Consistently through the years, Plumbing Manufacturers International has fulfilled its vision of “safe, responsible plumbing – always.” But now, “we recognize we’re at a time when our social contract is being extended into areas such as climate change mitigation and diversity, equity and inclusion,” PMI CEO/Executive Director Kerry Stackpole states. “A Plumbing Manufacturing Evolution,” the PMI Read more
Industry News
Consistently through the years, Plumbing Manufacturers International has fulfilled its vision of “safe, responsible plumbing – always.” But now, “we recognize we’re at a time when our social contract is being extended into areas such as climate change mitigation and diversity, equity and inclusion,” PMI CEO/Executive Director Kerry Stackpole states.
“A Plumbing Manufacturing Evolution,” the PMI 2022 Annual Report, explores how PMI member companies are responding to new societal demands while remaining profitable and meeting the needs of customers.
Running through the report are examples of how PMI member companies are striving to become “net positive” by improving the well-being of everyone they affect – every product, operation and stakeholder, including future generations and the planet itself. The term “net positive” was coined by co-authors Paul Polman and Andrew Winston in their book, “Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take.”
In their letter for the report, PMI leaders Martin Knieps, 2022 Board of Directors president, and Todd Teter, immediate past president, say that even before the term “net positive” was coined, “PMI has worked to find solutions benefiting all water system stakeholders. PMI has always understood that the value of a toilet, showerhead or faucet is only as high as the quality of the water conveyed by it. As a result, PMI has always worked with the health and safety of water consumers in mind, knowing that their best interests are the same as ours.”
Report focuses on sustainability, supply chain and workplace
The report’s three main stories cover how PMI member companies are creating opportunities through their responses to challenges relating to sustainability and waste reduction, supply chain, and workplace and labor. Read the entire report at https://www.safeplumbing.org/communications/pmi-annual-report-2022.
The 2023 Beyond Service User Conference, being held January 8-11, 2023, in Orlando, once again unites the industry’s leading field service companies with one exciting and impactful event WorkWave®, a leading provider of SaaS software solutions that support every stage of a service business’s life cycle, has opened registration for its 2023 Beyond Service User Conference, one Read more
The 2023 Beyond Service User Conference, being held January 8-11, 2023, in Orlando, once again unites the industry’s leading field service companies with one exciting and impactful event
WorkWave®, a leading provider of SaaS software solutions that support every stage of a service business’s life cycle, has opened registration for its 2023 Beyond Service User Conference, one of the field service industry’s biggest and most exciting events of the year. This year’s conference, being held January 8-11, 2023, in Orlando, Florida, will once again bring together WorkWave experts and customers from its family of brands: PestPac, ServMan, Real Green, WorkWave Service, Coalmarch, Slingshot, Servicebot (formerly known as Lawnbot) and — for the first time — TEAM Software.
Since being acquired by WorkWave in fall 2021, TEAM Software has continued to be a leading provider of software and solutions for the cleaning, janitorial, security and facilities management industries. WorkWave is thrilled to welcome the TEAM Software family and its customers to the Beyond Service User Conference this year, where attendees can not only gain knowledge and build expertise around themes relevant to all field service industries, but also reap the benefits from a conference that offers the opportunity to bring together members of all types of service industries to network, learn and grow together.
“The success of last year’s inaugural Beyond Service User Conference far exceeded what we could have imagined, as we combined the WorkWave family of brands into one exciting and inspiring event for the first time,” says WorkWave CEO David F. Giannetto. “WorkWave has created a unique experience that brings together the most diverse group of service leaders from more industries than found anywhere in the world, all with one thing in common — all are focused on succeeding and growing every area of their service business. We are looking forward to bringing this even more diverse group together again this year as we aim to make the 2023 Beyond Service User Conference our best experience yet.”
The Beyond Service User Conference will feature more than 200 training and thought leadership sessions and customer success stories to empower users to gain expertise across WorkWave’s portfolio of solutions, so they can grow and run their businesses more efficiently. This year’s conference will offer thought-provoking workshops, networking opportunities with 1,000-plus service professionals, and exciting entertainment and social events.
Please visit our website to learn more, and click here to register for the event. Our website will continue to be updated with this year’s keynote speaker, session information and other details.
Taco Comfort Solutions donated $25,000 to Tunnel to Towers Foundation during an event held on June 15 at Wales Darby’s Islandia, N.Y. facility. Taco teamed up with their New York manufacturer’s rep, Wales Darby, to run a contractor promotion in the Long Island area supporting Tunnel to Towers. Taco donated proceeds from Taco heating circulators Read more
Taco Comfort Solutions donated $25,000 to Tunnel to Towers Foundation during an event held on June 15 at Wales Darby’s Islandia, N.Y. facility.
From left to right, Tunnel to Towers Foundation representative Andrew McClure receives a check for $25,000 from Taco Comfort Solutions’ Benjamin White, Manager, Supply Chain, and John White, III, Sr. Vice President, OEM Sales.
Taco teamed up with their New York manufacturer’s rep, Wales Darby, to run a contractor promotion in the Long Island area supporting Tunnel to Towers. Taco donated proceeds from Taco heating circulators sold during a four-month period to Tunnel to Towers.
Tunnel to Towers Foundation supports families of fallen and severely injured military and first responders by providing mortgage-free homes.
Washington, D.C. — More than 1.57 million Americans live without a toilet or tap at home, costing the U.S. economy $8.58 billion every year, according to a report produced by DigDeep with contributions from partners including the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO®). Titled “Draining: The Economic Impact of America’s Hidden Water Crisis,” Read more
Washington, D.C. — More than 1.57 million Americans live without a toilet or tap at home, costing the U.S. economy $8.58 billion every year, according to a report produced by DigDeep with contributions from partners including the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO®).
Titled “Draining: The Economic Impact of America’s Hidden Water Crisis,” the report provides an in-depth analysis of the costs and benefits of extending water and sanitation access to every home in the United States. The $8.58 billion annual figure averages out to $15,800 per household in health care, time spent collecting and paying for bottled water, loss of time at work and school, and premature death. The full report is available online at digdeep.org/draining.
Produced by DigDeep, a nonprofit organization working to improve access to clean running water in U.S. communities, the report includes contributions from partners including Altarum, the American Heart Association, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and IAPMO. It builds on and reinforces key recommendations from DigDeep’s earlier report on the topic: “Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States: A National Action Plan.”
The report attributes the following statistics to the water access gap:
- $15,800 — the annual cost, per household, to the U.S. economy for each household without access to running water or basic plumbing. It includes health care costs, time spent collecting and paying for bottled water, loss of time at work or school, and premature death.
- 219,000 — the annual number of waterborne illnesses, including Legionella.
- 71,000 — the annual number of cases of mental illness
- 68.7 million — the annual number of work hours lost
- $1 billion — the annual loss in U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
- 610 — annual premature deaths
- $8.58 billion — total annual cost to the U.S. economy
“While speaking to communities for our 2019 report, we heard devastating stories about impacts to people’s health, employment, leisure time, and general well-being,” DigDeep Founder and CEO George McGraw said. “Now we are finally able to measure the true magnitude of those impacts in real dollars. We must close the water access gap. As this report shows, we can’t afford not to.”
While the water access gap is wide and deep, it is solvable — to the benefit of numerous parties even beyond the individuals and families suffering from a lack of access to water and sanitation. With the passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts of 2021, $55 billion in water-specific infrastructure funding is available to be spent over the next five years.
Since much of that investment will be used to upgrade and repair existing systems, DigDeep notes that targeted investments are needed for new access and to close the water gap for good.
The report’s authors suggest the following action steps to solve the problem:
- Expand and refocus federal and state funding. Closing the water access gap requires more funding, more flexibility in funding, and funding for interim solutions and new technologies. These efforts should build on the $55 billion in water-specific funding authorized in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts of 2021.
- Use data to bring visibility to communities. Currently, no central entity collects data on the scope of the U.S. water access gap. Federal data collection must be accompanied by outreach to vulnerable communities to assist them in using data for advocacy and designing solutions.
- Define the water access gap as a crisis. Many countries, and the United Nations, have recognized the urgency of water access by passing resolutions recognizing the human right to water and sanitation. The U.S. federal government should signal its leadership on this issue by doing the same.
- Build a domestic Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) sector. Closing the water access gap will only be possible if led by a dedicated “community of practice” made up of NGOs, funders, research institutions, government agencies, and impacted communities working together toward a shared goal.
“As a technical adviser for this report, IAPMO was pleased to work with the broad coalition of organizations that contributed to this research, and we wholeheartedly endorse these recommendations,” IAPMO Executive Vice President of Government Relations Dain Hansen said. “Access to clean water and safe sanitation is a basic right, and closing the water access gap means advancing equity and righting historical wrongs. IAPMO is proud to be a strong advocate for every community to be able to access the financial and technical resources required to close this water and sanitation access gap.”
VTI received $3,000 in tuition donations, as well as product donations to be utilized in its plumbing program, providing students with first-hand experience installing above-floor, macerator and grinder product systems Saniflo USA announced yearly tuition and product donations to Virginia Technical Institute (VTI). Pledging to donate $3,000 per year in tuition fees, Saniflo said its Read more
VTI received $3,000 in tuition donations, as well as product donations to be utilized in its plumbing program, providing students with first-hand experience installing above-floor, macerator and grinder product systems
Saniflo USA announced yearly tuition and product donations to Virginia Technical Institute (VTI). Pledging to donate $3,000 per year in tuition fees, Saniflo said its contributions will cover a semester for two students or two semesters for one student each year.
“Now more than ever, industry manufacturers need to invest in building the skilled-trades workforce — and supporting institutions like Virginia Technical is the key to making that happen,” says Regis Saragosti, CEO of SFA Saniflo North America.
VTI is a non-profit organization located in Altavista, Virginia that provides hands-on training in various fields, including electrical, plumbing, heating and air, welding, pipe-fitting, carpentry, masonry, multi-craft industrial maintenance, and project management. Unique to VTI is the leadership training that further enhances the students’ opportunities in the marketplace.
“Students ranging from high school to adults have the opportunity to fulfill classroom hours in their attempt to gain a journeyman’s license in the fields that require it,” says Brett Hall, Dean of Instruction at VTI. “We use curriculum from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), a standardized training process affiliated with the University of Florida,” he adds. The Institute is also certified by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).
“When it comes to the plumbing realm, Saniflo has been extremely generous to our organization and the relationship is only getting stronger,” says Hall. The two organizations have built a mutually beneficial relationship through the school’s plumbing instructor, Bob Hefner. Hefner visits supply houses across the country to advocate for the school and ultimately crossed paths with Saniflo. Since establishing the connection, Saniflo has conducted numerous macerator and grinder product installation training sessions at VTI’s plumbing school, including training on the installation of HVAC and electrical components.
Product donations will be used in VTI’s plumbing shop and as part of its plumbing program. In 2022, VTI plans to use Saniflo’s Sanibest Pro Grinders and Sanicom 1 drain pumps in a model home created as a practical learning environment for students.
“We converted an old loading dock into a tiny home, and underneath the home, we replicated a crawlspace, allowing us to run piping below the floor,” explains Hall. “This way, students can run piping, check for leaks, etc., making it a “real-world” experience.”
According to Hall, other students in related trades can utilize the tiny home for HVAC, electrical, carpentry, etc. Hall says the plan is to install the donated Saniflo equipment into the tiny home so all trade students can learn how to install it and see how it works.
For more information on Saniflo’s partnership with VTI, visit: https://saniflo.greenhousedigitalpr.com/vti-donations.
For more information on VTI, contact Brett Hall at 434-608-2209. Or visit the website at govti.org.