Industry News

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Click on the banner just below the Industry News and enter the Press Your Luck contest for a chance to win a Stanley M20+ pressing tool. All you have to do is briefly describe how pressing technology has changed the way you do business, and how you work more efficiently on the job site.

In addition to winning the tool, the winner will be featured in an upcoming edition of Phc News!

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Highland, Ill. — Cooper B-Line, a global provider of innovative, labor-saving support systems and enclosure solutions for engineered facility subsystem applications, has sponsored a student-led team from the University of Arizona in the 2009 Solar Decathlon. The sponsorship includes a donation of over 1,500 sq. ft. of Cooper B-Line Traction Tread™ plank grating, and carries a retail value of over $10,000.

The Solar Decathlon competition showcases the work of 20 international teams that design, build and operate an 800 square foot solar-powered home. The students’ work will be on display October 9th-18th of this year, on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Over 200,000 people are expected to tour the environmentally-friendly homes.

“As docents of the Sonoran desert, we are very conscious of the ground we are covering. As a result, we sought these specific Cooper B-Line products because they offered us a permeable decking space that allowed rainfall to move through the decking and drain to the earth,” said Matt Gindlesparger, Project Manager for the 2009 University of Arizona Solar Decathlon Team (UASDT). “Traction Tread also offers spanability like no other decking material, thus allowing the team to minimize the necessary structural framing, resulting in a lighter assembly which is ideal for transportation.”

Cooper B-Line Traction Tread™ Flooring features a surface with hundreds of perforated buttons that provide slip-resistance in all directions, making it a practical choice for industrial applications. Traction Tread is also appropriate for commercial applications where pedestrian traffic is a consideration, perfectly suited for ADA-compliant requirements. Traction Tread is easily adapted for a multitude of applications, offering a safe walking-working surface for walkways, ramps, stair treads and equipment platforms. In addition, Traction Tread is ideal for the manufacture of special and fabricated products, and is often used as a reconditioning material over existing surfaces that do not provide slip-resistance.

Leesburg, Va. — REHAU announced several revisions and additions to the 2009 schedule of Skill Builders training classes offered throughout the U.S. and Canada by REHAU Academy. The schedule includes traditional three-day comprehensive Skill Builders Complete training courses, as well as three types of Skill Builders Focus Sessions tailored to the specific needs of experienced radiant contractors and heating professionals. The latter comprises a half-day Radiant Installers Focus Session, a Hydronic Designers Focus Session and a Geothermal Systems Focus Session. Focus Sessions will be scheduled throughout the year, and specific dates and locations can be found by visiting the REHAU Academy web site at www.na.rehau.com/academy.

Falls Church, Va. — The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors — National Association will present several thought-provoking sessions on emerging markets and cutting-edge business strategies that increase profits during the Oct. 21-23 annual convention, CONNECT 2009, in New Orleans. The educational programs are geared toward helping p-h-c contractors learn the newest trends and practices essential to building business today and in the future.
The latest green practices will be covered during several sessions, including GreenPlumbers® workshops on inspection report services and solar hot water and separate seminars on selling “green” to commercial and residential customers. A timely residential fire sprinkler design and installation seminar will be offered to help contractors evaluate this emerging market, which has been sparked by an International Residential Code requirement for residential fire sprinklers.
Expert insight into what the future holds on the economic, political and home comfort fronts will be provided by featured speakers Stuart Varney, business and financial journalist for FOX News, and Richard Trethewey of “This Old House.” A diverse range of seminars will be offered on topics like:
• Is Fabrication for You?
• How to Get the Net Profit You Desire
• Industry Panel: Determining Roles for Success
• Selling in a Down Economy
• Year-end Tax Planning
Many other up-and-coming trends and opportunities for new work will be revealed during a Product and Technology Showcase when contractors can learn about new products, technologies and advancements. Manufacturer-sponsored Learning Labs will delve into the latest trends affecting the industry. For example, InSinkErator will present important information about the beneficial impacts of food waste disposers.
For more information, www.phcc
web.org/convention.

Rolling Meadows, Ill. — A coalition led by the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute recently helped Texas join California as the second state nationwide to require high-efficiency toilets (HETs) in all new residential and commercial construction. An HET is defined as a water closet that uses no more than 1.28 gallons of water per flush (GPF), or 20% less than the 1.6-GPF models mandated by the National Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct).
Texas House Bill 2667, which was signed into law by Governor Rick Perry on June 19, also sets maximum showerhead flow rates at 2.5 gallons per minute and urinal flush volumes at 0.5 GPF. Effective September 1 of this year, the legislation mandates that toilet and urinal manufacturers phase in HETs over the next four years, starting with 50% of in-state sales by January 1, 2010, and culminating with 100% by January 1, 2014. In addition, HB 2667 contains two other key provisions:
Any plumbing product certified by the federal WaterSense® Program is exempt from the new Texas efficiency standards. This marks the first time that WaterSense, which was unveiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2006, has been specifically referenced in a state law.

HB 2667 repeals all manufacturer product-filing fees and testing requirements, formerly required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state testing and certification agency.

Phc News and Stanley Tools have joined forces to bring you this unique opportunity for a chance to win this beautiful pressing tool.

Click on the banner just below the Industry News and enter the Press Your Luck contest for a chance to win a Stanley M20+ pressing tool. All you have to do is briefly describe how pressing technology has changed the way you do business, and how you work more efficiently on the job site.

In addition to winning the tool, the winner will be featured in an upcoming edition of Phc News!

Just click on the Press Your Luck banner!

Waco, Texas — Mr. Rooter Corporation recently recognized its 2008 award recipients during the company’s international convention in Las Vegas. The following franchisees and team members received awards:
• Multi-Concept Franchisee of the Year — John Wheeler, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Greenville franchise in South Carolina
• Franchisee of the Year — Steve and Michele Ferree, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Portland franchise in Oregon
• Woman of the Year — Sue Glovan, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Buncombe and Henderson Counties franchise in North Carolina
• Excellence in Leadership — Scott Rossmiller, Mr. Rooter of Napa and Marin Counties franchise in California
• Excellence in Mentoring — Bob Beall, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Pittsburgh franchise in Pennsylvania
• Sales Leader of the Year (population over 500,000) — Mike Ciaramitaro, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Detroit franchise in Michigan
• Sales Leader of the Year (population under 500,000) —
Paul and Saunda Kitchen, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Sonoma County franchise in California
• Rookie of the Year — Brad Sims, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Mid-Michigan franchise in Michigan
• Service Leader of the Year — Tim Luketich, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Central New Jersey franchise in New Jersey
• Technician of the Year — Bill Schwald, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Kootenai franchise in Idaho
• Office Professional of the Year — Vanessa Buck, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of York and Durham Region franchise in Canada.
• Pioneer Award — Bruce and Stephania Alexander, Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Dallas/Fort Worth franchise in Texas
“These individuals are true professionals who make the Mr. Rooter brand stronger,” said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Corporation. “These award recipients have been successful despite the challenging economic times, and they’re making a difference in their local communities by providing quality and courteous plumbing services.”

Rolling Meadows, Ill. — The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI) recently adopted a new position statement advocating the efficient use of water while also maximizing consumer choice on water-saving products. As the new statement notes, “We believe that these two objectives are not mutually exclusive and can be achieved simultaneously.”
PMI Executive Director Barbara C. Higgens says PMI believes that responsible water use begins with awareness and education, which put consumers in a better position to make personal decisions and trade-offs. “Water efficiency is best achieved by pursuing the overall goal of water savings as a society, but not by dictating how the savings are to be achieved,” Higgens remarks. “Every circumstance is different, and PMI believes that providing end users with flexibility to make their own decisions is the best way to move the marketplace towards true water savings.”

West Chester, Pa. — Metabo Corporation, a manufacturer of professional grade portable electric power tools and abrasives for industrial, construction and welding applications, recently completed a blind survey of professional and do-it-yourself (DIY) tool users on important cordless power tool features in anticipation of the company’s new 18 V lithium ion cordless tool series launch. Two of the three top-rated tool features related to battery life.
 
The 10 features evaluated in the survey included battery charging time; work time per charge; comfort (size, weight, balance); power/torque; tool life/durability; weight; length of warranty; whether the tool was recommended by someone else; inclusion of a worklight; and battery service life. Each factor could be ranked 1-10 individually, with 1 being unimportant and 10 being extremely important, and was not dependent upon a ranking for another feature.
 
Participants rated tool life/durability as the most important cordless tool feature. Battery service life ranked second, followed by work time per charge rounding out the top three.  This ranking speaks to the increasing demand for robust tool construction and extended battery life to better support users’ needs in the field.

New York — Two of America’s top home improvement media brands, This Old House and The Money Pit, have joined forces in a new multimedia project to help home enthusiasts make the best project and product choices.

Kevin O’Connor, host of the Emmy-winning PBS television series This Old House, along with the show’s general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey and landscape contractor Roger Cook, will join The Money Pit radio hosts Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete on their show every week for a special This Old House segment. Beginning later this month, the content will air across the entire Money Pit Media Radio Network of 200+ radio stations, on XM/Sirius Satellite Radio, as well as via the top rated Money Pit Podcast and online at MoneyPit.com and at ThisOldHouse.com.

Leveraging the TV show, This Old House magazine, both websites and radio, Money Pit Media and This Old House Ventures are offering exclusive sponsorship opportunities around the content.

“The Money Pit gives the This Old House brand an opportunity to tap into a passionate, dedicated and devoted home improvement audience on radio and via podcasts, while our brand expands the radio program’s content offerings and increases audience reach for The Money Pit and their sponsors,” says Michael Burton, Vice President of This Old House Ventures.

Noting that he has been a fan of This Old House since it first aired 30 years ago, Kraeutler added “I have tremendous respect for their talent as both home improvement experts and broadcasters, and consider it a privilege to introduce the This Old House brand to national radio via our program. This is a great opportunity to bring our collective expertise together on a wide array of home improvement topics that will engage and inspire both do-it-yourselfers and direct-it-yourselfers.”