After 56 years of significant expansion and growth, the Abeling family has transitioned 100% of the company’s total ownership to all the employees of the company through a qualified retirement plan known as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (or ESOP). All eligible employees will be granted shares of Company stock each year, at no cost, allowing them to earn ownership over time through their service to the company and accumulate tax-deferred retirement wealth. Consumers Pipe & Supply Co. joins a group of elite 100% employee-owned companies across the U.S.  

Within the American Supply Association, the Emerging Leaders division offers up-and-coming professionals in the industry the ability to network with their peers from around the country as well as educational benefits to help them grow in their careers. Considered the leaders of tomorrow, it is paramount to the success of the industry that this group grow and continue to cultivate the skills learned from participating in Emerging Leaders.

In 1992, I self-published a thick book I called, "The Lost Art of Steam Heating." I did this because I could not get a publisher interested in something that few, if any, contractors had installed since the 1930s. I thought it would do well in New York City, where there are still plenty of steam-heated buildings, but to my delight, we sold tens of thousands of copies everywhere, and even in Hawaii. Go figure.

In October, Coburn’s honored General Manager Bill Geyser who retired after 46 years of service with the company. With Bill's retirement and with the continued growth of Coburn's, the company has made changes to its personnel and leadership in the Southwest Louisiana and Texas markets, taking effect immediately.

ASA’s monthly sales report shows November 2021 results that reflect another month of robust performance compared to the same month a year ago. The year-to-date and trailing 12-month figures remained strong when compared against 2020, a year that had multiple weeks, if not months of closures or partial closures, ASA business intelligence partner Industry Insights, which produces the monthly sales report for ASA members, noted.

The Gustave A. Larson Co. announced it closed on the purchase of Progress Supply, Inc. (PSI), on December 17, 2021. Progress Supply is a long-time established and successful multi-location HVAC and Refrigeration distribution company in central and southwestern Ohio, southeast Indiana and northern Kentucky.

Founded in 1922 as Lebanon Plumbing Supply, APR Supply Co. is now guided by third generation owner, President and CEO Scott Weaver. Since its inception, APR Supply Co. has grown from a single location to 39 branches and 9 Oasis Kitchen and Bath Showrooms throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

On Dec. 7, 2021, more than 27,000 customers of Amazon Web Services (AWS) — which includes Ring Security Cameras, Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, Facebook, Venmo and more— experienced site outages, slow streaming or complete shut-offs of services. The outage also affected Amazon’s ability to deliver on its usually two-day shipping promise and delayed updates for customers.

There are certain world/U.S. events that you can recall exactly where you were when they happened. The first in my upbringing was the attempted assassination of President Reagan. I was walking up to our front porch after getting off the school bus when my mom told me about it. The Space Shuttle tragedy: I was in school that day. If my memory serves correctly, we had a grainy TV on that was on one of those huge school AV carts.

ELEVATE2022 is loaded with education and networking opportunities. Highlights include a tour of Zoeller Pump’s Louisville headquarters, plus educational sessions with Michelle Villalobos (How to “Sell” with Grace, Ease & Flow), Kathleen Hoye (How to Keep “Family” Part of Family Business), Janine Driver (You Say More Than You Think: Leadership, Sales & Communications Secrets for Affinity and Success) and Kristen Hawley (Self-Kindness is Self-Care).