PHCC study shows industry improvement amidst pandemic

After a challenging year resulting from the global pandemic that hit full force in March 2020, the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors — National Association reports that — one year later — there are signs that conditions are improving.

A contractor sentiment survey conducted by PHCC finds that 84% of respondents rank the continuing impact of COVID-19 on their businesses as having either a “low” or “medium” impact compared to 57% in spring 2020 when PHCC first began tracking trends during the pandemic. In addition, the number of people ranking impact as “medium high” to “high” has dropped to 9% from 43% in spring 2020.

“A year after COVID-19 hit, PHCC members indicate that they are cautiously optimistic that we are turning a corner toward better times ahead,” PHCC President Hunter Botto said. “Respondents also noted that their businesses have stabilized after several difficult months of disruption. They also see new business opportunities in the future, which is very good news for our industry.”

In fact, an annual environmental scan conducted by PHCC in January 2021 predicted an increased demand for home improvement spending; touchless products; upgraded and energy efficient equipment; smart technology; air and water filtration and purification; and IAQ markets, including UV and bipolar ionization.

While the overall outlook is positive, the plumbing and HVACR contractors responding to the sentiment survey cite several ongoing challenges, including maintaining a safe and fully operational staff; increased operating costs related to new safety requirements; addressing employee and customer health and safety concerns; customer delays on projects because of economic concerns; disruptions in the supply channel; and a fear of a potential recession.

Regarding manufacturers and suppliers’ responsiveness to supply chain issues, respondents note many have been helpful by offering creative alternatives to products currently unavailable. There was an overall recognition that manufacturers and suppliers are also facing material cost increases and shortages, transportation challenges, workforce issues, etc. “They have been super helpful, but have had their own people issues, concerns and interruptions,” one contractor said.

Contractors indicate they have established many safety procedures to mitigate safety risks for employees and clients, including employee screening, social distancing, disinfection measures, increased communication about safety protocols and requirements for personal protective equipment.

“As we look back on the last year, PHCC members — operating as essential businesses — illustrated time and time again that they are true professionals committed to keeping their employees, customers and communities healthy and safe,” Botto said. “As always, our members have shown they are extremely resilient in tough times.”

Another positive indicator is — after recently completing its annual membership renewal process this spring — PHCC realized an increase in both renewing and new members.

“We are grateful for the loyalty demonstrated by our members throughout this crisis,” Botto said. “We are also excited to see growth in membership when business owners are assessing the ROI on every expenditure. Now more than ever, they can see the value of supporting and engaging with their association.”

Bradford White wins ENERGY STAR honor

Bradford White Water Heaters announced it has received the 2021 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

“ENERGY STAR is one of the most trusted voices for energy efficiency,” said Carl Pinto Jr., senior director of marketing communications for Bradford White Corp. “Being selected as partner of the year for two years in a row reflects Bradford White’s commitment to leading our industry in providing high-quality, energy efficient products.”

Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy achievements. ENERGY STAR Award Winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, services, and strategies. These efforts are essential to fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health.

Uponor wins safety award

During the May 4-5 Virtual Minnesota Safety and Health Conference, Uponor North America will receive its third Governor’s Safety Award. Presented by the Minnesota Safety Council, the award recognizes the company’s distribution center in Lakeville, Minnesota, for exemplary workplace safety and health.

“In a year that has challenged all of us in ways we never imagined, we are very pleased to recognize the Uponor Lakeville Distribution Center for its award,” said Paul Aasen, president, Minnesota Safety Council. “Safety demands extraordinary attention in a normal year; double that attention this past year. Thank you, Uponor, for keeping your employees safe.”

The Uponor Lakeville Distribution Center is receiving the outstanding achievement award, which recognizes a consistent safety program evaluation score between 75 and 90 points, and incident rates 51% to 90% better than the industry average. This will be the company’s third recognition for outstanding achievement, with previous awards in 2015 and 2016.

“We are honored to be a three-time recipient of the Governor’s Safety Award,” Uponor North America President Bill Gray said. “The award is even more significant this year due to the added challenges from the pandemic. I am very proud of how the Uponor team continues to stay focused and work diligently to keep health and safety a top priority.”

Navien begins shipping new boiler lines

Navien has started shipping its new lines of fire tube boilers and combi-boilers. The NFB-H condensing fire tube boilers and NFC-H condensing fire tube combi-boilers were first introduced by Navien during its Boiler Virtual Launch Event on Feb. 16.

Navien’s upgraded NFB-H high-output condensing fire tube boilers are available in two sizes, NFB-175H and NFB-200H. Both models include Navien’s patented stainless steel fire tube heat exchanger with a non-metallic condensate drain pan. The combustion chamber is form pressed to resist corrosion and the heat exchanger is robotic laser welded to ensure the highest quality with repeated results, Navien said. New high-efficiency features on the NFB-H include turndown ratios up to 15:1, powered connections for 3-zone pumps or 3-zone reduce areas valves, easy-to- use Setup Wizard for improved installation, 2-inch venting up to 65 feet and 3-inch venting up to 150 feet.

NFC-H high-output condensing fire tube combi-boilers are also available in two models, NFC-250/175H and NFC-250/200H. The NFC-H also offers Navien’s patented stainless steel fire tube heat exchanger along with a built-in DHW module that includes a flat-plate heat exchanger. New advanced features on the NFC-H include turndown ratios up to 15:1, powered connections for 3- zone pumps or 3-zone valves, easy-to-use Setup Wizard for improved installation, 2-inch venting up to 65 feet and 3-inch venting up to 150 feet. The NFC-H also includes increased DHW performance with up to 210,000 Btu/h for DHW, offering up to 5.4 gpm at a 70-degree temperature rise.

For more information on both fire tube products, visit navieninc.com.

Weil-McLain has partnered with plumbing and mechanical firm 4950 Sales to represent the company’s full line of residential and commercial boilers in the Alaska region. Based in Palmer, Alaska, the company, which serves the commercial, industrial and plumbing and mechanical and construction sectors, is led by Charles Benshetler and Nick Benshetler.

“We are very excited to partner with Weil-McLain and offer its premium line of residential and commercial boilers in the Alaska market,” said Benshetler, who has more than 30 years of heating and plumbing experience. “Working with an industry leader such as Weil-McLain will tremendously benefit our many clients in the state.”

“We couldn’t have found a better fit and more experienced partner than 4950 Sales to represent our products and strengthen our sales channel in Alaska,” said Michael Langen, director of sales for Weil-McLain. “We look forward to working with Charles and Nick to provide our premium boilers to residential, commercial and industrial clients in the region.”

4950 Sales will offer Weil-McLain’s full-line of commercial boilers, including the Weil-McLain Stainless Vertical Firetube (SVF) commercial condensing boilers with industry-leading thermal efficiencies up to 96.8%, the SlimFit boiler designed for limited spaces, Evergreen Pro and the full line of Weil-McLain cast-iron boilers, the manufacturer stated.

Sioux Chief announces acquisition and key executive promotions

Sioux Chief Mfg. Co. announced it has acquired Sun Drainage and Sigma Corp Trench Drain, resulting in exclusive distribution of Hydrotec Technologies trench drains in North America. Sun Drainage Products is a full line of commercial cast-iron drains, cleanouts and fixture carriers. Sigma Trench Drains is predominately made up of the Hydrotec brand of fiber-reinforced concrete commercial trench drains, as well as stainless steel and galvanized steel channels.

In other company news, Sioux Chief recently named industry veteran Michael Foster vice president of commercial products. He will lead a team focused on Sioux Chief’s line of commercial application plumbing products. Foster moves to this new roll from his previous position of director of national sales.

Foster joined Sioux Chief in 1989 after serving in the United States Army. In his 32 years of service, he has held positions in customer service, product management and sales.

“I am grateful to be chosen for this new role and being able to continue serving Sioux Chief,” Foster said. “I am excited about the opportunities that Sioux Chief will have to expand our commercial products offering and grow the overall brand with distributors, engineers and contractors.”

Todd Amerson, formerly of Sigma Corp., will join Sioux Chief as director of trench drain sales. He has been in building materials working with concrete since 2001. He has worked specifically within the trench drain Industry since 2010, working closely with engineers, architects, contractors and distributors across all divisions of construction driving brand awareness and assuring market understanding of trench drain as a viable drainage solution, with additional duties of inventory management, vendor coordination and P&L responsibilities. 

Additionally, Tim Stephenson is moving onto the role of regional sales manager. Stephenson joined Sioux Chief in 2016 as customer service manager and later transitioned to the Regional Sales Support team. His experience as a manager, proven people skills and commitment to his reps and customers has made him a benefit to the sales team, the manufacturer explained. Stephenson will initially be working with Sioux Chief’s reps in the West; Double A Sales SW, Mountain West Marketing and Paramount Sales.

RWC named a 2021 top workplace

RWC has been honored with a Metro Atlanta Top Workplaces 2021 Award by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“This honor is a testament to the culture and company values not just in Atlanta but at every RWC location,” said Lauren Buchbinder, vice president of human resources, Americas. “We all are connected by our company values, and that shared passion manifests in the sense of community we’ve built even during the challenges of the pandemic.”

The anonymous survey measures 15 culture drivers critical to the success of any organization. RWC received top scores in three areas: execution, open-mindedness and innovation.

Anvil International-Smith-Cooper announces new company name

Following the 2019 merger of Anvil International and Smith-Cooper International, the unified company has relaunched as ASC Engineered Solutions.

“Unifying the corporate brand enhances our presence in the market and reinforces that we are one company, drawing on the best of both legacy companies to create something greater than the sum of its parts,” said Jason Hild, chief executive officer of ASC Engineered Solutions. “It signals that we are committed to a way of doing business that extends beyond precision-engineered, category-leading products by leveraging technology, service and support to help our customers meet the challenges they face every day.”

ASC Engineered Solutions explained the new company logo communicates precision and quality, while the interlocking lines represent the connection to customers — much like a handshake. The typeface is strong and structural while also being clean, easy to read and modern, ASC said. The foundational black and grey references the company’s strength and commitment, while the vibrant blue captures the passion of its people, the company added.

The company’s tagline “Building connections that last,” comes from the legacy Anvil business. It is a nod to that heritage and a guarantee that the newly united company will bring forward the elements its customers appreciate. The tagline captures the essence of the brand, referring to both its products as well as the strong and lasting relationships vital to the organization, ASC stated.