Viola, who previously served on the WPC executive board as deputy chair, carries nearly 30 years of senior management experience within the plumbing and mechanical industry.

The Uponor Experience Center will officially open to external audiences for tours and training in October 2023.

Watts Water Technologies – through its subsidiaries, a global manufacturer and provider of plumbing, heating and water quality products and solutions – announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bradley Corp. for $303 million, subject to customary adjustments. 

Every day, we receive promotional emails attempting to entice us to visit, shop and purchase branded products. Countless companies employ a "pushing, pushing, pushing" product approach, emphasizing style and price, hoping that one will motivate us to delve deeper. But, is that rare brand dive really enough? What are these mega brands are trying to “teach” us? The answer, my friends, lies at the bottom of email and on their home page. "Please visit our elegant store and let our talented design team help you create.”

The plumbing supply industry and our showrooms, as well as many re-distribution businesses, are run ERP systems that are based on the IBM AS/400 or DOS. Both originated in the 1980s. We are an industry that looks to shave pennies to scale and limit our operational invest. We live by “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and so we have gone for a millennia. But, the possibility of having a knowledgable consultant in our pocket might just change the way we employ computers in all facets of business.

 Any business hoping to stand out in a competitive marketplace needs to find the one or two things it can do better than everyone else. Now celebrating 75 years in business, Industrial Valco has spent the last decade perfecting the craft it is known for – delivery speed and inventory availability - while honing in on a unique niche in the commercial and industrial PVF distribution worlds – marketing and branding.

I have participated in both U.S. and international codes and standards development for over 40 years and, although the process can be cumbersome, and, yes, a bit frustrating, I believe in the basic principles of consensus and due process which are the foundation of all valid standards and codes development processes.

In the 1980s, homeowners, builders and designers would walk into these new-fangled decorative plumbing showrooms and be wowed by all the sparkle and style. And as pretty as it all looked, these design leaders had no idea exactly what they were looking at. Sure, they saw fancy faucets but they had no idea how to layout, buy and install a “decorative bathroom”. Prior to decorative showrooms all that was only handled by the plumber. Who was going to help them navigate this new world.

IMARK Plumbing recognized members and suppliers who achieved results and successfully participated within IMARK marketing programs. 

The TCB Manufacturing Excellence Awards recognize excellence in manufacturing related to product design and engineering, manufacturing processes, business operations, human capital, logistics and supply-chain management, local manufacturing, and/or product or niche uniqueness.