NEWS
ASPE announces scholarship winners
ASPE announced the winners of the 2021 Alfred Steele Scholarship. The annual scholarship is named in honor of Alfred Steele, P.E., a long-time member of the American Society of Plumbing Engineers and a visionary and pioneer in advocating education and professional development for plumbing engineers and designers.
The Alfred Steele Scholarship is limited to ASPE members and their immediate families who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, who are in or plan to attend a college, university or technical school on a full-time basis (minimum 12 credit hours), enrolled in an engineering program.
ASPE congratulate the following students for being awarded the Alfred Steele Scholarship this year:
Parker Beal, son of Kansas City Chapter member Dan Beal, P.E., received $2,000 to study Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas;
Jon Davis, son of San Francisco Chapter member Carol Davis, received $1,000 to study Civil and Transportation Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley;
Kevin Inman, son of Oklahoma Chapter member Kevin Inman, received $1,000 to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tulsa; and
Micah Chantos, son of Central Texas Chapter member Andrew Chantos, received $1,000 to study Petroleum Engineering at the University of Houston.
Viega to reopen seminar centers
Viega will reopen its seminar centers in Colorado and New Hampshire on Aug. 1. The centers had been closed since March 2020 due to COVID-19. Viega is reopening them with new safety measures in place, including limiting class size, cleaning stations and mask requirements when appropriate.
“We’re excited to reopen and welcome back our customers, contractors and distributors,” said Jason McKinnon, director of technical services. “We moved training online during the pandemic and that’s been successful, but it’s going to be great to work in-person again with people.”
The seminar centers are located at Viega headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado, and in Nashua, New Hampshire. Each features classrooms, hand-on workshops and interactive learning displays. Viega offers courses in a variety of subjects, including pressing, design and installation, and each course is customizable to meet the needs of our customers.
In response to customer demand during the lockdown, the company created Viega Works, online sessions largely limited to single companies. These programs, which can be as short as 30 minutes, are custom designed to cover the topics customers request, Viega noted.
“Customers like Viega Works because it’s fast and affordable and gives them the exact information they need without requiring travel or a major time commitment,” McKinnon said. “With the reopening of our seminar centers we offer even more opportunities to engage with our technical consultants than ever before. Customers can attend in-person at one of our seminar centers or contact us to set up a unique virtual experience with content specific to their team. No matter where or how you want to connect with our experts, we will make it easy and valuable for you and your organization.”
Now with the Seminar Centers back open, Viega Rewards members can redeem their points for training sessions, in addition to things such as tools, fittings and swag.
To learn more about Viega Works, click here. To request training at the seminar centers and through Viega Works, click here.
Rheem announces intent to acquire Friedrich
Rheem has announced its intent to acquire Friedrich Air Conditioning, a 138-year-old manufacturer of premium air-conditioning products, from Monomoy Capital Partners.
Friedrich is a manufacturer of room air-conditioning, dehumidification and air-purification products for residential and commercial applications.
Founded in 1883, the company is based in San Antonio, Texas, with manufacturing based in Monterrey, Mexico, and distribution centers in Texas and New Jersey.
“Friedrich has steadily innovated its residential and commercial offerings and grown its market share,” said Mike Branson, president, global air at Rheem. “They will bring a unique air- conditioning product portfolio along with specialized products to the Rheem family of brands. Friedrich’s product offerings, company history and industry expertise make this acquisition a perfect fit for Rheem. Together, we will harness the power of our talented workforce and enhance our ability to deliver reliable and energy-efficient products that our customers and contracting partners expect.”
Upon the close of the acquisition — subject to additional regulatory approval — Friedrich will be a standalone business unit within the Rheem Global Air business.
Bradford White Canada wins Golden Leaf Award
Bradford White Canada, a subsidiary of Bradford White Corp., has been selected as the first recipient of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating Manufacturers’ Agent Council Golden Leaf Award. The award honors a CIPH member company with a proven track record of supporting the efforts of sales agencies and exclusively utilizing manufacturers’ agents.
“I would like to congratulate Mark Williamson and the Bradford White Canada team on being presented with the first annual CIPH Golden Leaf award,” said Ryan Bristow, managing partner at Equipco and chair of the CIPH Manufacturers’ Agents Council. “The award goes to a truly deserving manufacturer that checks all the boxes when it comes to supporting and working with manufacturers’ representatives. The company and its people exemplify what it is to be a partner in CIPH in so many ways, and they continually strive to maintain positive working relationships.”
“We at Bradford White Canada are honored to be the inaugural recipient of the Golden Leaf Award,” said Williamson, director of sales and marketing for Bradford White Canada. “This award showcases our vision and commitment to serving our industry. This is a total team award, and we could not have achieved it without the efforts of our whole group and our reps.”
Elkay celebrates installation milestone
Elkay recently reached an important milestone — the production of the one millionth bottle filling station. Since its launch more than 10 years ago, the Elkay ezH2O bottle fillers have saved more than 40 billion plastic bottles from ending up in landfills, enough to circle the Earth over 135 times, Elkay noted.
Leading the charge and upholding its commitment to delivering clean water and sustainable design, Elkay introduced the ezH2O rapid bottle filling station in February 2010 with the goal to reduce plastic waste, the company explained. During its first year of launch, 4,000 units were sold.
“We’re so proud of this accomplishment and what we have been able to achieve with the ezH2O bottle filling stations over the last decade,” said Ted Hamilton, president of Elkay Plumbing. “We set out to launch a first-of-its-kind bottle filling station with a sustainable design, and we’re excited to see where the next 10 years take us as we continue our mission in contributing to a cleaner environment and healthier communities for generations to come.”
The one-millionth ezH2O bottle filling station will be installed at Garfield Park in Elkay’s hometown of Chicago. This installation will not only celebrate the production milestone, but is also part of marking the company’s recent 100th year in business where Elkay partnered with the city of Chicago and nonprofit organization Elevate to install 100 units across the Chicagoland area. The installations will bring access to clean drinking water across locations that need it most, from schools to parks to youth centers and facilities.
Uponor North America expands manufacturing capacity
To help meet growing customer and market demands for PEX pipe, Uponor North America is expanding its manufacturing capacity in Minnesota. Starting this month, the Lakeville distribution center, which was originally built in 2009, will begin construction to add 57,000 square feet on the southwest side of the building. The $5 million project is scheduled for completion in June 2022.
Additionally, the Hutchinson facility, which was purchased in 2017 and opened in 2018, is also expanding with a $5 million renovation project to create an additional 25,000 square feet of manufacturing space, scheduled to be complete in May 2022.
“As we enter the post-pandemic business climate, Uponor is positioning itself to increase capacity and productivity to effectively meet customer demand for our product,” said Bill Gray, president, Uponor North America. “We are grateful for the support of Uponor’s leadership as well as the support from the leaders of these local communities.”
RJ Ryan has been selected as the general contractor for the Lakeville expansion, and PCL will be the general contractor for Hutchinson.
This will be the company’s 12th and 13th expansions in North America since 1990. The most recent expansions include an $18-million, 90,000-square-foot expansion in 2016, and a $17.4-million, 58,000-square-foot expansion in 2017. After completion of both expansions in 2022, the total Uponor North America building square footage will exceed 1 million.
Rinnai America celebrates U.S. manufacturing facility
Rinnai America, a subsidiary of Rinnai Corp., based in Japan, has become the first major tankless water heater brand to have a U.S. manufacturing facility with advanced automation and precision assembly processes, the company noted.
Within the last few years, the company has looked toward new expansion opportunities, including investing in new markets to sustain innovation as well as operationalizing manufacturing and production to meet need. The North American market was quickly identified as one of the greatest growth vehicles for the company.
“Our goal is to be the growth driver for Rinnai Corporation, and that’s why we’re making the investments within Rinnai America,” said Frank Windsor, president, Rinnai America Corp. “We’re investing in domestic manufacturing as well as in our new corporate headquarters and an innovation center to drive our customers’ businesses forward while also contributing to the overall organizational growth initiative.”
In late 2021, Rinnai is set to complete construction on its North American manufacturing facility in Griffin, Georgia. Current production will be moved from the existing factory to a new 300,000-square-foot plant, which will enable the company to both increase production of residential and commercial products, while also bringing more than 150 jobs to the Griffin community.
“Creating jobs is a huge part of helping the company to grow,” Windsor continued. “We can’t manufacture and produce products to meet demand without top talent. We are committed to filling these crucial roles while also helping consumers and trade professionals see the importance of purchasing and installing domestically produced products. In lockstep with this expansion, is Rinnai’s commitment to creating a healthier way of living. There’s no better way to honor that promise than to help create a healthier economy.”
