Rinnai America Corporation, a leading North American manufacturer of innovative, energy-efficient tankless water heaters, has announced an organizational change to position itself for growth in the commercial business segment. The newly formed team will be led by James ‘Woody’ Woodruff who was recently promoted to Vice President of Commercial Business and is a member of Read more
water heating
Rinnai America Corporation, a leading North American manufacturer of innovative, energy-efficient tankless water heaters, has announced an organizational change to position itself for growth in the commercial business segment. The newly formed team will be led by James ‘Woody’ Woodruff who was recently promoted to Vice President of Commercial Business and is a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team.
The announcement comes after significant product launches focused on the commercial segment including its most recent introduction of Rinnai Commercial Boilers, a full line of wall hung and floor standing commercial grade boilers ranging up to one million BTUs. The new organizational structure includes a dedicated commercial heating and water heating sales team, a team of engineers specializing in system designs, and an operations team focused on supporting the company’s national account business.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to take on this new leadership role at Rinnai as we continue to focus on developing and expanding our product and service offering in the commercial segment,” said Woodruff. “We have a great team in place and are ready to aggressively pursue new growth opportunities.”
“Woody has a solid track record of developing and executing strategies to grow in the commercial segment,” said Frank Windsor, President of Rinnai America. “Under his leadership we are well positioned to grow our commercial market share in the North American market.
Woodruff joined Rinnai in 2017 as Director of Commercial Sales and was later promoted to Senior Director of Commercial. Prior to joining Rinnai, Woodruff held sales leadership positions with other well-known organizations including Rheem and Kohler Company. He earned his undergraduate degrees from Western Carolina University and Florida State University and earned his MBA from Auburn University.
https://vimeo.com/1063068523 On this week’s update, we’ll talk U.S. infrastructure and what the current state of that looks like, World Plumbing Day, we’ll feature some of our AHR visits and a new contractor spotlight with Shawn Ziegler, Accurate Mechanical out of Lancaster, Ohio. Plus, we’ll talk new, weekly podcasts. Oh, and I almost forgot, Gate Lice Read more
On this week’s update, we’ll talk U.S. infrastructure and what the current state of that looks like, World Plumbing Day, we’ll feature some of our AHR visits and a new contractor spotlight with Shawn Ziegler, Accurate Mechanical out of Lancaster, Ohio. Plus, we’ll talk new, weekly podcasts. Oh, and I almost forgot, Gate Lice.
For one lakeside condo, hot water isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity. The unit serves dual purposes: a recreational retreat for its owners and a rental property for guests. That means hot water needs to be dependable, ensuring comfort for everyone, every time. When the new owners of the condo purchased the property, one of Read more
For one lakeside condo, hot water isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity. The unit serves dual purposes: a recreational retreat for its owners and a rental property for guests. That means hot water needs to be dependable, ensuring comfort for everyone, every time.
When the new owners of the condo purchased the property, one of the first orders of business was to have a whole-unit inspection prior to completing the transaction. What the inspector found was that while running the water throughout the condo, the water ran hot after only a few minutes of use, making its way for turning the shower into what is essentially known as a cold-water sandwich, and nobody wants to experience that.
After further “inspection,” the culprit was a nearly 30-year-old water heater, which—in terms of water heater life—had made a really strong run. But it was time. Time to replace with a similar unit in terms of reliability. “We were so impressed with the longevity and durability of the existing water heater, we decided to swap the unit out with a nearly identical one, with new and improved features,” said the condo owner. “If we can get even similar or even better performance out of the new unit, we’d be extremely happy.”
The upgrade included the swap out of an aged State Courier 510 unit with a residential 48-gallon State ProLine Lowboy Electric Water Heater, which is a residential product built to commercial-grade standards, and is only available for purchase through professional wholesalers and contractors.
As one might imagine, for a one-bedroom condo, space is at a premium, and you guessed it, the mechanical space resides in a small storage closet, which makes it ideal for a low-profile unit with top mount access. Due to the size of the working mechanical space, and because all appliances in the condo run on electric, the choice was simple.
Because the ProLine’s compact lowboy design and top water connections, it was ideal for this tight space. The installation—with a cramped working area and low-height clearance—was seamless for the local plumbing contractor. But the real advantage? The ProLine’s advanced features which include:
- Consistent hot water delivery with a first-hour rating of 60 gallons
- High efficiency with a 0.93 Uniform Energy Factor (UEF) rating
- Commercial-grade durability, featuring a long-lasting lower Incoloy stainless steel element
- State’s industry-leading tank protection, including:
- CoreGard™ stainless steel anode rod
- Blue Diamond® glass lining for corrosion resistance
- DynaClean™ automatic sediment-cleaning system to extend tank life
And while the previous State unit lasted for more than a quarter of a century, the condo owners have the peace of mind knowing that with dual 4,500-watt heating elements, the ProLine delivers powerful, reliable hot water—ensuring no more cold-water surprises. And with State’s 6-year limited tank and parts warranty, the condo owners also can rest easy knowing their investment is protected.
Finally, because the residential ProLine unit was a recently swapped in, the condo owners have had somewhat limited use, but are extremely satisfied with the hot water production. The owners are confident in the ProLine—in the end, it was the reliable choice when looking to maximize hot water output while seeking energy savings. “We’ve used it multiple times, and BOOM! There is no better feeling knowing that we, and our renters, will have consistent hot water and comfort while bathing or showering,” said the condo owner.
Atlanta—Celebrating a century of excellence, innovation, and ingenuity, Rheem®, a leader in the water heating and HVAC/R industry, with manufacturing facilities in 88 countries, will showcase the culmination of 100 years of engineering at the 2025 AHR Expo. Rheem’s family of 50 global brands — including Rheem Heating & Cooling, Rheem Water Heating, Eemax®, Friedrich®, HTPG®, IBC™, Nordyne®, and Raypak® — will present Read more
Atlanta—Celebrating a century of excellence, innovation, and ingenuity, Rheem®, a leader in the water heating and HVAC/R industry, with manufacturing facilities in 88 countries, will showcase the culmination of 100 years of engineering at the 2025 AHR Expo. Rheem’s family of 50 global brands — including Rheem Heating & Cooling, Rheem Water Heating, Eemax®, Friedrich®, HTPG®, IBC™, Nordyne®, and Raypak® — will present a range of dependable, cutting-edge, and environmentally friendly product options designed for commercial and residential use.
Rheem CEO Chris Peel, joined by the company’s customers, partners, and employees, kicked off this major milestone event. As hundreds of attendees rallied together to toast to 100 years, Peel unveiled Rheem’s newly launched brand evolution, “Engineered for Life.” Synonymous with remarkable, reliable, and resilient products designed for everyday life, the branding update reflects Rheem’s 100-year legacy. With more than 500 active patents, in addition to revolutionary products, Rheem is known for a century of strong, meaningful collaboration with customers and partners.
Um, yeah. With Trump ready to assume the role of President for his second term, albeit not consecutively, other than the renaming the Gulf of America, how much can we “read the room” as to changes in policies, rhetoric or general feeling moving forward to things that relate to the PHVAC industry? We recently caught Read more
Um, yeah. With Trump ready to assume the role of President for his second term, albeit not consecutively, other than the renaming the Gulf of America, how much can we “read the room” as to changes in policies, rhetoric or general feeling moving forward to things that relate to the PHVAC industry? We recently caught with Mark Velentini, VP of Legislative Affairs at the PHCC-National Association, and Charles White, VP Regulatory Affairs at the PHCC-National Association—affectionately known as the “Chuck & Mark Show” by the PHCC—as they have their finger on the pulse of DC.
MH: We can kind of gauge what sort of policies/governance may come out of Trump’s term based on his first term, but how do you think the second time around will affect the plumbing industry in general?
Mark Valentini
VALENTINI: A Republican Congress and administration will bode well on energy policy as PHCC members confront bans and restrictions on natural gas connections and appliances across the country. This will also bode well for tax policy as certain provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 are set to expire which have been beneficial for many contractors, especially when considering Congress revisiting the corporate tax rate and potentially lowering it to 15% down from 21%.
MH: Does a more deregulated government mean more uphill battles for water/energy efficiency?
Charles White
WHITE: I think the previous Trump Administration showed us uphill battles when agencies were directed to create exempt categories like small cycle dishwashers and such. It is likely that the second Trump Administration will take these actions to the next level by moving to rewrite the underlying legislation. Having said that, the efficiency efforts will then move to the progressive states rather than being federal actions, we will probably not see much regression to less efficient standards and the high population states like California and New York will likely drive the industry to higher efficiency products.
MH: Do you think there may be changes to things like the Inflation Reduction Act or Infrastructure Bill or is that pretty much hands off at this point?
VALENTINI: It is rather early to tell, IIJA has been around for some time now and may be hard to change. The IRA has so many parts, that makes it hard to consider in one piece. Tax credits like Section 25c could be pretty safe but the HOMES and HEARS Acts may not be as safe since they represent almost $9 billion.
WHITE: Most of HOMES and HEARS programs have yet to roll out which could make them a prime target but since they have a low- and moderate-income focus, there may be an optics issue to remove those acts. The issues are complicated, but PHCC has been cautiously supportive of the IRA since much of that program flows to plumbing and HVAC contractors.
MH: What is the climate from your constituency? In other words, what are you hearing about this new election cycle—positivity, negativity or a wait and see approach?
VALENTINI: Positivity but also wait and see. PHCC must be vigilant on workforce policy as the new government may reconsider industry-recognized apprenticeships which risk watering-down training by compartmentalizing it into credentialing—contractors need skilled workers with a holistic skillset, not workers who are certified in a handful of specific tasks.
MH: How do interest rates come into play here?
VALENTINI: Lower interest rates bode well for real estate, which in turn bodes well for new construction, service, and remodeling work.
MH: From what I recall, Trump’s 1st term was pro-trades? Do you have any indication this will continue?
WHITE: While President Trump’s first term had support from the trade’s rank and file, the Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Rule received more negative public comments than perhaps any other rule. Those negative comments came overwhelmingly from those same rank and file workers. Polling data throughout the election shows that the President-elect enjoyed substantial support from skilled blue-collar workers, but his future actions must support their jobs in the workforce.
MH: Does anything change on the union front?
VALENTINI: That’s a sensitive question. I would venture to say that Teamsters and other labor groups that withheld endorsements are reading the room when it comes to their rank-and-file.
MH: Please give examples of any changes/addendums/eliminations to specific policies moving forward, if applicable. (i.e. Clean Water Act)
VALENTINI: We can expect to see legislation on tax reform and energy in the new Congress. Tight margins particularly in the House will require all Republicans to be on board to pass anything.
WHITE: It is possible that the new administration will review regulations that are currently in litigation, like the residential gas furnace rule, and perhaps decide to pull back those rules for revisions. This could also affect decisions on whether to appeal adverse court rulings such as the recent ruling against the DOL Overtime Rule.