The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) had a monumental year in 2022. It kicked off with the first in-person Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) event since 2020. Additionally, in October, NKBA moved from Hackettstown, New Jersey to its brand new headquarters in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 

The locations, formerly The Wallace Organization – currently service local HVAC, Plumbing and Hydronics contractors, and hosts a kitchen and bath showroom. The new branches, located in Vineland, Bridgeton, and Ocean City will expand APR’s service area in southern New Jersey. 

The new facility has expanded our services to the plumbing, waterworks, on-site sewer, water, and well, HVAC, and electrical needs in this growing area.

In an industry where mergers and acquisitions often get a bad reputation, it’s important to recognize the cases where the merging of two companies is of the best interest of each party and their respective customer bases. This was on full display in 2019 when two longstanding PVF product suppliers decided to merge into one powerhouse.

Writing this column I am just getting home from my first-ever trip to Chicago. While I was there — on Thursday, Nov. 10 — the city recorded a record high temperature for that time of year at 76° F. This was great news for a born and bred North Carolinian who doesn’t fare well in temps below about 50°. Now, the culprit behind these record-setting temps — global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions — isn’t such great news, but it is one our industry is actively working to address (check out the story on geothermal trends and decarbonization in this issue for more information there).

There is an old wives tale that bumblebees should not be able to fly. According to aerodynamics, their wings are much too small in relation to their body size to move them through the air. Bees, ignorant to these laws of science, manage to defy the odds and fly every single day.

While it may feel like the other side of the world, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have lasting effects — including sparking the European Union’s hasty transition to energy independence. In May, the EU announced a $300 billion roadmap to ditch Russian energy — mainly oil and gas. The EU said it would slash consumption of Russian gas by 66% by the end of the year, and break its dependence completely by 2027 by saving energy, finding alternate sources and speeding up the transition to renewables, according to ABC News.

Vistage, the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organization for small and midsize business leaders, honored APR Supply Co. President and CEO Scott Weaver for 15 years of membership.

Fulton Bank, with its own rich history, having opened its doors in 1882, recently recognized APR Supply Co. for 100 years in business, 75 of which the two have partnered in business. 

With the end of the year swiftly approaching, many wholesalers are in the position to reflect on their current operations and evaluate new business opportunities.