Pfister Faucets announced today its American Plumber Stories docuseries took home three Tellys in the record-breaking 45th Annual Telly Awards. The leading faucet manufacturer’s series won the Silver Telly in the Best in Public Interest and Awareness category, the Bronze Telly in the Non-Scripted Online category, and the Bronze Telly for the Editing Online category Read more
Industry News
Pfister Faucets announced today its American Plumber Stories docuseries took home three Tellys in the record-breaking 45th Annual Telly Awards. The leading faucet manufacturer’s series won the Silver Telly in the Best in Public Interest and Awareness category, the Bronze Telly in the Non-Scripted Online category, and the Bronze Telly for the Editing Online category.
Silver Telly: Best in Public Interest and Awareness
American Plumber Stories received the Silver Telly Award in the Public Interest and Awareness category for our episode “Dead End Road.” This accolade honors our commitment to highlighting important societal issues through engaging storytelling and impactful content, as showcased in this episode which delves into the lives and challenges of plumbers in America.
Bronze Telly: Non-Scripted Online
The series also earned a Bronze Telly Award in the Non-Scripted category, recognizing the overall excellence and authenticity of American Plumber Stories. This award celebrates the dedication to presenting real, unscripted narratives that resonate deeply with audiences by portraying the genuine experiences of plumbers across the country.
Bronze Telly: Editing Online
Additionally, American Plumber Stories was awarded with another Bronze Telly Award in the Editing category for the episode “Royal Flush.” This recognition underscores the exceptional craftsmanship and technical skill involved in producing the docuseries, particularly in the intricate and compelling editing that brings each plumber’s story to life.
The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, and production companies. This year’s winners include Adobe, Calvin Klein, ESPN, LinkedIn, Mother Jones, MTV Entertainment Studios, NASA, the LA Clippers (NBA), PlayStation Studios, Sawhorse Productions, TelevisaUnivison, and more.
Pfister Faucets, a trusted leader in the plumbing industry since 1910, produces the American Plumber Stories docuseries with the production company Sub 7, Inc. The series features the lives of plumbers throughout the US and is hosted by country music entertainer and Army veteran, Craig Morgan.
American Plumber Stories aims to promote the plumbing trade to the next generation of professionals. The show highlights the stories of plumbers around the nation including how they got started in the plumbing trade and the passion they have for their profession. These stories show how they built a career that allows them to lead financially rewarding and fulfilling lives.
With its fifth season launching in September 2024, episodes can be watched on AmericanPlumberStories.com or on the YouTube channel, where it garnered over 13 million video views since 2021.
“We hope that, with this series, we’re changing the public’s perspective on who plumbers are, how important the trade is, and that it is a viable career field.” – Spencer Brown, Pfister Faucets National Sales Director and American Plumber Stories Executive Producer
“From day one, ‘American Plumber Stories’ has been an exhilarating project. We’ve all grown alongside the series and witnessed its profound impact not just on the plumbing trade, but on people’s lives.” – Marc Womack, Owner, Sub 7, LLC
This was a record-breaking year with nearly 13,000 entries from across the globe and top video and television content producers. Winners were chosen by The Telly Awards Judging Council which includes Nathalie Van Sasse Van Ysselt, VP of Design and Creative Services, MSG Sphere Studios; Barry Christie, Global Creative Lead, Meta Creative Shop; Farihah Zaman, Director, member of Brown Girl Doc Mafia; Aiden Darné, VP, Global Studio Lead Shutterstock; Malinda Wink, Executive Director Minderoo Pictures.
The full list of the 45th Annual Telly Awards winners can be found at www.tellyawards.com/winners
About Pfister Faucets
Pfister Faucets, formerly called Price Pfister until 2010, is a brand of bathroom and lavatory faucets, shower systems, showerheads, accessories, kitchen faucets, and other plumbing fixtures. Emil Price and William Pfister founded the company in 1910. Today, the Pfister brand is owned by ASSA ABLOY Americas Residential, Inc. Visit PfisterFaucets.com for information or follow on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok.
About Craig Morgan
A multi-faceted entertainer, Craig Morgan has made a name for himself as a country music icon, TV personality, author, celebrated outdoorsman, and patriotic Army veteran. One of country music’s best-loved artists, Morgan has amassed nearly 2.5 billion career streams and charted over 25 songs on Billboard, thrilling massive crowds with signature hits including “Bonfire,” “Almost Home,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” “International Harvester,” “This Ole Boy,” “Soldier,” and the multi-week No. 1, “That’s What I Love About Sunday.” In late 2023, Craig released his newest project Enlisted, a six-song collection of reimagined hits and brand-new songs featuring collaborations with Trace Adkins, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Gary LeVox, Blake Shelton, and Lainey Wilson.
Craig received one of country music’s highest honors when he was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Prior to becoming a country music star and TV sensation, Morgan served seventeen years serving our country in the Army and Army Reserve and last year enlisted in the Army Reserve, continuing his military career as a Warrant Officer. Morgan remains an avid supporter of America’s military personnel and has made more than sixteen overseas trips to perform for our troops. He is a member of the U.S. Field Artillery Hall of Fame and recipient of the USO Merit Award. In 2018, he was awarded the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, one of the highest awards the Department of the Army can bestow upon a civilian, in recognition of his significant dedication to our military men and women around the world. He remains committed to supporting active duty and veteran members of our military through work with Operation Finally Home, the USO, and more.
His emotional and inspiring memoir – God, Family, Country – is available now. In the book, Craig details all aspects of his inspiring life, revealing never-before-heard stories including the impetus behind his recent enlistment in the Army Reserve, how he worked alongside the CIA as a soldier in Panama, fought sex traffickers as an undercover agent in Thailand, forged his own path to country music stardom, and lives his life by the deepest values: God, family, country.
With the touring season in full swing, Craig has a busy global concert schedule for 2024, with over 50 including two dates in South Africa and 6 stops on his inaugural “Redneck Yacht Club Tour.” Find tickets to see Craig on tour at craigmorgan.com.
Congratulations are in order for good friend Steve Richman, the disruptor of innovation and man behind the curtain at Milwaukee Tool on his next challenge. After 17 remarkable years as President of Milwaukee Tool, Steve Richman will be stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer at Techtronic Industries Co. (TTI). During his tenure at Read more
Congratulations are in order for good friend Steve Richman, the disruptor of innovation and man behind the curtain at Milwaukee Tool on his next challenge.
After 17 remarkable years as President of Milwaukee Tool, Steve Richman will be stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer at Techtronic Industries Co. (TTI). During his tenure at Milwaukee, Richman led a group of exceptional leaders and a talented team that created a culture responsible for transforming the company into the global leader it is today. Under his leadership, Milwaukee Tool has achieved unprecedented heights over the past decade, with double-digit annual revenue growth and a workforce now exceeding 21,000 talented individuals worldwide.
Richman’s promotion follows the retirement of Joe Galli, Jr. During his 18 years of visionary leadership at TTI, Galli played a pivotal role in shaping the company into a global leader in professional and consumer power tools. We extend our deepest gratitude to Joe for his incredible contributions and wish him the very best in his retirement.
Responsibilities of Steve’s previous role as Sr. Group President have been re-distributed throughout the executive Management team who will continue to report to Steve. Richman’s appointment as CEO is effective immediately.
Recipients Awarded $2,500 Each Toward HVACR Careers; Fieldpiece to Award Additional $10K at 2024 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference Fieldpiece Instruments, a leader in test instruments and tools for HVACR professionals for over 30 years, is proud to announce the winners of the third annual #MasteroftheTrade program. This year, six deserving students have been Read more
Recipients Awarded $2,500 Each Toward HVACR Careers; Fieldpiece to Award Additional $10K at 2024 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference
Fieldpiece Instruments, a leader in test instruments and tools for HVACR professionals for over 30 years, is proud to announce the winners of the third annual #MasteroftheTrade program. This year, six deserving students have been selected to receive $2,500 each to fund their continued education in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) trade or the option of an in-kind tool donation to jumpstart their careers.
Administered through SkillsUSA, the #MasteroftheTrade program aims to bridge the talent gap in the U.S. labor market for HVACR technicians by providing financial support to individuals pursuing a future in the industry. The winners of this program demonstrate exceptional skill, passion and dedication to their craft, embodying Fieldpiece’s spirit of excellence.
“We are thrilled to give back to our industry by awarding tuition or tools to these up-and-coming HVACR professionals,” said Tony Gonzalez, director of training at Fieldpiece Instruments. “There is a common thread of curiosity, problem-solving skills, understanding of craftmanship and desire to embrace challenges among the selected recipients that ensures a bright future in HVACR. Congratulations to this year’s winners!”
The six accomplished SkillsUSA students selected to receive the 2024 #MasteroftheTrade award are:
- Cole Kelly from Billerica, MA
- Colton Rentschler from Sinking Spring, PA
- Cadin Blais from Watertown, SD
- Mohamed Deyab from Harlingen, TX
- Peyton Hoenig from Asheboro, NC
- John Chaney from Knoxville, TN
Fieldpiece Instruments will also award $10,000 to the top-ranking high school and college/postsecondary students in the HVACR category at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference in June.
Fieldpiece Instruments first introduced the #MasteroftheTrade program in 2022 to address the growing need for skilled HVACR technicians. The program has since become an integral part of the company’s commitment to supporting education and workforce development in the HVACR industry.
For more information, please visit the #MasteroftheTrade program webpage.
Over 50% of Contractors Cite Labor Shortage, Overhead Costs, and Supply Chain Constraints as Biggest Ongoing Challenges ServiceTitan, a leading software platform built to power the trades, today released its second annual Commercial Service Report, highlighting current trends and market sentiment for the commercial industry in 2024. The report surveyed over 1,000 commercial contractors across Read more
Over 50% of Contractors Cite Labor Shortage, Overhead Costs, and Supply Chain Constraints as Biggest Ongoing Challenges
ServiceTitan, a leading software platform built to power the trades, today released its second annual Commercial Service Report, highlighting current trends and market sentiment for the commercial industry in 2024. The report surveyed over 1,000 commercial contractors across various trades and found that in the face of economic challenges, contractors remain resilient and are doubling down on sales and marketing while adopting new technology to help drive customer and business growth.
“Commercial contractors are essential to building and maintaining our critical infrastructure across North America – they keep our businesses, schools, hospitals and more up and running at all times,” said Alex Kablanian, General Manager of Commercial & Construction at ServiceTitan. “These contractors have displayed incredible resiliency, navigating formidable economic challenges in recent years. Adopting new technology has played a significant role in empowering them to accelerate and achieve profitable growth in their industry. The commercial contractors who are harnessing the power of software and innovation now have the tools they need to reach new heights and greater potential than ever before.”
ServiceTitan’s findings provide a unique perspective on the industry’s performance while highlighting key developments shaping the path forward.
Contractors focus on new growth in 2024
Despite market uncertainties and macroeconomic challenges, 39% of commercial contractors expressed optimism for 2024 – a 17% increase compared to last year’s study, when only 22% of contractors had a positive outlook for 2023.
While commercial contractors remained resilient despite economic challenges in recent years, a significant majority of contractors’ revenue (71%) either decreased or stayed the same in 2023. In light of this, two-thirds (67%) of commercial contractors are focused on growing revenue in 2024, followed by improving cash flow (30%), optimizing processes (33%), and retaining customers (26%).
Supply chain disruptions expected to persist
For most contractors, ongoing supply chain challenges make sourcing parts (53%) and equipment (34%) difficult. The report also highlights how the effects of supply chain disruptions extend to project timelines—only 14% of commercial contractors delivered more than 90% of their projects on time. Material lead time also increased for 52% of commercial contractors; in comparison, equipment lead time increased for 62% of commercial contractors.
In assessing how contractors navigate these challenges, the results indicate that nearly two-thirds of contractors (63%) keep inventory on hand, and roughly a third of businesses (37%) order supplies as needed. Further assessment of supply chain management reveals that 50% of commercial contractors order directly from the supply house, with the rest split evenly between vendor and manufacturer purchases.
Amid labor shortages, contractors increase technician salaries
Labor shortages (53%) and overhead costs (50%) are cited as the primary risks to achieving contractors’ 2024 goals, with economic recession (49%), increase in material prices (35%), and access to working capital (26%) rounding out the top five risks.
Just as ongoing labor shortages make it challenging for contracting businesses to find skilled workers, the shortage of talent and the increased cost of living make salaries a determining factor in attracting and retaining technicians. In response to these trends, 73% of respondents still plan to increase technician salaries this year.
Software adoption accelerates
Current trends and market sentiment point toward software as a leading solution to streamline commercial contractor operations and improve efficiencies without increasing overhead. In fact, the average commercial trade business uses 4-6 software providers, with a high adoption rate (70%) of Field Service Management software. Correspondingly, a significant 43% of businesses plan to increase their investment in sales and marketing activities in 2024.
With technology becoming increasingly essential for contracting businesses, it is key to take full advantage of the capabilities and innovate accordingly. Based on the survey, there is room for improvement—while 30% of survey respondents identified improved cash flow as their top goal, 20% of contractors still take more than a week to send invoices, and 33% of customer payments are more than one week late.
To review the full findings and key takeaways, download ServiceTitan’s Commercial Markets Report here.
About the research
This research was conducted by Thrive Analytics on behalf of ServiceTitan, polling more than 1,000 commercial service contractors representing a variety of geographical regions, business growth stages, and revenue levels. This research is for informational purposes only and ServiceTitan provides no assurances (express or implied) with respect to the accuracy of the survey data.
Leading manufacturer donates $10,000 to Home Repair Services to support plumbing repair and water heater replacement for mobile home owners in Kent County, Michigan Bradford White Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of water heaters, boilers and storage tanks, announced today a charitable donation of $10,000 to Home Repair Services (HRS) of Kent County, a nonprofit organization that offers Read more
Leading manufacturer donates $10,000 to Home Repair Services to support plumbing repair and water heater replacement for mobile home owners in Kent County, Michigan
Bradford White Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of water heaters, boilers and storage tanks, announced today a charitable donation of $10,000 to Home Repair Services (HRS) of Kent County, a nonprofit organization that offers income-based services to vulnerable homeowners in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.
The donation will be directed to the repair program, one of HRS’s three key organizational pillars. The program is designed to address and resolve health, safety and sanitation concerns in area homes, such as water heater repair and replacement.
“This funding will help provide essential hot water to improve the health, safety and sanitation of homeowners in Kent County, many living on fixed incomes or facing any number of hardships,” said Rebecca Owens, senior manager of communications for Bradford White. “We’re proud to be part of this commitment to assisting families in the area live more comfortably in their own homes.”
Home Repair Services completes over 2,000 critical repair jobs for low-income families each year, with over 150 of those repairs dedicated to mobile homeowners living with an average income of $21,929. There is no dedicated municipal funding to support these services. This donation will be used to address urgent water heater repairs, enhance the overall quality of housing in the county and create manageable, safe, and sustainable environments for homeowners and their families.
“Bradford White’s donation will make a tangible difference to Kent County mobile home owners in need,” says Joel Ruiter, executive director at Home Repair Services. “Over the last four years our organization has helped 425 homeowners acquire new water heaters, ensuring critical access to hot water. Thanks to this donation, we’re confident we’ll be able to extend our efforts to even more families in the region.”