Industry News

Xylem Bell & Gossett recently reopened the Little Red Schoolhouse, the company’s suburban Chicago training center for professionals dedicated to the plumbing and hydronic HVAC industries.

Xylem Bell & Gossett’s Little Red Schoolhouse in Morton Grove, Illinois, has been an industry icon in education for over 60 years, having trained more than 62,000 engineers, contractors and other hydronic HVAC and plumbing professionals have been educated in the proper design, installation and maintenance of hydronic and steam systems.

The Little Red Schoolhouse offers training covering a wide range of seminars tailored to different occupations within the industry, and is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).

“Industry professionals recognize the value of in-person training, and we are happy to welcome them back to the Little Red Schoolhouse,” said Mike Licastro, director of training. “Whether it’s manufacturers’ representatives, engineers or contractors, our goal is for training to provide a knowledge base that makes them better equipped to perform their daily job duties related to hydronic and steam product application and system design.”

Instruction at the facility is well known for taking a systems-based approach that teaches students not only about individual components, but also how those components work together once installed in a complete plumbing and HVAC system.

Xylem Bell & Gossett, through the Little Red Schoolhouse, has a long history of providing industry professionals with the in-depth hydronic system design knowledge they need to confidently and expertly help their customers. The learning center was updated in 2019 to ensure Bell & Gossett’s mission of education continues to add value to and advance the industry.

Along with cutting-edge technology, Bell & Gossett has reinforced its emphasis on hands-on training with dedicated space for three new demonstration areas that feature functional displays of equipment for a variety of commercial and industrial applications, including variable speed controller technology, plumbing products and service and maintenance.

Little Red Schoolhouse second quarter schedule

• Design and Application* (April 26-29)
• Modern Hydronic Heating Systems – Basic Seminar* (May 10-12)
• Large Chilled Water System Design* (May 24-26)
• Plumbing System Design (June 7-9)

* Seminar approved by GBCI to provide credit toward the credential maintenance requirements of the LEED Associate and LEED AP certifications

To learn more about the Little Red Schoolhouse, enrollment, course descriptions and online courses, please visit www.bellgossett.com.

A Collection of Unprecedented Financial Offerings to Power the Field Service Industry

WorkWave’s Business Builder Visa credit card is its newest offering under WorkWave Financial Services, aimed to help small businesses build strong credit in their company’s name

WorkWave^®, a leading provider of SaaS software solutions that support every stage of a service business’s life cycle, announces the launch of WorkWave Financial Services, a collection of financial offerings that will range from credit cards, to lending, to tailored insurance and more — all designed specifically to help WorkWave customers grow their business and maximize their money.

“WorkWave Financial Services allows us to use our position as an industry leader, combined with the significant investment we have made to build out our payments and financial capabilities, to give back to our customers in ways that no other technology partners are capable of,” said David F. Giannetto, CEO of WorkWave. “As their trusted partner, our customers look to us to support every area of their business with integrated solutions that work hand in hand to increase their efficiency, not just in service, but as they grow and utilize their money. Our financial services offerings will provide greater access to capital, more efficient rates for loans and credit, and favorable insurance programs that are critical to growing their business.”

The newest offering under WorkWave Financial Services is the Business Builder Visa credit card, specifically created to help small businesses build a strong credit rating in their company’s name. This is a major challenge for many small businesses, especially if the owner has no or a low credit rating. Unlike any other traditional credit card, the Business Builder Visa is backed by a portion of daily settlement sales, providing business owners more control over spending. Business Builder cardholders will benefit by avoiding excessive interest rates, late charges and personal financial exposure associated with high-fee credit cards and loans by leveraging the capital they are already creating through daily sales.

“Most card issuers are averse to underwriting risk for small businesses, but as their strategic partner, we believe in our customers’ success and it’s our responsibility to support them and help them grow,” said Giannetto. “The Business Builder Visa addresses a real, sustainable solution to support their need to lay a strong foundation from which these companies can scale, and build a company they are proud of for generations to come.”

The Business Builder Visa joins WorkWave’s integrated payment processing solution as part of this newly launched WorkWave Financial Services offering. It will soon include lending service, insurance and payroll.

WorkWave is one of the largest software companies underwriting risk on behalf of its customers, which has allowed it to rapidly grow its financial services offering, and offer rates that are typically never offered to small businesses.

For more information on WorkWave Financial Services, click here.

Falls Church, Va. — It is with great sadness that the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) reports the April 2, 2022, passing of Past National President Joe Schmitt (2008-2009) of Englewood, Ohio. He was a member of PHCC since 1968 and was a highly respected leader in the plumbing-heating-cooling industry.

“Joe Schmitt’s steady leadership was just what PHCC needed during the economic crisis that began in 2008,” said PHCC National President Joel Long.  “He was the ‘calming force’ during turbulent economic times and the initiatives he created had a lasting positive effect on PHCC for many years.”

Schmitt served as PHCC of Ohio President (1989-1991) and was a partner of Joe Schmitt & Sons Plumbing & Heating, Englewood. The PHCC “A Heritage Unique” history book reports that as an experienced business owner, he was a specialist and teacher of the art and science of backflow prevention. One of his first actions was to ask the PHCC—National Association Board of Directors to approve a strategic plan that was both simple and workable and focused on the core mission of supporting members.

Achievements during his term in office included:

• Producing numerous business-building programs that members could use to ‘survive and thrive’ in trying times—and position their companies for an expected upturn.
• Advocating to secure favorable small business and personal tax breaks in the federal stimulus package.
• Facilitating an invitation for a PHCC member to meet with President Obama and also participate in press conference highlighting the tax credits in the stimulus package.
• Maintaining an active role in “green” construction and the water and energy conservation arenas.
• Launching the PHCC Educational Foundation’s first online plumbing home study program, a precursor to a popular program in place today.

Schmitt passed down a love of the p-h-c profession to his son Ron, who now runs the family business. Ron is a current member of the PHCC National Board of Directors.

A celebration of life for Joe will be held 5-7 p.m. April 7, 2022, at the Kindred Funeral Home, Englewood, Ohio A funeral service will occur at 10:30 a.m., April 8, at St. Paul Catholic Church, Englewood, Ohio, where Joe was a founding member.

Salt Lake City — The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO^®), along with its partners at the American Supply Association, NSF international, and the Water Quality Association, applauds the state of Utah for passing House Bill 21 into law, which advances the state’s efforts to address water quality testing for schools and child care centers. Gov. Spencer Cox signed HB 21 into law on Thursday.

“I am pleased to sign HB 21 into law and help protect the health and safety of school children in Utah,” Cox said. “Utah is taking the appropriate steps to get the lead out of drinking water and ensure that our children are drinking safe and clean water.”

Sponsored by Rep. Steve Handy (R-16) and Sen. Jani Iwamoto (D-4), HB 21 outlines timelines for schools and child care centers to test the quality of water in their buildings and report that testing data. Facilities will then need to take action if the presence of lead is above 5 parts per billion, keeping in line with the industry’s current drinking water quality standards and product capabilities.

Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode. Even low levels of lead exposure can cause permanent cognitive deficits and behavioral difficulties in children.As the federal government allocates money to states for them to address water quality and replace lead services lines, it is critical to remove and replace plumbing fixtures, faucets, and pipes within the building that may be leaching lead.

“When I got involved in running this bill four years ago, I was always focused on the health of schoolchildren,” Handy said. “All outside stakeholders felt that it was a good idea, as did most legislators, but we could never identify a funding source. It took American Rescue Plan Act funds to finally get it over the finish line. We brought all parties together, including private child care providers. It’s going to be a great initiative that will protect the lives of thousands of Utah children.”

The bill also directs the state’s Drinking Water Board, in coordination with the Department of Health’s Division of Drinking Water, to develop regulations that determine which actions are effective to reduce lead levels and the timeframe in which those actions must be taken.

“We’re grateful for Rep. Handy’s leadership in addressing this urgent public health issue by providing the tools that will help us better protect Utah’s most vulnerable from lead poisoning,” said Tim Davis, director of the Division of Drinking Water in Utah. “We are committed to supporting schools and child care centers through this process and look forward to the day when we have tested every tap.”

“IAPMO looks forward to working with state officials to ensure that appropriate and effective products are used for remediation within these school and day care facilities,” said Robyn Fischer, director of Government Relations for The IAPMO Group. “Products that have been certified to meet industry standards for safety and efficacy are crucial to help reduce the presence of lead in drinking water and protect children’s health and well-being. Replacing aging infrastructure within buildings will amplify the efforts to replace lead service lines and build community resilience. This law advances Utah on the path to cleaner and safer drinking water for its residents.”