Articles by Natalie Forster

One thing I love about this industry is how eager and willing most individuals are to recognize peers, partners and co-workers for their outstanding work and commitment to the industry. It is evident every time one of our award stories is deployed, when we publish anniversary stories or even other news items like grand openings. People like, comment and share their congratulations for the companies recognized; it’s my favorite part of posting those types of articles online and on social media.

 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.

With each passing year that the American Supply Association (ASA) Women in Industry Division holds it’s ELEVATE conference, it becomes more and more evident than the strength and representation of women in the PHCP-PVF supply chain is growing — much like the division itself.

The U.S. is currently experiencing the largest nursing staff shortage in history with no end in sight. Affecting health care facilities, nursing homes and assisted living facilities alike, lack of resources, ongoing patient care challenges, health and sanitation concerns along with simply being overworked, are all factors fueling this nursing shortage.

With distributors now offering same and next-day delivery, online ordering and more value-add services than ever before, it’s sometimes hard to picture the humble beginnings many independent distribution businesses started from. For Craig Norlin, co-owner of Wautoma, Wisconsin-based Mid-State Supply, it’s not difficult to recall at all; he remembers his father — Austin Norlin — delivering product out of the family’s station wagon with a four-wheel farm wagon towing behind in the 1960s.

On Feb. 1, NIBCO announced it has acquired Matco-Norca and its subsidiary SVF Flow Controls.

In 2022 more the 4 million people left their jobs each month in the U.S. This ongoing mass exodus was coined “The Great Resignation” in 2021 by Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management at University College of London. The Great Resignation was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the way it changed how people think about how, when, where and why they go to work. Klotz recently told CNBC Make It that he expects quitting and company turnover to slow down in 2023 — hopefully good news for businesses nationwide struggling to staff their companies.

When you think warehouse safety, you think of safe handling of forklifts, heavy materials, chemicals, fall prevention and so on. While these things are always a top priority, safety in the workplace has ventured down new avenues over the past several years.

Sustainability and water conservation were two of the main trends seen at the 2023 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas earlier this year. One Canadian-based company is tackling water efficiency starting with the top water guzzling appliance in the home — the shower.

Since 1949, Lee Supply has provided the highest-quality plumbing, HVAC, water treatment, appliances, lighting products and services to customers throughout the Midwest. Whether providing the newest products or implementing the latest technologies, Lee Supply prides itself on a willingness and ability to adapt, putting them at the forefront of innovation.