Industry News

Houston — Show your love for your favorite Houston charity in February and you could win the organization $1,000, thanks to a contest launched today by ABACUS Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical. The “Count On Us To Care” campaign will help shine light on local non-profit charities, and is designed to recognize and reward those unheralded companies and individuals that work tirelessly in the greater Houston community.

While Abacus supports various local charities – The JuCan Foundation, the 100 Club, The Rose, Tomball Pregnancy Center, Camp Hope and many more – this is an open-ended opportunity for the public to show support and propel awareness for its favorite charity.

Votes can be cast at https://www.abacusplumbing.net/lp_pg/vote4yourcharity/ through Feb. 28. Depending on the flow of submissions, Abacus may choose to extend the deadline. Updates will be made via its Facebook page, and information will also be emailed to all those that submit a nomination.

“From Day One when we opened Abacus, I wanted to make sure we continually focused on giving back to those in need,” says Alan O’Neill, who co-founded the company in 2003. “That’s why I started the ‘Count On Us to Care’ program, tied directly to our slogan, ‘You Can Count On Us.’ The most important part of this contest is to help us highlight many of Houston’s great local charities which the community ‘counts on’ continuously. Without the support of their volunteers, donors and fundraising efforts, which are the backbone of these charities, all their critical, valuable and heart-warming work would cease to exist. We are hoping to find and promote some of those diamonds in the rough that do incredible work while not getting enough recognition.”

Abacus, which in 2018 was named an Angie’s List “Super Service Award Winner” for the seventh time, will determine the winning charity based on votes, nominations and which organization will most benefit from the award. The $1,000 will be awarded to the winning charity in March.

The National Kitchen & Bath Association released the results of its extensive Size of Market Study and Outlook, revealing a value of $644 billion in sales of products and materials aimed at the residential kitchen and bath market in 2017. This total includes $330 billion from the construction of new homes and $314 billion from residential remodeling and replacement (R&R) projects. Construction of new houses rose 8.6% in 2017, to reach a market size of $330 billion. Remodeling and improvement of existing homes (i.e., residential remodeling) amounted to $314 billion in 2017. This is 6.4% higher than it was in 2016.

To note:

• The U.S. residential kitchen and bath market spiked 7.3% to $158.11 billion in 2017 (for materials only, excluding design and labor costs), surpassing the 2016 spending level of $148 billion.
• At $158 billion, the U.S. residential kitchen and bath market represents one quarter of the entire U.S. residential construction market.
• Overall spending for kitchen and bathroom products is virtually even, with each category garnering 50% of the market (i.e., $80 billion for kitchen products and $78 billion for bath products).
• Of this $158 billion total, $99 billion (63%) is generated by remodeling and replacement projects in existing homes and the remaining $59 billion (37%) comes from new home construction.

The NKBA 2018-2019 Kitchen and Bath Industry report produces the 2017 market size information for the following:

• By residential market segment: new housing construction; remodel and replacement.
• By product category: 9 kitchen and 12 bathroom product categories.
• A total of 775 surveys were conducted among builders, remodelers and general contractors, soliciting information on their business activities and growth.
• A total of 550 consumer surveys were conducted with individuals who had completed a kitchen or bathroom remodel project in the past 12 months.
• The new housing projections were calibrated with actual housing construction data and changes in the value of new housing construction. The projections for the remodeling segment were calibrated based on the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University’s remodeling spending estimates

Furthermore, the NKBA estimates the U.S. residential construction market will continue to expand in both 2018 and 2019. For 2018, NKBA estimates residential construction will rise to $683 billion, up 6% from 2017. A further 4.8% growth is projected for 2019, bringing the residential construction market to $716 billion.

“Our research reveals the strong position of the kitchen and bath industry, which is particularly significant in times of a fluctuating economy,” said Bill Darcy, NKBA CEO. “This research is an invaluable tool that helps our membership with strategic business decisions, and solidifies NKBA’s thought leadership in the industry.”

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers announced the winners of its annual Homes for Life awards, recognizing excellence in aging-in-place and universal design remodeling projects. The awards were presented last night at the NAHB Remodelers All-Stars Celebration during the NAHB International Builders Show in Las Vegas.

The Homes for Life awards were expanded into multiple categories in 2018, resulting in four winners across five categories. Dave Myllymaki of Vancouver, Wash., won the Multi-Generational Remodel category; Bonnie Lewis, CAPS, Allied ASID, Associate IIDA of Scottsdale, Ariz., won both the Bath Remodel and Whole-House/Multi-Room Remodel categories; Jeni Finnigan, CAPS, of Unbounded Space and Amie Faust of Half Dozen Designs in Denver won the Kitchen Remodel category; and Iris Chadab, CAPS, NKBA, of Windows to the Walls Interiors LLC in Alexandria, Va., won for the Best Overall Certified Aging-in-Place (CAPS) design.

“These remodelers specializing in aging-in-place help home owners’ dreams come true by implementing custom solutions to last a lifetime,” said 2018 NAHB Remodelers Chair Joanne Theunissen of Mt. Pleasant, Mich. “The Homes for Life projects exemplify innovative home design that prioritizes safety and style for any age or ability.”

Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists are remodelers, general contractors, designers, architects, health care professionals and others who have been taught the strategies and techniques for designing and building aesthetically pleasing, barrier-free living environments to help home owners live in their homes safely, independently and comfortably, regardless of age or ability level. To learn more and to find a CAPS professional in your community, visit nahb.org/hireacaps.

For more information about remodeling, visit nahb.org/remodel.

Fort Wayne, Ind.—Franklin Electric Co., Inc. announced that 2019 as the company’s 75-year anniversary. A lot has changed at Franklin Electric since E.J. (Ed) Schaefer and T.W. (Wayne) Kehoe founded the company in 1944 in Bluffton, Indiana. Since then, we have grown from a small motor manufacturing company into a leading global provider of systems and components for moving water and fuel. What hasn’t changed are the core values we all share. We remain focused on our customers and dedicated to delivering on our Key Factors for Success. 2019 will be a celebration of all we’ve accomplished in many places and for many customers around the world.

Named after Benjamin Franklin, a pioneer in electrical engineering, Franklin Electric’s core is the world’s first reliable submersible electric motor for water systems, which has remained a staple of the water well industry. 75 years later, we continue to manufacture and distribute improved versions of this unrivaled motor design all around the world, and have expanded our expertise to create innovative solutions, including pumps, electronics, and adjacent products, addressing modern industry challenges and serving our customers’ needs.

“We would like to recognize and thank all of our employees, customers, partners, and investors that have played a role in helping shape Franklin Electric into the company it is today. As we reflect on our past during this milestone, we find ourselves even more focused on our vision of being an indispensable partner to our customers,” states Gregg Sengstack, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.