Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical (Hiller), the region’s largest residential plumbing, HVAC, and electrical provider, is proud to partner with Toys for Tots to share the joy of Christmas with others. For the past five holiday seasons, Hiller has donated to toys to Toys for Tots with the purchase of each new tankless water Read more
HVAC
Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical (Hiller), the region’s largest residential plumbing, HVAC, and electrical provider, is proud to partner with Toys for Tots to share the joy of Christmas with others. For the past five holiday seasons, Hiller has donated to toys to Toys for Tots with the purchase of each new tankless water heater. Since 2019, Hiller has purchased over $50,000 in toys to donate to underserved families in our community.
During this special promotion, available from November 1st through the end of the year, Hiller contributes $50 from each tankless water heater sold to purchase toys. And, as a special incentive to homeowners, Hiller offers a $250 Visa gift card with every purchase. In addition to funds raised, the company contributes with an additional monetary gift each year.
Toys for Tots is a non-profit organization launched by the U.S. Marine Corps in 1947. The organization is dedicated to providing new Christmas gifts to children and young adults who may otherwise not receive presents during the holidays. To date, Toys for Tots has supported over 301 million children with over 677 million toys and gifts.
Every December, Hiller’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jimmy Hiller, and members of the Hiller family gather to shop for a truck’s worth of toys to donate hand-selecting various toys, games, and gifts that resonate with their own families. This shopping spree has quickly become one of the grandkid’s most anticipated Christmas events.
“One of my family’s most cherished holiday traditions has become our Toys for Tots shopping trip”, remarked Jimmy Hiller. “The holidays can be stressful and challenging for a lot of families, particularly in recent years. Through this promotion, we’re able to make sure that parents can create Christmas magic for their children. We feel so blessed to have had the support of our community for so many years”, he continued, “And we want to give back to our neighborhoods that have been so good to us.”
On Thursday, December 19th, the Hiller family met at a Nashville-area Walmart to shop together, hand-selecting new gifts, toys, and electronics for other children to enjoy on Christmas morning. This year’s selections, totaling over $12,000, filled more than 18 shopping carts. This donation, made possible by the community’s support, raises the 5-year total to more than $50,000 in toy contributions since the tradition began.
Hiller was founded in 1990 by Jimmy Hiller, the company’s single employee. Today, the organization includes over 600 “Happy Face” trucks and 880 associates across 18 locations in 7 states.
Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical, provides residential and commercial service and repair throughout Tennessee, Southern Kentucky, Northeastern Mississippi, Southeastern Arkansas, Northern Alabama, Northern Georgia, 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 800 associates, boasts a fleet of 600 “Happy Face” trucks across 18 locations, and has responded to over 1.8 million service calls in 7 states. For more information about Hiller, visit http://www.happyhiller.com or e-mail press@happyhiller.com.
HammerHead Trenchless, a leading manufacturer of trenchless installation, rehabilitation, and replacement solutions for underground utility infrastructure, has released the newest addition to their product line: The PortaBurst® PB30X. The PB30X is a portable, cost-effective and efficient method of replacing 2″ to 6″ lateral pipes in a minimum amount of time, with up to 30 tons Read more
HammerHead Trenchless, a leading manufacturer of trenchless installation, rehabilitation, and replacement solutions for underground utility infrastructure, has released the newest addition to their product line: The PortaBurst® PB30X.
The PB30X is a portable, cost-effective and efficient method of replacing 2″ to 6″ lateral pipes in a minimum amount of time, with up to 30 tons of pulling force. “Through extensive research and development, we were able to create a system that is 125 lbs. lighter than its predecessor, while maintaining the same power,” said Mark Randa, Sr. Manager of Research, Development & Engineering of HammerHead Trenchless.
Along with being lighter than HammerHead’s previous downhole unit, the PB30X prioritizes portability and breaks down into three components. According to Randa, this allows for easy carrying into basements and overall transportation of the unit.
Having the PB30X on a jobsite provides versatility as the unit can burst sewer laterals and slit water and gas services. “With a second jaw set and 3/8” cable, this unit can be used to slit plastic and lead water services,” said Randa.
To accompany the new PB30X, HammerHead Trenchless has also released the newest hydraulic control unit, the PB13X. The PB13X comes equipped with a new tethered controller or optional wireless controller to allow the operator to be close to the pit while the control unit is further away. “Our team spent time on with customers on their job sites and saw that flexibility is key to any job site and whether they use the tethered or wireless controller, we now provide that needed flexibility,” said Randa. “Our patent pending jaw system was created to increase speed and efficiency on the jobsite while making the unit versatile to allow for bursting and slitting,” he added.
To continue to provide flexibility to customers, HammerHead is now providing stackable extraction cages and an extended Quick Grip® Burst Head line covering 2-to-6-inch options. “The stackable extraction cages now allow to fully pull in a 6-inch burst head,” said Randa. “And the new burst head line can burst through any fracturable pipe and negotiate 45-degree bends,” he added.
The PB30X, PB13X, and additional components are all available for purchase at hammerheadshop.com
Earlier this year, we caught up with George Kazan, president and CEO, Ridgeway Plumbing, Inc., located in Boynton Beach, Fla. Founded 1956, the open shop company with 540 employees—no labor subcontractors—brought $135M in revenue in 2023. Ridgeway, dabbling in all new construction, and all residential—homes and apartments—works for most all of the major national and Read more
Greg Kozan
Earlier this year, we caught up with George Kazan, president and CEO, Ridgeway Plumbing, Inc., located in Boynton Beach, Fla. Founded 1956, the open shop company with 540 employees—no labor subcontractors—brought $135M in revenue in 2023. Ridgeway, dabbling in all new construction, and all residential—homes and apartments—works for most all of the major national and regional homebuilders and developers. Completing well over 10,000 units last year, the company currently serves seven markets throughout Florida and is continuing to expand its footprint.
MH: During the pandemic, how did Ridgeway fare? How did you navigate that most unusual time?
KOZAN: After a brief (maybe one month) period of extreme uncertainty, residential construction began to explode. Seems like everyone wanted to come to Florida and buy a house. While welcome, those were very stressful and challenging times, given the supply chain and labor shortage issues, as well as significant cost increases. Most of that is in the past now.
MH: In general, most of the country is experiencing a skilled labor shortage. Are you experiencing that in Florida, and what measures does Ridgeway employ to make sure they are hiring the best?
KOZAN: I’d be lying if I told you that onboarding and retention isn’t a huge challenge for us. Most of what’s available for the trades today are entry-level people, and with that comes a high degree of turnover in the early weeks and months. It’s critical for us to get these people up to speed. Besides having around 80 of our guys in apprenticeship classes, we do a lot of classroom and field training, videos produced in-house, and mentorships.
MH: You had mentioned that Ridgeway was all residential plumbing—about 80% homes and townhouses, 20% apartments—how are both those markets in your area, and how do you see them in the short term?
KOZAN: While starts did begin to fall off a bit last year with the interest rate run-up, things are still quite strong on the homebuilding side. Many apartment projects have been getting delayed or canceled, and it may take a year or so for things to stabilize there. Still, we remain quite bullish on housing in general, and in particular the residential market in Florida. It’s all about demographics.
MH: What are some of your top concerns as the president of a large plumbing company in 2024? How are you handling it?
KOZAN: Housing demand is not going away, so our primary mission is twofold—build our market share to get all the work we can handle, and continue to improve operationally so we can better handle all the work that we get.
MH: What do you feel have been some of your top successes over the past few years?
KOZAN: Actually, ever since the Great Recession we have invested heavily in our technology and information systems. Our entire business operates on a fully integrated operational software package developed by our IT staff in-house. Our proprietary system and apps are designed to address the unique needs of a large volume residential trade contractor—including scheduling, document management, logistics, reporting, quality inspection, as well as payroll and accounting.
Additionally, the major piping systems in every single one of our homes and apartment buildings are computer designed and fabricated, resulting in accuracy, consistency, and timely installation—critical in fast-paced housing construction.
MH: Over the last few years, we’ve been hearing about the Infrastructure Bill. Was Ridgeway able to “tap” into any federal money?
KOZAN: Not directly applicable to our markets, but better roads and infrastructure is always welcome to handle the strong influx of population growth we’re experiencing throughout Florida.
The premier HVAC, plumbing, and electrical consulting company’s courses will provide executable, winning strategies to improve distribution sales performance Business Development Resources (BDR), a trusted provider of business coaching and training services for the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical industries, announces the return of the popular Territory Manager Consulting Skills Series, designed to help distribution sales professionals transform Read more
The premier HVAC, plumbing, and electrical consulting company’s courses will provide executable, winning strategies to improve distribution sales performance
Business Development Resources (BDR), a trusted provider of business coaching and training services for the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical industries, announces the return of the popular Territory Manager Consulting Skills Series, designed to help distribution sales professionals transform from simple order taker to valuable business resource for their customers.
“The focus of the Territory Manager Consulting Skills Series is to help managers deliver actionable consulting advice, from lead retention and conversion to increasing profit margins,” said Matt MacArthur, Sr. Vice President of Training at BDR. “Consumer expectations for home service providers are growing yearly, and this series equips managers with the skills to help contractors develop winning tactics. These strategies can help home service companies execute effectively, provide the highest quality of service, and foster more revenue opportunities for their businesses.”
Kicking off in February 2025, the Territory Manager Consulting Skills Series provides new and experienced territory managers with the tools to enhance the customer experience by offering business guidance and advice. Led by former top-performing territory managers, the series helps position attendees as trusted consultants to their customers, covering topics such as:
- Adding a Retail Sales Person: Feb. 12, 2025
- Pricing a Job Correctly: May 7, 2025
- The Art of Consumer Financing: Aug. 19, 2025
- Improving Contractors’ Success with Leads: Nov. 20, 2025
“Territory managers play a vital role in the success of their clients,” MacArthur said. “They are extended team members that drive success, and by improving their expertise, they can provide better service and measurable results. BDR’s upcoming schedule will provide managing partners the opportunity to create best practices that can be leveraged for scalable growth in 2025 and beyond.”
To register or for more information about BDR’s Territory Manager Consulting Skills Series, visit https://www.bdrco.com/territory-manager-consulting-skills-series/.
https://vimeo.com/1038401163 Welcome back to our weekly update. Another Friday the 13th? Oooph. I hope everyone gets through the day without any black cats, walking under ladders, you know the drill. What are you superstitious about? We hope you have a great day, nonetheless. On this update, we’ll talk heat pump water heaters, the effects of Read more
Welcome back to our weekly update. Another Friday the 13th? Oooph. I hope everyone gets through the day without any black cats, walking under ladders, you know the drill. What are you superstitious about? We hope you have a great day, nonetheless. On this update, we’ll talk heat pump water heaters, the effects of potential tariffs from the new president, and our new podcasts.