productivity. She also noted that only five to 10% of the total lifecycle cost of owning and operating a building is design and construction. The remaining 90% is operations and maintenance. For more information, www.bradleycorp.com.
Noritz helps Brad Pitt’s ‘Make It Right’ foundation in New Orleans
Actor Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation has welcomed Noritz, a leading manufacturer of tankless water heaters, to help rebuild New Orleans. The Make It Right Foundation is dedicated to build 150 green, affordable, energy-efficient homes in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, which struggles to recover from flooding that occurred during Hurricane Katrina.
“Our commitment here is to create an environmentally friendly community; and to have a company with the reputation of Noritz involved is a tremendous addition to our project,” said Tom Darden, III, Make It Right’s executive director. “It was our intention from the start to align ourselves with a company of superior quality…and, with Noritz, we have a recognized leader in tankless water heater technology. We couldn’t be happier that they are a part of our vision.”
The Make It Right Foundation is committed to using green, affordable and sustainable building techniques in the construction of homes, with the long-term goal of serving as a catalyst for further rebuilding in the Lower 9th Ward and throughout all of New Orleans.
Make It Right’s mission is built upon catalyzing redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward by building a neighborhood of safe and healthy homes that incorporates sustainable, high-quality design and construction while preserving the spirit of the community’s culture.
The 150-home community will address the dire need for single-family housing in the Lower 9th Ward, provide residents with safe, healthy and sustainable homes.
“On behalf of everyone at Noritz America, we are truly honored to be welcomed as an important part of Mr. Pitt’s worthwhile and very necessary project,” said Masaaki Tokuno, president of Noritz America Corp. “At Noritz, our mission is to continually look for ways to increase efficiency, save money for our consumers, as well as finding ways to work friendly with our environment. We look forward to bringing our state-of-the-art technology to this great, new community.”
Noritz tankless water heaters work on-demand -- they only heat water when necessary, eliminating stand-by losses common to tank-type units. Because Noritz tankless water heaters are the size of a carry-on suitcase, they have a small footprint.
Noritz’ “Next Generation” series solidifies tankless water heater technology utilizes the Dual Flame Burner for stable combustion; and Super Heat Exchanger that allows for greater water flow through its larger tubing size.
For more information, log on to www.MakeItRightnola.com or www.noritz.com.
Elkay sells Canadian operations
Elkay Plumbing Products Division (ppd) president Steve Rogers announced in mid-March that the company completed the sale of its Elkay Canada Ltd. operations to Novanni Stainless Inc.
Novanni Stainless Inc. is a newly formed company owned by Oakville Stamping and Bending Ltd. (OS&B), founded in 1975, and Supreme Metal Products Inc., founded in 1985. OS&B, a privately held company, is one of Canada’s largest manufacturers of overflows, traps, lavatory drains, tubular brass fittings and flexible supply hoses. Supreme Metal Products, also a privately held company, is one of Canada’s largest manufacturers of sink strainers.
Novanni Stainless will continue serving Elkay Canada Ltd.’s Canadian customers by manufacturing Wessan, AMI and other Elkay branded products in the Coldwater, Ont., facility and distributing Elkay branded products throughout Canada as Elkay’s exclusive distributor.
“We clearly see this move as the best strategy for Elkay to continue to grow in the Canadian marketplace,” Rogers said. “This sale enables Elkay to continue to distribute high-quality products to our Canadian customers. We are also pleased that Novanni Stainless Inc. shares one of Elkay’s core values -- employees are a company’s most important asset. We are thrilled we were able to ensure the jobs of our Canadian employees.”
For more than 88 years, Elkay has been an innovative manufacturer of stainless steel sinks, water coolers, drinking fountains and faucets for residential and commercial use. Elkay has more than 5,000 employees in facilities across the United States and select international markets. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Elkay is also the parent company of E.B. Tecnica Mexicana, Phylrich International, Elkay Zhuhai, as well as Yorktowne Cabinetry, Medallion Cabinetry and Mastercraft Cabinets.