Industry News

Interplay is partnering with TCI to offer immersive simulation-based training to prepare underemployed youth for careers in HVAC and other in-demand skilled trades

Interplay Learning, the leading provider of online and virtual reality training for the essential skilled trades, announces a partnership with the Temperature Control Institute (TCI), a unique state-of-the-art skilled trades education program helping underemployed youth prepare for careers in the skilled trades.

TCI offers six-month certification courses in HVAC and commercial refrigeration. All students graduate with at least one job-ready certification, such as EPA 608, OSHA 10 and NATE, and use Interplay’s training to help prepare for their exams. Graduates are qualified for entry-level employment, offering employers in Memphis, Tennessee and Southaven, Mississippi skilled and job-ready talent. Qualifying students may also receive free tuition through state funding.

“Interplay Learning is like having another instructor,” said Edward York, TCI Director. “We get more effective learning done in less time, and we’re also seeing less wear and tear on our equipment. That’s going to allow us to grow faster, so we can help even more young people acquire essential skills that enable them to turn their lives around.”

Interplay Learning’s immersive virtual-reality simulations and robust catalog of technical content enhance TCI’s classroom engagement and hands-on training programs. The platform includes expert-led video-based training, knowledge checks, and hands-on 3D simulations to help technicians rapidly develop on-the-job skills and practice troubleshooting in a risk-free, familiar environment. The on-demand courses offer game-like training that provides flexibility so students can practice anytime, according to their learning style, using a tablet, computer, or virtual reality headset.

TCI is currently enrolling students at its Southhaven, Mississippi, location conveniently located near Memphis, Tennessee. TCI plans to increase its class size as it expands to a new facility in Memphis later this year and add additional training programs for plumbing, electrical, and building maintenance.

“Our mission is to help institutions build better training, better careers, and better lives,” said Doug Donovan, founder and CEO of Interplay Learning. “Temperature Control Institute is a shining example of how simulation-based technology can engage and support the next-generation skilled workforce more effectively. We’re proud to partner with TCI to support the young, underemployed community in Memphis with an innovative strategy that addresses the skilled labor shortage.”

Interplay Learning builds better training, better careers, and better lives for its customers and their employees. Its award-winning online and virtual reality training for the essential skilled trades, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, solar, multifamily maintenance, and facilities maintenance workforces, is scalable and more effective than traditional training methods. By leveraging immersive learning technology, Interplay’s customers can train and practice hands-on learning from a desktop, phone, tablet, or in virtual reality, resulting in a highly trained employee who is job-ready in weeks, not years.

For more information about TCI, visit https://tcitraining.education/.

For more information about Interplay Learning, visit www.interplaylearning.com.

Most Americans seek out – and spend more – at businesses with good bathrooms while canceling businesses with messy ones

Businesses that fail to keep their restrooms clean and maintained are unwittingly flushing away customers’ repeat business and sales. According to the Healthy Handwashing Survey™ from Bradley Corporation, almost 60% of Americans make it a point to stop at a business and will spend more money at the establishment if they know it has clean and maintained restrooms.

In fact, those age 25-44 are even more likely to shell out more cash based on the condition of a business’ restroom.

Conversely, there are negative business repercussions for experiencing a restroom in poor condition. More than half of Americans say an unclean or unpleasant public bathroom shows poor management and causes them to lower their opinion of the overall establishment. The 55+ age group is especially turned off by unkempt restrooms with more than 60% reporting a damaged impression of the overall business.

Almost 20% say a sloppy restroom actually makes them less likely to clean up after themselves.

The business fallout of unpleasant restrooms

Perhaps most damaging for customer-facing businesses is that 52% say a bad restroom experience causes them to vow not to return in the future or think twice about doing so. Another 32% will either tell a friend or post a comment on social media about the negative encounter.

While there are a variety of restroom maintenance issues that may tarnish customers’ restroom experiences, the most common ones include clogged or unflushed toilets; an overall appearance that is old, dirty or unkempt; unpleasant smells; and empty or jammed dispensers for soap, toilet paper and hand towels.

“Restroom maintenance may seem like a business no brainer but limited budgets and facility staffing issues mean that companies are doing more with less staff and resources,” says Jon Dommisse, vice president of marketing and corporate communication, Bradley Corporation. “Nevertheless, customers place a high value on clean restrooms – and reward businesses that offer them. It’s incumbent upon facility managers to prioritize regular restroom cleaning and make sure that everything is in good working order.”  

Understanding the aversion to touching restroom surfaces

“In 2023, Americans continue to be in an elevated state of germ consciousness and don’t like touching things in shared public restroom spaces,” adds Dommisse. “As a result, people use all sorts of techniques to avoid coming into contact with surfaces.”

62% use a paper towel to avoid touching toilet flushers and faucet and door handles. 43% operate the flusher with their foot. 31% hover over the toilet seat and 27% open and close doors with their behind to eliminate contact. Women are considerably more likely than men to use these evasive actions.

With so many people deliberately avoiding contact with restroom surfaces, it’s not surprising that 82% believe it is important to have touchless fixtures in a public restroom. Another 60% are more likely to return to a business that offers touch-free technology like faucets, flushers, soap and towel dispensers in its restrooms.

“When asked what restroom improvements they’d like to see, cleanliness topped the list,” Dommisse said. “After that, Americans want touchless fixtures and better stocking of supplies, such as toilet paper, soap and paper towels.”

The annual Healthy Handwashing Survey from Bradley Corp. queried 1,025 American adults Jan. 4-10, 2023, about their handwashing habits, concerns about the coronavirus and flu and their use of public restrooms. Participants were from around the country and were fairly evenly split between men (45%) and women (55%).

For more information, visit www.bradleycorp.com/handwashing.

Lowe’s Introduces Suite of Mobile Tools That Drive Efficiency and Help Pros Stay on the Jobsite

Finding new ways to save time and money is essential to the success of Pros and their businesses. According to proprietary research from Lowe’s, 61% of Pros expect retailers to help them shop quickly, so they can get back to the job. That’s why, building on the success of Lowe’s MVPs Pro Rewards and Partnership Program™, Lowe’s today is introducing a suite of Pro-centric solutions to do just that.

Lowe’s MVPs Business Tools are available now via Lowes.com and the Lowe’s mobile app, offering Pros time-saving solutions in areas they need most, maximizing time on the jobsite and making it easy to take care of business from anywhere. Pros can use the Lowe’s MVPs Business Tools to simplify their resupply process with easy order placement and tracking. App and website features include:

1. Online Quoting: Instead of going in-store or calling to get a quote, Pros can build and update online order quotes within minutes. Pros can also complete purchases online at the quoted rate, with pricing guaranteed for seven days ¹.
   • Volume Savings Program: Silver Tier MVPs Pro Rewards members and above will also be able to unlock savings on eligible orders of $1,500 or more².
2. Buy It Again: Pros can reorder frequently purchased items via the Buy it Again prompt, which can be sorted by frequency, recency and price of purchase.
3. Order Tracking: Pros can easily view purchases and track deliveries from a centralized page.

The new suite of tools complements Lowe’s existing MVPs Pro Rewards and Partnership Program³, which is designed to reward Pro businesses of all sizes with benefits such as Bonus Points earned on select items, paint rewards and more.

“We know that for Pros, time is money. As demands on their time increase, new technologies like the MVPs Business Tools help Pros be more efficient and stay focused on their business,” said Tony Hurst, senior vice president, Pro and services. “These enhanced digital features replicate our fast and simple in-store shopping experience so Pros can manage their orders from anywhere – whether that’s on the jobsite, at home or out of town.”

According to proprietary research from Lowe’s, Pros are excited about the potential of technology to improve their efficiency. Underscoring the value behind the new MVPs Business Tools, nearly one in three Pros (32%) ranked retailer-specific mobile apps and built-in tools in their top three innovations with the greatest potential to improve their job.

For more information on the latest offerings for Pros, visit Lowes.com/Pro.

After undergoing extensive testing by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Rheem®, a global manufacturer of HVACR and water heating products, was honored to be acknowledged for its exemplary performance in the Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge.

Focused on residential, centrally ducted, electric-only heat pumps, the DOE’s Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge assessed heat pump performance in the Canadian and northern US climate, where temperatures can get much colder than 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Following testing, it was determined that Rheem’s residential heat pump had delivered outstanding results in the challenge.

Rheem has a legacy of developing state-of-the-art heat pump technology. With a variety of leading products already in market, Rheem improved its existing innovative design to deliver 5% higher COP during heating at 5 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperature than the DOE challenge specification, making it ideal for heating homes in the targeted climate regions. The Rheem heat pump also performed at a 9% higher HSPF2 than the DOE challenge specification, highlighting the unit’s incredible efficiency.

The DOE launched the Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge to accelerate development and commercialization of next-generation heat pumps by supporting American innovation and manufacturing. The DOE recognized the need for an efficient heating and cooling system based on updated state and federal policies and the growing demand for decarbonization. Rheem has always been at the forefront of sustainability efforts, especially since announcing its “A Greater Degree of Good” initiative, and has made notable progress toward the 2025 sustainability goals which encompass intelligent products, responsible processes and inspired people.

“Rheem is committed to making a difference with the products we create, and our sustainability efforts know no bounds,” said Jeff Goss, Director, Product Management, at Rheem. “We were not surprised that our team of dedicated, innovative engineers at Rheem developed a residential heat pump that was able to provide 77 percent of nominal heating capacity at −15 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperature and provided uninterrupted heating operation at −23 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperature surpassing expectations and delivering top quality performance.”

Heating and/or cooling a home, along with water heating, account for 40% of the primary energy consumption in buildings in the United States and are a major source of carbon emissions.  As Rheem’s heat pumps run on electricity, they reduce the need for natural gas, making them an ideal solution for homeowners to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency.  Heat pumps are more efficient than electric resistance heating, and Rheem’s heat pump needs less supplementary heating due to its improved performance in cold ambient temperatures. Together, these elements, and their ability to function at a wider range of ambient temperatures, make them a more sustainable heating option.

To learn more about Rheem’s innovation pipeline, including its full line of cost-effective, eco-friendly products, visit Rheem.com.