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The New England Patriots create a green dynasty at Gillette Stadium. In addition to being the home of the New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium is a world class entertainment facility that hosts everything from international soccer matches to concerts by Jay Z, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney.

During what they call a full-stadium event, nearly 70,000 people crowd the stands—and use the restrooms.

Since 2009, Gillette Stadium has used XLERATOR high-speed, energy efficient hand dryers to cut costs, meet sustainability goals, promote restroom hygiene and improve the guest experience.

“The XLERATOR is a win-win-win-win for us,” says Jim Nolan, Chief Operating Officer. “First, it’s better for the environment. Second, we are saving money while our staff is spending less time cleaning paper off the floor and refilling dispensers. Third, staff is freed up to respond more quickly to fan issues. Fourth, and most important, fans prefer it to paper, giving them a better experience.”

Big Money Player

Originally equipped with paper towel dispensers, the stadium used an average of 6,264,000 paper towels per year, at a cost of more than $50,000 for paper, maintenance and waste removal. In September 2009, Gillette installed more than 125 XLERATOR dryers featuring exclusive, custom digital imaging cover technology throughout Gillette Stadium.

When you do the math, that means 125 XLERATORs do the work of 6 million paper towels.

“The XLERATOR hand dryers reduce the cost and maintenance associated with paper towels in the stadium’s restrooms,” says Jim Nolan.

The XLERATOR represents a 95% cost savings when compared to paper towels, eliminating their labor, maintenance and waste. It is the only hand dryer Made USA Certified® with a dry time of 8 seconds* — tested to guidelines from the Global Hand Dryer PCR published by UL Environment — and it uses 80 percent less energy than conventional hand dryers. The XLERATOR is BuildingGreen Approved and helps facilities qualify for the most LEED credits.

“We want to make sure our operations are as efficient as possible,” says Jason Stone, Senior Director of Operations. “Having the XLERATORs, we’re able to be more efficient in the bathrooms and provide our customers with a great experience.”

A Strong Defense Against Dirty Restrooms

In addition to cost savings, the XLERATOR has helped increase restroom cleanliness and hygiene—while freeing maintenance staff to focus on other areas.

“With the XLERATOR hand dryers, we’re not finding paper towels all over the floors, toilets, urinals and sinks,” says Stone. “We had to have staff continually monitor the bathrooms. Now, if we have a spill out in the concourse area or in a seating section, they’re able to get to those issues a lot quicker and enhance the experience of our guests.”

While the XLERATOR hand dryers make the restroom experience faster, cleaner and more efficient for fans, they also hold up like workhorses against high traffic and usage.

“One thing we really like about the XLERATOR hand dryers is that they’re very reliable,” says Stone. “With the millions of people who have come through the facility, we really haven’t had to change any of the units out since they were first installed. We’ve just changed the covers on them, from a branding perspective, but the main components have not been switched out.”

Gillette makes great use of Excel Dryer’s custom cover option—keeping the branding fresh with updated designs and communicating their sustainability mission to fans. Excel Dryer’s cover finish options are the most diverse in the industry, including custom cover options for corporate branding or environmental messaging. Exclusive patented Kolorfusion digital image technology is used to customize covers with graphics, team colors, corporate logos, green messaging or any other high-resolution image.

Championing Sustainability

From the stadium’s inception, the designers and contractors focused on long-term sustainability, energy efficiency and ecosystem management. In 2002, they won the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s New England Environmental Merit Award for the stadium’s design.

“When we built Gillette Stadium, we used a lot of recycled materials, from concrete to steel. We daylighted a portion of the Neponset River that was going through the horse track that was here,” says Jason Stone. “Sustainability and green initiatives are a big part of our operation.”

Gillette Stadium employs several cutting-edge sustainability practices, including:

• Timing devices installed on the electrical distribution system that enable all nonessential lighting after hours to be automatically shut down, minimizing energy use.

• An on-site wastewater treatment facility that treats the stadium’s sanitary drainage such as wastewater generated from hand washing, laundry and bathing. This water is then reused in thousands of toilets throughout the facility, saving millions of gallons of water annually.

• During the construction of the stadium, more than 130,000 cubic yards of blasted open rock was processed through on-site crushers and reused on site. This process resulted in more than 90% of the residual product being reused as opposed to being added to the region’s diminishing landfill capacity.

• A photovoltaic power system that generates approximately 525 kilowatts of clean, renewable solar power at Patriot Place, the 1.3-million-square-foot entertainment, retail and dining destination adjacent to the stadium. The system supplies approximately 30% of Patriot Place’s power and approximately 2,800 crystalline photovoltaic panels span seven building rooftops at the complex.

The facility management team at Gillette Stadium continues to search for new ways to expand its conservation efforts. “Some of our latest sustainability initiatives include our food waste diversion program where we recycle approximately 200 tons of food waste per year,” Stone says. “We send that off-site where it gets converted to electricity. We’ve also incorporated LED lighting throughout the facility, including converting the lights that illuminate the game field to LED.”

“While our primary focus remains on creating the ultimate fan experience, we’re continually looking for new areas to make environmental improvements,” says Jim Nolan. “Updating the restrooms with XLERATOR hand dryers represented another large step in reducing our carbon footprint.”

A Bright Future in the NFL

“The NFL currently has XLERATOR hand dryers installed at its New York headquarters, NFL Network Studios in Los Angeles and is encouraging the use of high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers at stadiums as part of the league’s ‘Green Initiative’,” says David Krichavsky, Director of Community Affairs, National Football League.

“We are proud of our relationship with one of the most respected organizations in professional sports,” says William Gagnon, Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Excel Dryer. “The Kraft Group has created the model franchise in the NFL. Its team, operations, business and green initiatives are a proven blueprint for success.”

A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS) announced today that Eddie Goodwin, senior vice president, president of Lochinvar, will retire July 1, and Stephen O’Brien, chief operating officer, has been named the successor.

“Since joining the company over 40 years ago, Eddie’s vast experience and steadfast leadership has helped shape Lochinvar into the industry-leading, high efficiency boiler and water heater manufacturer it is today,” said Kevin Wheeler, chairman, president and CEO. “He has built a strong team committed to designing, manufacturing and selling high quality, innovative products that meet our customer’s needs. We thank him for his vision and commitment to our customers, our employees and the A. O. Smith values over the past four decades.”

Eddie Goodwin

In his new role, O’Brien will build on the strong foundation Goodwin and his team have established, by implementing the strategic vision for the organization and further expanding Lochinvar’s innovative product lines. O’Brien has served as chief operating officer for Lochinvar since August of 2021 and is uniquely qualified to assume the role of president going forward. O’Brien joined Lochinvar from Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS) and prior to that, worked for A. O. Smith Electrical Products Company for 14 years before the company was sold to Regal Beloit Corporation. He holds an MBA from the University of Dayton in Ohio and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from State University of New York at Potsdam.

Stephen O’Brien

“With his extensive experience in  the HVAC industry, his strong leadership skills and focus on customer satisfaction, Steve is the ideal person to lead our Lochinvar business unit going forward,” Wheeler added. “I am confident the transition will be seamless, and Steve’s extensive background and business development skills will further strengthen Lochinvar’s channel partnerships and our presence in the market.”

Saniflo will support the international philanthropic work of Plumbers Without Borders with donations of its above-floor plumbing solutions, as well as technical installation guidance.

Saniflo North America, a division of Group SFA, the world leader in above-the-floor macerating and grinding toilets and drain pumps, has announced a partnership with Plumbers Without Borders (PWB) as a Mission Supporter Sponsor. The ultimate goal is to support the group’s mission to connect volunteer plumbers and industry resources with organizations working to increase access to safe water and sanitation worldwide.

As a Mission Supporter Sponsor, Saniflo North America will support the philanthropic work of PWB with product donations and technical support on a case-by-case basis. Based on past projects, the organization predicts one or two projects that could benefit from Saniflo’s innovative, above-floor plumbing solutions.

“We look forward to partnering with Plumbers Without Borders on NGO projects that could potentially benefit from Saniflo’s above-floor macerators, grinders and drain pumps,” says Regis Saragosti, CEO of SFA Saniflo North America. “Plumbers Without Borders has done so much to advance community empowerment and improve sanitation around the world, and we are proud to be a part of that mission.”

Uponor North America was recently named to the Top Workplace USA 2022 list for companies with 500-999 employees. This award is based entirely on feedback from an employee engagement survey conducted by an independent, third-party research company, Energage, and celebrates companies that prioritize creating a people-centered culture and giving employees a voice.

This honor marks the first time Uponor has been recognized as a Top Workplace in the U.S., and the eighth time the company has been recognized as a Top Workplace in the State of Minnesota since 2012.

The survey asked employees to rate Uponor on 15 drivers related to engaged work environment, company culture, leadership, and overall job satisfaction. Rankings for Top Workplaces lists are based on companies meeting criteria built upon more than 15 years of engagement survey data from over 70,000 global companies.

Habitat for Humanity, Northfield MN, VTO, 2021 VTO, 7 Blue Crew Members, 49 VTO hours, Worked on a single and multi-family home in Northfield, MN

“We are so humbled that our employees’ anonymous feedback resulted in Uponor being recognized as a top workplace in the U.S. We pride ourselves on having a very distinct employee-driven culture, and strongly believe that if we take care of our employees, they, in turn, will ensure positive experiences for our customers. The fact that we’ve been recognized by employees as a top workplace in our state, and now in the U.S., indicates we’re on the right track,” said John Reutter, interim president and vice president, Finance, Uponor North America.