People in the News

Bradford White’s Gregory Holladay will examine how energy industry pros can use product education and mid-stream rebates to successfully position electric heat pump water heaters

Gregory Holladay, business development manager – specialty markets at Bradford White Water Heaters, is presenting a course on effectively understanding, positioning, and promoting Energy Star-rated electric heat pump water heaters at AESP’s 2022 Spring Training Event on May 16 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Holladay will lead the “Get Heat Pumped Up” session from 8:30 a.m.-noon on the event’s first day to help AESP members become effective champions of electric heat pump water heaters as the industry continues to move toward a more sustainable future. AESP’s 2022 Spring Training Event is a learning event, and attendees will have the opportunity to earn CEU credits for “Get Heat Pumped Up.”

“Electric heat pump water heaters combine tried-and-true water storage and heating technologies to provide users with a reliable, efficient unit,” Holladay said. “With an increasing priority on decarbonization, it’s critical that the good stewards of the energy industry have a deep understanding of the solutions available to contractors and homeowners. Bradford White’s portfolio of Energy Star-rated electric heat pump water heaters delivers extraordinary energy efficiency along with high-quality performance and reliability.”

Holladay will be joined by Howard Merson, Senior Fellow, Trade Ally Strategy & Management at Energy Solutions and Paul Campbell, Director Energy & Sustainability Marketing at ICF. Together, these industry experts will teach attendees to:

• Understand and demonstrate how a heat pump water heater works, saves money, and can ultimately pay for itself through rebates and gained efficiencies.
• Create and measure instant, mid-stream high-dollar rebates.
• Utilize a partnership with Energy Star to promote, educate and evaluate program success through sharing best practices.
• Create relationships with manufacturers to foster direct access to product distributors and contractors.

Partnering with AESP to share strategies for successfully positioning Energy Star electric heat pump water heaters highlights Bradford White’s commitment to not only developing and manufacturing cutting-edge solutions but offering the training and education necessary to continue the advancement of industry professionals across the nation.

Registration for “Get Heat Pumped Up” is open for AESP members and other industry professionals through May 15. Visit https://www.aesp.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1244774&group=.

Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE) has been named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies 2022. This prestigious award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list can currently be viewed on Newsweek’s website.

“We are honored to receive recognition for the work we do to implement sustainable business practices not only on a global scale but at home in Fort Wayne, Indiana,” said Gregg Sengstack, Chairperson of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. “Across all the communities we operate in, we are committed to expanding the availability of clean water, creating products that help with resource conservation, and addressing growing environmental safety concerns around fueling.”

Franklin Electric has made significant investments in research and development to improve the efficiency of its products and continues to deliver products such as the MagForce™ High Efficiency Motor System. Additionally, the company’s Global Product Supply team has placed a heavy focus on sustainability initiatives within Franklin Electric’s production and manufacturing facilities across select global facilities. For 2020 this included LED lighting upgrades, air quality control systems, waste stream audits, solar panel installations and UV mitigation efforts. Franklin Electric is also committed to reducing water consumption, for example, by eliminating the washing process for circuit boards in its Guadalupe, Mexico manufacturing facility, which is expected to save 5.9 million gallons of water per year.

The company is also recognized worldwide for their commitment to helping some of the most underserved communities access safe, clean drinking water. The Franklin Wells for the World Foundation (FWWF) provides safe, reliable and cost-effective water supplies to developing regions, focusing on Africa where the need is greatest. To date, the FWWF has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in over 10 countries by bringing clean water to the surface.

America’s Most Responsible Companies were selected based on publicly available key performance indicators (KPIs) derived from CSR Reports, Sustainability Reports, and Corporate Citizenship Reports as well as an independent survey. The KPIs focused on company performance in the environmental, social, and corporate governance areas, while the independent survey asked U.S. citizens about their perception of company activities related to corporate social responsibility.

Plumbing Manufacturers International announced today the promotion of Jodi Stuhrberg from association manager to the newly created role of director of programs and administration.

“We’re grateful for Jodi’s outstanding dedication to PMI and our members as well as her commitment to creating thoughtful, unique programs and services. We congratulate Jodi on her well-deserved promotion and look forward to seeing her continued success in this new role,” said PMI CEO/Executive Director Kerry Stackpole.

A resident of Palatine, Illinois, Stuhrberg said her success at PMI stems from a strong desire to support others, build great relationships, and lead by example. “It helps to be part of a wonderful team that has encouraged and supported me along the way,” she added.

The recipient of the PMI President’s Award in 2018, Stuhrberg began her career at PMI in December 2013 as association coordinator and quickly earned a promotion to association manager. Since then, she has expanded her responsibilities beyond providing administrative support to PMI committees, managing event details, and fielding inquiries from existing and prospective members. Stuhrberg began developing and managing more events and taking on increasingly more challenging duties.

Because her work touches every part of the association, she lightheartedly describes her role as “plate spinner.” Among her many responsibilities, Stuhrberg provides oversight and support for developing new programs and services – such as the PMI Aspiring Leaders Program and PMI CEO Thinking Forum; reinforcing advancement of diversity, equity and inclusion within association activities; and managing staff, member inquiries and much of the day-to-day operations. She also supports all PMI committees and PMI Board of Directors’ functions and oversees all aspects of the annual PMI Manufacturing Success Conference.

“I’m proud of how we’ve evolved our annual conference to include more progressive educational content and speakers and to host the conference in inspiring cities and venues. I’m looking forward to continuing to bring innovation to our programs to keep them fresh and exciting for our members,” Stuhrberg said.

About Plumbing Manufacturers International

Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) is the trade association of plumbing product manufacturers that produce more than 90% of the United States’ plumbing products, represent more than 150 iconic brands, and develop safe, reliable and innovative water-efficient plumbing technologies. PMI members contribute more than 464,000 jobs and $85.5 billion in economic impact to America’s economy.

With a vision of safe, responsible plumbing – always, PMI advocates for plumbing product performance contributing to water efficiency and savings, sustainability, public health and safety, and consumer satisfaction. PMI members manufacture water-efficient toilets, urinals, faucets, showerheads and other products at more than 70 locations across the country and market them online and in more than 24,000 home improvement stores, hardware stores and showrooms in all 50 states. For more information on PMI, contact the organization at 1750 Tysons Blvd., Ste. 1500, McLean, Va., 22102; tel.: 847-481-5500. www.safeplumbing.org.

Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical (Hiller), the region’s premier provider of residential and commercial plumbing, HVAC, and Electrical service and repair, was included among Ruud’s “Top Market Maker” winners and honored as the #1 Top Ruud ProPartner for 2021. This award follows Hiller’s six first-place recognitions among Ruud’s list of Most Reliable Contractors.

The Ruud Market Makers award recognizes exceptional U.S.-based contracting businesses for sales, customer support, and overall service excellence. Through their strong vendor relationships with Ferguson Enterprises (Nashville) and Coburn Supply (Memphis), Hiller was ranked among the Top 10 “Market Makers” for 2021.

Above this honor, Hiller was named Ruud’s “Most Valuable Player”, recognizing their “overall stellar performance” as the #1 Top Ruud ProPartner of 2021. The company was honored via email announcement in February, then via live announcement at the 2022 International ProPartner Conference at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 7 and 8, 2022. Chief Executive Officer, Jimmy Hiller and Chief Operating Officer, Jimmy Hiller, Jr. accepted the award in person at the event.

“We couldn’t be more grateful to receive the MVP recognition from Ruud this year”, remarked Jimmy Hiller, founder and CEO of Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical. “In partnership with our wonderful distributors, we are able to provide Ruud’s exceptional equipment to so many families across the southeast. Ruud’s commitment to installation and maintenance excellence,” he continued, “parallels our own high quality and service standards, so we are exceptionally thankful for this award, that acknowledges this commitment.”

Launched in 1990 with a single employee and just $500, Hiller was founded on the tenets of professionalism, exceptional levels of customer satisfaction, and a dedication to high quality work. As a result, Hiller has grown exponentially, operating across 15 locations in 7 states with a fleet of over 500 trucks.

Ruud, part of the Rheem family of brands, provides Ruud-branded heating, cooling, and water heating products for residential and light commercial use to professional installers across the United States and Canada. Named for water heating pioneer, Edwin Ruud, the brand was acquired by Rheem in 1960. To learn more, visit www.ruud.com. Founded in 1925, Rheem is the only manufacturer in the world that produces heating, cooling, water heating, pool/spa heating and commercial refrigeration products. Rheem, headquartered in Atlanta, has an international presence in 14 countries. To learn more, visit www.rheem.com

 Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical provides residential and commercial service and repair throughout Tennessee, Southern Kentucky, Northern Alabama, Northern Georgia, Southeastern Arkansas, Northeastern Mississippi, and Northwest Florida. As the homeowner’s premier provider of choice with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, Hiller is Tennessee’s largest residential and commercial plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and electrical services provider. Hiller, a 12-time honoree to the Inc. 5000 List, employs more than 700 associates, boasts a fleet of 500 “Happy Face” trucks across 15 locations, and has responded to over 1.5 million service calls. Hiller is a proud sponsor of the Nashville Predators, the Tennessee Volunteers, and the Vanderbilt Commodores.