American Valve Sponsors Shriners Celebrity Golf Classic
American ValveCEO Fred Guterman and his son, Seth, company president, have sponsored the Shriners Celebrity Golf Classic for the past nine years. The event pairs attendees with NFL alumni and other sports celebrities to help support the Shriners Hospitals for Children.The Gutermans got involved when they were told the story of an infant who was burned by scalding water from a bathtub faucet and died as a result. The child’s grandfather was so impressed with the care from The Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati that he started an annual charity fund-raiser to show his gratitude.
So far, more than $3 million has been raised. This year’s tournament was held at NorthStone Country Club in Huntersville, NC. To learn more about American Valve/Shriners Celebrity Golf Classic, visitwww.americanvalve.com/shriners.
Playing in the 2011 Shriners Celebrity Golf Classic (pictured L-R): Roy Wagner,Supply House Times; Seth Guterman, American Valve; Demontti Dawson, Pittsburgh Steelers; John Makarchuk, M.A. Stewart & Sons; and Craig Pickering, Modern Niagara Mechanical.
Liberty Pumps Visits The Grand Ole Opry
Liberty Pumpsrecently held its national sales meeting at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. The meeting was attended by more than 100 sales people and included representative agencies from both the U.S. and Canada. The meeting highlighted new products, provided hands-on training demonstrations and an awards ceremony recognizing top agencies for their outstanding performance in 2010. The final day concluded with a social event at the Grand Ole Opry featuring the Charlie Daniels Band as the closing act.
Marty Davidson, owner and Chairman of Southern Pipe and Supply Co.
Southern Pipe's Marty Davidson Gets Ellis Island Medal of Honor
Marty Davidson, owner and Chairman ofSouthern Pipe and Supply Co.(Meridian, MS), joined entertainer Jerry Lewis and other Ellis Island Medals of Honor recipients May 7 at a pre-gala reception hosted by the National Ethnic Coalition at The Ritz Carlton New York, Battery Park.Davidson, a former president of the Southern Wholesalers Association, said he was honored to participate in the 25th Anniversary of the Ellis Island Medals Of Honor ceremony. Each year since 1986, NECO has sponsored the Ellis Island Medals of Honor. The program pays tribute to the ancestry groups that comprise America’s culture.
Louis Davidson, Marty Davidson’s Russian grandfather, came to the United States in the early 1900s, and started a company in Meridian, called St. Louis Junk Co. In addition to junk, the company started selling secondhand bathtubs.
In 1938, Louis Davidson, with his two sons, Sammie and Meyer, and a secretary opened Southern Pipe and Supply Co. to distribute plumbing supplies. Today, Southern Pipe and Supply is a privately held plumbing supply house with 93 branches and 60 showrooms in seven states. In 2002, Jay Davidson, Marty’s son, was named president of Southern Pipe, thus becoming the fourth generation of Davidsons to lead the company.
LA-CO Awards Contest Winners
Earlier this year,LA-CO Industriesheld The Great American TV Giveaway for distributors and plumbing contractors who purchased LA-CO products, including its Slic-tite paste. Grand prize winners Jim and Bud Porter of Porter Pipe and Supply (Addison, IL), and Jason Grawe of Good Samaritan Lakota were awarded flat screen TVs, while Best Buy gift card recipients included Brian Evans of Express Pipe and Supply (Santa Monica, CA), Beth Feldman of Schimberg Co. and Glenn Davis of Plumber’s Supply (New Bedford, MA). The installer winners were Charles, McGregor, Raymon Coughenour and Jerald McCalmant. Pictured (L-R): Dave Schumacher, Purchasing, Porter Pipe; Bob Benacka, National Sales Manager, LA-CO; Stephanie Porter, PR/Marketing, Porter Pipe; Daniel Bellezzo, Principal, Kast Marketing; Jim Porter, President, Porter Pipe.
