Famous Supply is mourning the loss of second-generation company chairman, Jay Blaushild. He passed away March 10 at the age of 88. Famous has lost a passionate leader, dear friend and an inspiring mentor. The industry has lost a humble man of exceptional character and integrity who carried on his father’s founding principles to be honest and do what you say you will do.

When a company doubles in size every five years, you know it’s doing something right. At least this is true for Lebanon, Pennsylvania-based APR Supply Co., as it’s celebrating this exponential growth as well as 100 years in business under three generations of family leadership.

A highlight of the group is its annual ELEVATE conference, which has become a crowd favorite, full of top-notch speakers, networking happy hours and fun evening events for the women. The last time ELEVATE was able to happen in person was in 2019 in San Diego, where turnout was at an all-time high and included 91 new attendees. ELEVATE was slated to take place in Charleston, South Carolina in April of 2020, but had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ASA and the Women in Industry executive council provided a virtual meeting in April of 2021, where attendees still gained access to great speakers, educational sessions and virtual networking. But after three years since an in-person ELEVATE conference, the Women in Industry division is itching to get back together.

As part of its centennial year celebration, APR Supply Co. has set the goal of their teammates giving back to the communities in which they conduct business by donating 100 Days’ worth of community service through an internal program called 100 Days of Giving.

January 2022 results of ASA’s monthly sales report reflect another month of robust performance compared to the same month a year ago, though most respondents reported declines in sales when compared to December 2021, noted Industry Insights, ASA’s business intelligence partner that prepares the report each month for ASA member distributors. 

One of the father-daughter activities myself and said daughter enjoy is listening to music on car rides, specifically anything in the 1970s-1980s genre. Apparently, my daughter is a teenager going on 40 years old. Her tastes range from The Carpenters to Twisted Sister and Vanilla Ice. Like father like daughter. As we were listening to a recent Motley Crue song, she indicated the band had a lot of hidden gems on B-sides of albums. Who would have known? That a today’s teenager knows what a B-side album is, now that’s impressive. “Too Young To Fall in Love” is one of my favorite underrated Crue songs, though I’m not sure if that was a B-sider or not.

SupplyHouse.com has made a $30,000 contribution to the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) Educational Foundation, plus provided another $30,000 in support for training and workforce development projects. 

PACE Supply has officially opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Medford, Oregon. This new opportunity allows PACE to broaden their service footprint as they join this new market, furthering their commitment of being the highest performing partner to their customers and vendor partners. 

According to a global supply chain report compiled by IHS Markit, delays and disruptions for manufacturers and deliveries is currently on a higher scale than ever recorded in the company’s more than 30 years of conducting Purchasing Manager Index’s (PMI) — monthly surveys of more than 40 economies worldwide. Distributors across the U.S. can vouch for that, as supply chain disruptions they endured throughout 2021 have yet to show signs of correction.

AD is reporting total 2021 member sales were $58.5 billion, a 30% increase from 2020, with purchases by member companies from AD supplier partners up 39% to $16.6 billion. Additionally, AD achieved a 49% increase in net distributions to its members, surpassing the $1 Billion milestone for the first time in the group’s 40-year history.