commercial

Twenty-year Oatey veteran with experience in supply chain and wholesale sales management now heads the wholesale rough plumbing, commercial, specialty, and showroom sales teams

Oatey Co., a leading manufacturer in the plumbing industry since 1916, announced today that Matt Foraker has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Wholesale.

Foraker joined Oatey more than 20 years ago as a member of the supply chain team, before transitioning to the wholesale sales team in 2011 as National Sales Manager, Specialty Divisions. Since then, he has served as Regional Sales Manager in the Southeast and National Sales Manager for Rough Plumbing. Since October, he has led Oatey’s wholesale team on an interim basis as Director of Wholesale.

As SVP, Wholesale, Foraker will lead Oatey’s wholesale rough plumbing, commercial, specialty and showroom sales teams, focused on investing in customer relationships while growing sales and evolving business strategy.

“My career at Oatey has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m pleased to be a part of the company’s ongoing growth,” says Foraker. “I’m excited to continue to partner with our exceptional sales team, rep agencies and customers to achieve great things together.”

“During his time at Oatey, Matt has established himself as a highly respected, strategic leader both in our business and across our industry,” said Wyatt Kilmartin, Oatey’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “I look forward to his expanded leadership as we continue to deliver results for our customers and our organization.”

Introducing new press x ¼” compression connections for its existing Webstone T-Valve products. These lead-free, dezincification-resistant brass valves feature a ball valve with an integrated tee fitting. Ideal for branch or device connections in tight locations, this new size is perfect for installing humidifiers and ice makers. With press connection options of ½” or ¾”, installation results are always quick, clean, and consistent.

“This line expansion is a direct response to our customers’ feedback,” said Lisa Lyon, General Manager of Webstone, a brand of NIBCO. “After introducing the original set of compression T-Valves, the case for additional models in the press connection was made by installers who prefer the convenience of this connection method in the field.”

Did you know, that around 500 000 US homes still do not have adequate plumbing? This shocking statistic has sent shockwaves through an industry much maligned for being too expensive for ordinary people and has led to a jump in students and apprentices registering for the trade – not a bad thing at all. The more players there are in the field, the more competition will raise standards and force prices down, and hopefully, that will mean that more folks can get the work done that they really need.

So we thought we’d help you jump the gun (at least, a tiny bit), and help you discover what are the essential tools and skills that every aspiring plumber must-have.

First up, what tools should every plumber have – and know how to use?

Well, as your progress through your training and apprenticeship, you’re going to learn all about what you’ll need when, and depending on the discipline you’re pursuing, home-based or commercial, you’ll learn about different requirements and needs. But, as a general rule, you’ll not be worth any salt at all without:

1. Pipe wrench
2. Basin wrench
3. Adjustable wrench
4. Faucet key
5. Hacksaw
6. Tube and plastic pipe cutters
7. Plumber’s torch
8. Thread sealing tape
9. Pliers
10. Press fitting systems
11. Plungers
12. Hand Auger
13. Snake Machine
14. PPE
15. Heat shields/pads
16. PEX pipe expander & fittings
17. Crimpers
18. Stubby screwdriver
19. Borescope
20. Plumbing business software
21. Communication skills
22. Patience!

And when you’re really ready to up your game, you’ll be wanting a lathe too.

What skills will you be learning?

Plumbing is so much more than just working with waterpipes and you’ll want to make sure that you’re best placed to capitalize on opportunities when entering the market. So when choosing your school or training facility, you want to make sure that you’ll be learning:

INSTALLATION, TROUBLESHOOTING,  AND REPAIR

• installing and repairing piping (for waste, drainage, and venting systems)
• installing and repairing plumbing fixtures (sinks, faucets, toilets, etc.)
• fixing leaking or clogged lines
• connecting appliances that use water (washing machine, dishwasher, etc,)
• installing piping for gas, pneumatic, and air handling systems

THE LATEST TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGY

• hands-free faucets and toilets that use motion technology to turn off and on
• programmable showers that can be set up with personalized lighting, temperature, and sound
• digital leak-monitoring systems that detect leaks fast, and send alerts straight to the client’s cell phone
• greywater recycling systems that take “gently” used water from showers, washing machines, and dishwashers, and recycle it for re-use in the home and garden

BLUEPRINTS & BASIC MATH

Interpreting blueprints correctly is a very savvy skill for all plumbers to learn. Without this, you won’t be able to understand mechanical or architectural drawings which help you correctly install fixtures and appliances. Learning how to do this correctly will also help you sharpen your analytical skills too.

Now, to learn all of this you’ll be wanting to make sure that you find the best possible training facility in order to get the best possible apprenticeship.

Lochinvar, an industry leader in high-efficiency boilers and water heaters, recently announced the introduction of the Reverse Indirect Water Heater to its continually expanding family of best-in-class water heating solutions. This unit is currently available in a 125-gallon capacity for a variety of applications, both residential and commercial.

“For decades, Lochinvar has been dedicated to not only cutting-edge product innovation, but also superior durability and flexibility, offering long-lasting, quality systems for a variety of applications,” said Jeff Vallett II, segment market manager for Lochinvar. “The top performance and dependability offered by the Reverse Indirect Water Heater is an excellent example of the Lochinvar experience our customers have come to expect, and should expect for years to come.”

Providing up to 30 GPM of continuous hot water delivery, the Reverse Indirect Water Heater is designed perfectly for multi-family, commercial and large residential water heating applications using a hydronic system. The generous hot water supply allows for an extremely dependable hot water source. The Reverse Indirect Water Heater is available in ASME and Non-ASME construction, providing superior flexibility to fit most any job.

As with Lochinvar’s continued commitment to quality, the Reverse Indirect Water Heater comes standard with a 10-year limited warranty. It also features a 316L stainless-steel coil, a jacketed and insulated steel tank, and 2” HCFC foam insulation.

To learn more, visit www.Lochinvar.com.