The 2014 ASPE Show has now come and gone with thousands of professionals and over 300 exhibitors and suppliers within the industry exhibiting their products. As always ASPE does a wonderful job in putting together a great show that offers something for everyone from the contractor, engineer, and to the supplier. This convention and expo Read more
General News
The 2014 ASPE Show has now come and gone with thousands of professionals and over 300 exhibitors and suppliers within the industry exhibiting their products. As always ASPE does a wonderful job in putting together a great show that offers something for everyone from the contractor, engineer, and to the supplier. This convention and expo included programs to earn CEU’s, educational sessions, new product innovation showcases, and a keynote address from Chicago Bear’s great, Dan Hampton. It is clear that ASPE does a spectacular job and works diligently to offer the best value to every attendee.
Surfing the expo floor is always a pleasure to catch a glimpse of the latest and greatest technology in the industry. What’s especially interesting is the methods manufacturer’s come up with to showcase their innovations. This always includes fascinating demonstrations and often a clear, see-through model of the product to view the behind the scenes technology in action before your very own eyes. Or witness demonstrations and hands-on training on the latest tools to save contractors time and money with installations.
Yes, the ASPE Convention and Exposition has it’s excitement. But what’s interesting to note is how things have changed over the years because of the economy and modern digital technology advancements with the internet, smart phones, and social media. Strolling the floor between exhibitors, one couldn’t help but notice a growing trend; the all to often lack of interaction between exhibitor and attendee.
Now this was certainly not the case in all instances by any means. In fact, many exhibitors were very busy and giving demonstrations one after another, drawing the attention of additional attendees. But it displayed a transition from expos years ago and how much things have changed over the years. We are all so use to getting information at our fingertips almost instantly. And we decide how much we want and if we want to know more. Everything is fast-paced, get-it-now, and in short bursts of information like twitter, 140 characters are all that’s needed. It’s interesting to observe how modern technology has affected our interaction with each other and the art of developing rapport while building personal relationships and business partnerships.
We typically say or hear “This is how I’ve been doing it for 20 years so why change?” It took trust, relationships, and partnerships for this thought process to begin. But it’s evident how difficult it can be to change someone’s mind to go in another direction on a product or installation process. The effort and often cost can be substantial. This was evident during the Exhibitor portion of the expo.
Does this make conventions and expositions void or without need? Absolutely not. For information technology and social media can only go so far in someone gaining enough knowledge about a product. There’s nothing quite like seeing it up close and in-action to make a better assessment. However, it’s apparent that our industry is still trying to find the perfect balance of using digital technology and social media with human interaction to build relationships and partnerships. Both are extremely valuable and it will be worth watching over the next 5 – 10 years. It will be worth witnessing the industry’s development on using both of these vital methods of communication in the world today and how it will enhance and transform expos and conventions in the future.
The 2016 ASPE Convention and Exposition in Phoenix, AZ will be here before we know it. It will be a must see.
Sloan Valve Company announced today that Parthiv Amin has joined their organization as Vice President, Marketing. The announcement was made by Kirk Allen, President and CEO. “Parthiv brings leadership skills and strategic thinking to our company,” Allen said. “His extensive experience in building marketing plans from the ground up will ensure that Sloan remains the Read more
Sloan Valve Company announced today that Parthiv Amin has joined their organization as Vice President, Marketing. The announcement was made by Kirk Allen, President and CEO. “Parthiv brings leadership skills and strategic thinking to our company,” Allen said. “His extensive experience in building marketing plans from the ground up will ensure that Sloan remains the global leader within our industry.” Amin, who has over 20 years of global marketing and business development experience, will have responsibilities that include developing key strategies and formulating global marketing plans to ensure the continued success and profitability of the organization. Prior to joining Sloan he worked at Enerpac as Vice President, Global Marketing and Engineering where he built and implemented the company’s go-to-market strategic plan. Before Enerpac, Amin was at Northern Power Systems as President of the Distributed Wind power market. He also spent four years as President of the Americas to the Wind Drive Systems entity of the Siemen’s Corporation. “I am excited to join Sloan, the premier brand in the industry,” says Amin. “I look forward to working with the team, customers and partners to develop business strategies to expand Sloan’s global leadership position.” Amin graduated from University of Illinois at Chicago with a BSME in Mechanical Engineering and received an MBA from Loyola College in Maryland. He will be based in Franklin Park, Illinois.
“Caleffi Excellence” Better than Ever! Caleffi Excellence, an ongoing contest which invites designers of hydronic or plumbing systems opportunity to showcase their work and receive wide recognition, is recommencing. Beginning September 2014 and continuing for 12 monthly periods, designers and installers can submit via an online portal, installations that incorporate Caleffi products. New to this Read more
“Caleffi Excellence” Better than Ever!
Caleffi Excellence, an ongoing contest which invites designers of hydronic or plumbing systems opportunity to showcase their work and receive wide recognition, is recommencing.
Beginning September 2014 and continuing for 12 monthly periods, designers and installers can submit via an online portal, installations that incorporate Caleffi products. New to this year, Caleffi will select three finalists from each monthly period; the winner will be determined by an instant poll of attendees to Coffee with Caleffi™, our popular monthly education webinars. The winner will receive an iPad® mini.
After one year, a grand prize winner will be chosen from the 12 monthly winners. Selected by Caleffi executives, the grand prize winner and their guest will travel to Italy to see Caleffi World Headquarters and receive a personalized tour of our factories and design facilities.
Liberty Pumps has broken ground on a major building expansion that will add an additional 81,000 square feet to its manufacturing and warehouse space, as well as another 8,000 square feet to its product research and development area. Since its last expansion in 2008, Liberty has more than doubled its sales. “This expansion will provide Read more
Liberty Pumps has broken ground on a major building expansion that will add an additional 81,000 square feet to its manufacturing and warehouse space, as well as another 8,000 square feet to its product research and development area. Since its last expansion in 2008, Liberty has more than doubled its sales. “This expansion will provide needed space for additional manufacturing cells along with supporting inventory – improving workflow and productivity. We want to make sure that as we grow, we continue to provide a high level of service to our customers.” states Randall Waldron, V.P. of Sales and Marketing. “Expansion to the R & D facilities will support development of new product lines and improve the product time to market.” The project also includes several pieces of new manufacturing equipment intended to improve efficiencies and further support the company’s “source and build in the U.S.” initiatives. Construction is planned to be completed by February 2015.
Company Partners with Major Long Island, New York, and New Jersey Wholesale Distributor TOTO, the largest plumbing manufacturer in the world with $5.1 billion dollars in annual sales, announced today that the company is increasing its market reach in the Northeast region of the United States by entering into a distribution agreement Read more
Company Partners with Major Long Island, New York, and New Jersey Wholesale Distributor
TOTO, the largest plumbing manufacturer in the world with $5.1 billion dollars in annual sales, announced today that the company is increasing its market reach in the Northeast region of the United States by entering into a distribution agreement with
Blackman Plumbing Supply. Starting today, TOTO’s full line of residential and commercial fttings and fxtures will be available at all of Blackman’s 19 branch locations throughout Long Island, New York, and New Jersey and will be on display in all Blackman showrooms.
“Blackman Plumbing is proud to deepen our partnership with TOTO, an industry leader known for anticipating and creating the next generation of fxtures,” said Robert Mannheimer, President and CEO of Blackman Plumbing Supply. “Our new relationship with TOTO will allow Blackman Plumbing to continue to offer our discerning customers world-class products at the cutting edge of contemporary design.”
With this distribution agreement, TOTO and Blackman embark on a new relationship that offers TOTO increased distribution channels through which to provide customers in the Northeast region of the U.S. with its full line of residential and commercial products for the whole bathroom, which have set the standard for world-class performance and innovation as they help improve people’s quality of life.
“The Northeast region of the U.S. is a high priority for TOTO,” said David Krakoff, President of the Americas Sales Division for TOTO USA. “Our ability to partner with an organization of Blackman’s caliber to enhance our coverage of Long Island, New York, and New Jersey is a particularly signifcant event.” Krakoff noted that Blackman embraces TOTO’s core values—technology and innovation in products that respect the environment while meeting people’s needs for comfort, beauty, performance, and design for people of all ages. “Our two companies share these values, so we envision a tremendous level of success and growth together in the future,” Krakoff concluded.
Universally recognized for their enduring quality, reliability and timeless elegance, TOTO products’ added scope of availability through all Blackman’s locations will be an important addition to TOTO’s national offering.
“Like TOTO, Blackman holds the customer experience in the highest regard,” said Jason Fitzsimmons, Vice President of the United States Sales Division for TOTO USA. “They always go above and beyond what is expected to provide excellent service throughout the sales cycle— before, during, and after purchase.” Fitzsimmons continued, “Working with Blackman provides
TOTO with expanded access to retail, wholesale, and commercial customers in the important Northeast region and offers us more opportunities to effciently deliver products where and when our customers need them.”