General News

Sloan, a corporate partner of a green expansion to the Roadrunner Elementary School in Phoenix, has donated water- and energy-efficient plumbing products for the restrooms. Funded through partnerships with Sloan and other corporations, in-kind donations and charitable contributions, the sustainable expansion brings much-needed additional space to this Title I, low-income, K-12 public school campus.

“Sloan is proud to partner with this effort to offer a state-of-the-art and sustainably designed and built school facility. The Roadrunner expansion is designed to LEED^® Platinum standards, and Sloan is helping the school reduce water usage with water-efficient faucets, toilets, urinals and more,” says John Aykroyd, Vice President of Business Development for Sloan. “Through Roadrunner’s responsible use of its local natural resources, the school will also serve as an example to its students of what it means to be good environmental stewards.”

Sloan donations to the Roadrunner School in Phoenix include:

• High-Efficiency Toilets with SOLIS^® solar-powered flushometers;
• sensor-activated, 0.5 gpm BASYS^® faucets;
• Bio-Deck solid-surface lavatories made from ground corn cobs and other renewable materials;
• Waterfree Urinals, which offer immediate, 100% water savings; and
• Act-O-Matic^® 2.0 gpm showerheads.

The Roadrunner expansion is scheduled to open for the 2014-15 school year.

Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE) announces Julie Scheck Freigang has joined the company as Chief Information Officer. In this role, Ms. Freigang, reporting to Gregg Sengstack, President and CEO, will manage all aspects of the company’s information technology

infrastructure, processes and projects.

Ms. Freigang has over 20 years of technology and business leadership experience. Most recently, Ms. Freigang was the Vice President of Information Technologies at Eaton, a company that provides energy-efficient solutions that help customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely, and sustainably. Ms. Freigang joined Eaton in 1992 as a product engineer. She left Eaton in 1996 to found a small software company, which she ran until its acquisition. She returned to Eaton in 2002, as Manager of Application Development for the Truck Group’s IT function. From 2007-2010 she held positions of increasing responsibility in the Quality and Operational Excellence functions. In 2011, she moved back to IT as Vice President – IT Operational Excellence and Site Infrastructure Support.

Ms. Freigang graduated from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Wilo USA has launched Wilo Select 4, an online selection tool for pumps and pump-systems that automatically recommends products based on users’ design point, energy considerations, application and a variety of other selectable criteria.

Users can select pump with either Hydraulic Selection or through the Product Selection Browser. With Hydraulic Selection, after choosing the area of application, the tool allows users to input duty point and other pertinent parameters to narrow down the choices. The product library incorporates Wilo’s newest products, including the broadest range of high efficiency pumps: Stratos-ECO, Stratos, Stratos-Z, Stratos-D, Stratos GIGA, and with other newly released pumps such as IL Inline Centrifugal Pumps Extension, and Stainless Steel Close Coupled Pumps (BLZ) centrifugal pumps.

Alternatively, the tool offers a product selection browser, which enables users to choose a pump from all available models within a single series. The browser presents search results for each selection, such as operating data, life cycle costs and performance curves. The graphics show hydraulic or total efficiency, as well as torque values.

Wilo Select 4 is available online at: https://us.wilo-select.com/StartMain.aspx.

Wilo USA LLC, 9550 W. Higgins Rd. #300, Rosemont, IL 60018

Phone: 888-945-6872, Fax: 888-945-6873

Email: info@wilo-usa.com, Internet: www.wilo-usa.com 

Contribution Helps Connect Volunteer Plumbers Around the World with People and Agencies in Need, Facilitates Access to Safe Water and Sanitation

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (May 8, 2014) – American Standard Brands is supporting the philanthropic work of Plumbers Without Borders (PWB) with a $60,000 donation that supports the group’s mission to connect volunteer plumbers with organizations that are working to increase access to safe water and sanitation worldwide.

“Plumbers Without Borders is a grassroots effort, born from the desire to help people in dire need,” said Fred Schilling, spokesperson for the group. “We know we can make a difference to alleviate human suffering and disease caused by the lack of safe plumbing and hygienic sanitation.”

The donation will be used to help PWB develop their database of plumbers and mechanical tradespeople around the world who want to volunteer their services to improve hygiene, access to clean water, and help save lives. Volunteers who are registered in this databank can then be connected with organizations seeking their assistance. PWB’s ultimate goal is to serve as a complete plumbing and sanitation information hub for both volunteers and humanitarian organizations

A current project of Plumbers Without Borders involves working with Seattle Anesthesia Outreach (SAO) to implement plumbing infrasture improvements in medical facilities located in Ethiopia. The PWB volunteers helped to outfit a portable dialysis center for the Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where needless numbers of people were dying due to lack of dialysis treatment. PWB provided the installation labor for the portable unit built here in the U.S. After the portable clinic was shipped to Ethiopia, PWB volunteers handled the on-site implementation work to get this life-saving equipment up and running. The volunteer plumbers have also done extensive work in Haiti, following the devastating earthquake that hit that nation.

Here in the United States, PWB’s skills are utilized, as well. The organization has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to assist with home building needs throughout the country. The group also works to maintain the plumbing systems on a volunteer basis in the Children’s Home Society of Florida, an organization that rescues abused children and works to break the cycle of child abuse.

“We have always believed that plumbers play a crucial role in protecting health and helping to prevent disease,” said Jay Gould, president and CEO of American Standard Brands. “Plumbers Without Borders is doing so much to improve sanitation and quality of life around the world, and we are proud to help them expand their capabilities with this sponsorship.”

“It’s been very exciting to watch this organization grow and develop, borne from a desire to use our plumbing trade to save lives beyond our own communities,” said Schilling. “With this generous sponsorship from American Standard, we will be able to build a crucial resource that will allow us to help even more people all around the world.”