Dems Oppose Obama On Energy Policy

Democratic lawmakers took the lead in challenging two controversial Administration energy policies -- shutting off funding for Nevada's Yucca Mountain nuclear waste despository, and using the Clean Air Act to police carbon dioxide emissions by industry.

The Yucca Mountain site is considered key to a revival of nuclear energy in the U.S., something the Obama Administration seems to otherwise support following the recent announcement of an $8 billion DOE loan guarantee for nuclear power plant construction.

Using the EPA to police carbon dioxide emissions is basically an end run around stalled cap-and-trade legislation that narrowly passed the House last year but has been stimied by bipartisan opposition in the Senate.

Manufacturing Leads The Way

Also of interest to manufacturers is this L.A. Times article describing the unexpectedly strong economic rebound of manufacturing in the U.S.

Owen Doss Goes To PAC Stainless
Owen Doss has joined PAC Stainless Ltd ., a supplier of stainless and alloy tubing in the U.S. and Canada with facilities in Seattle and Houston, where Doss is located. Formerly with Warren Alloy, Doss is a director of the PVF Roundtable and has over 30 years experience in the stainless and alloy industry. He will be responsible for sales to PVF distributors.

Scott Graham Joins Lasco Fittings
Scott Graham has been named Industrial Sales Manager for Lasco Fittings. He comes to Lasco Fittings from a 14-year career with BF Goodrich, Noveon and Lubrizol, where he served as an Account Manager and National Sales Manager. Prior to BF Goodrich, he represented several different industrial PVF distributors. His home office will be in Marietta, GA.

Corrosion Materials Promotes King, Fang
Corrosion Materials Inc. (Baker, LA) has promoted Michael King to General Manager.  He joined Corrosion Materials in October 2008 as National Sales Manager and Assistant General Manager after a 15-year career with Siskin Steel and Supply Co. Corrosion Materials also announced that Rita Fang has been named International Sales Manager. Fluent in Spanish, Chinese and English,  Fang was previously responsible for sales to South America and the Far East after joining Corrosion Materials in 2000. In addition, Corrosion Materials said that it has achieved ISO 9001:2008 recertification and has now maintained ISO certification for 18 years. The company specializes in stocking and processing a wide range of high nickel alloys for the processing industry.

Kitz Acquires Perrin
Japan-based Kitz Corp. has announced that it has completed the acquisition of PerrinGmbH . Founded in 1900 and headquartered in Nidderau, Germany near Frankfurt, Perrin manufactures a wide range of metal seated ball valves in sizes 1/2'to 24 in .and Class 150 to 2500 with temperature ranges from -320F to +1470F. Kitz Corp. of America will be responsible for sales and marketing of Perrin products throughout North and South America. 

Mikron Valve Acquired By PSB Industries
PSB Industries has concluded its acquisition of Mikron Valve & Manufacturing. Mikron's valves are used in the chemical, water, oil and gas industries. PSB is a designer and manufacturer of dehydration and purification equipment, and also specializes in the fabrication and assembly of specialized industrial products.

DDI Hosts Free Business-Building Webinar
DDI System's Adam Waller will be hosting a free webinar on Tuesday, March 23, at 1:00 p.m. EST titled "10 Ways to Accelerate Your Business." During this webinar, Adam will highlight the new innovations completed over the last year and how DDI's inform software continues to drive sales, efficiencies and success for thousands of distributors. To participate vist www.seeinform.com or call 800-599-4334.

Rietsema Promoted At SJE-Rhombus
Water and wastewater controls manufacturer SJE-Rhombus has promoted Scott Rietsema to Distributor Sales Manager for the U.S. and Canada. With 25 years of sales experience, Rietsema joined SJE-Rhombus in 2006 as Regional Sales Manager calling on customers throughout the central and northwest regions of the U.S. and Canada.

ASA Opposes Construction Health Care Angle 
The American Supply Association is among 26 organizations calling for the U.S. Senate to oppose any healthcare reform legislation that includes the controversial "construction industry provision." This provision passed in the Senate health care reform bill in late 2009 would apply the bill's coverage mandates exclusively to construction-related employers with five or more employees.

16 Things Your Lawyer Won't Tell You

Way back in 1984 I wrote an article for Plumbing & Mechanical magazine titled "42 Reasons Why I Hate Lawyers." I did not run out of reasons, I merely ran out of room.

The number has since grown to well into the thousands. This discussion adds 16 more.

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Tech Tip #42 by Gregg Marshall
To help you make the most of the Digital Age.

Capturing Audio

On my last flight, I was reading Business Week and a photo struck me. Somebody, don't remember who, was giving a comment and all the reporters weren't holding microphones or pocket tape recorders. They were holding tiny digital recorders.

I guess it shouldn't have surprised me, I've been using digital recorders for several years. My current recorder, an Olympus WS-110 (256 MB) sells for about $125. The Olympus WS-100 (64 MB) is less than $50. There are newer, larger capacity units available, (www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_vr_digitalrecorders.asp).

What's amazing is these recorders, not a whole lot larger than a stick of gum, can record between 6 and 60 hours of audio depending on whether you want stereo or monaural, high quality (roughly CD level) or just adequate. At the setting I use the most, high quality monaural, I get about 18 hours on my WS-110.

These recorders are handy for making quick notes to yourself before you get a chance to forget (and a whole lot safer than writing while driving), although there are times I wish they were waterproof for those brilliant ideas that come in the shower.

I am really impressed by how well these recorders work in a meeting. I've sat in a conference and gotten a very useable recording of a speaker without any special microphones or other equipment. I've also used them successfully in smaller meetings, just placing the inconspicuous recorder on the conference table. It makes taking notes even easier. There is a separate microphone input, which I've used to record speakers at conferences I have organized by connecting the recorder to the hotel sound system.

With the long recording time, I just set it up in the morning and in the evening turn it off. A free audio editor makes cutting out the dead air easy. When it's time to listen to the recordings, you can use the built-in speaker or snap the battery pack (they use a single AAA battery) off to expose a full size USB connector, which plugs right into your computer. You can copy the audio file and process it virtually any way you want.

A step up from the tiny Olympus recorders is the Samson Zoom H2, (www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1916 ). This compact unit can record onto SD cards in stereo up to 96 kHz, which is more than adequate for even low end music recording. And with 4 selectable microphones, you can point them virtually any direction, both front, both back, or one of each to make recording an interview in high quality easy. If you really want to go professional, the Samson H4n can record up to 4 channels with full size audio inputs or built in microphones.

Gregg Marshall, CPMR, CSP, is president of Rep Connection Inc. He can be reached by e-mail at gmarshall@repconnection.com, or visit his LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/greggmarshall.

What's The Industry Buzzing About?

• PVF Survey Documents Plunge In Business
• Group Calls For Halt To Tax Subsidies Of Rich Enviro Groups 
• Whole-House Corrugated Stainless Steel Gas Pipe