B&K Features

Find your seat at the table: Meet BDA's Kelsey Richter

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 23:00:00 -0400

Battersby Danielson Azbell (BDA) in Westfield, Indiana, is a unique firm in the PHCP-PVF industry, as CEO Bob Danielson, Kelsey Richter's father, did not want it to be a family business. Richter, who worked at a Marriott front desk, spent months trying to get a job at BDA after being approached by Showroom Manager Sue Hayes.

KBIS 2025 slated to be largest show in history

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from February 25-27, featuring over 670 exhibitors and showcasing innovative, sustainable products. KBIS 2025 is slated to be the largest show in history.

Inside the Winsupply family of showrooms

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Winsupply, based in Dayton, Ohio, has been a leader in PHCP-PVF distribution since 1956, offering entrepreneurs opportunities for ownership supported by a strong network. With over 170 decorative plumbing showrooms nationwide, the company’s culture emphasizes local ownership and personal investment, fostering a strong commitment to reputation and community values.

The battle for luxury bathroom and kitchen spaces still rages

jwvals@gmail.com (Jeff Valles) — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 12:00:00 -0500

Our mission, should we choose to accept it? Help them redirect their supervillain vanilla vision to letting professionals create their worthy spaces.

Unmasking the hidden schemes and opportunities of the decorative plumbing network

jwvals@gmail.com (Jeff Valles) — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0400

The interior designer or the plumber. Who holds the key to a larger share of the decorative market?

Kitchen & Bath remodel demand hampered, but not for long

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Highest income tier households are less sensitive to mortgage rates and continue investing in luxury kitchen and bath remodels. Only 14 percent of funding sources for kitchen and bath repair and remodel (R&R) projects were tied to rates for these households, with annual household income greater than $160,000.

Supply House Times Profile: LIXIL's Trey Northrup

Tue, 09 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Late last year, LIXIL made headlines when it announced the acquisition of Basco, a U.S.-based shower door manufacturing company. The acquisition represents an important step in LIXIL’s growth strategy in the Americas region, the company said. Recently at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke had a chance to sit down with Trey Northrup, leader of LIXIL Americas, to discuss the company’s outlook following the acquisition, the current labor shortage, and the pitfalls of sanitation access and LIXIL’s LPP program, a global initiative aimed at tackling America’s sanitation challenges through public and private sector partnerships.

Tips for boosting your online brand

Tue, 09 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

We have all heard of Google and likely search it daily for many things…but are you using it to attract and maintain business? If your customers can’t find you online, they may wind up taking their business elsewhere. Today’s customer realizes that time is money and e-commerce trumps phoning in orders. Separately, if potential customers don’t know you exist, or can’t easily contact you, then growing your business becomes considerably harder. One of the top reasons people get frustrated with a brand is when they are unable to locate a phone number or email to get in touch.

Stephanie Porter Bodziach: Five ways to fuel your creativity

Mon, 08 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

In writing this column month after month, I recognize that while marketing insights and tips are helpful for many, a handful of folks don’t have the desire (or the time) to join in on their business’ marketing efforts. With this in mind, I wanted to think and “write outside the box” to focus on a topic applicable and relevant to all industry professionals and marketers alike. This topic is CREATIVITY.

Manufacturers stepping up to meet institutional plumbing needs

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Inbound marketing program helps DPHA members gather digital leads

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400

In April of 2022, ShowroomMarketing.com and The Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Association (the DPHA) agreed to put in motion an online-based, business development program for the residential plumbing distribution world.

When service matters: Mid-State Supply celebrates 75 years

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Canadian company brings first recirculating shower to U.S. market

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Case Study: Lee Supply showroom avoids breaking through concrete to install drainage for working display

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 17:00:00 -0500

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.

A champion for the wholesale channel: InSinkErator's Rebecca Falish

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0500

The plumbing industry is full of rock star individuals. People that go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure their peers and the people coming in behind them have a better industry than what it was before. InSinkErator’s Rebecca Falish is the epitome of an industry rock star. In fact, to hear retired InSinkErator Vice President Joe Maiale say it, Falish “is a rock star turned superstar,” in the industry.

Meet 10 Influential PHCP-PVF Women

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Although it has a reputation of being a male-dominated industry, the PHCP-PVF supply chain is full of impactful women. Celebrating Women’s History Month, Supply House Times is highlighting 10 influential women who are leading the industry to great success.

State of the showroom

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0500

The most recent National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Market Outlook Report projects 2023 bath and kitchen revenue will reach $162.4 billion, a 14% decrease when compared to the previous year. With potential recessionary pressure, high mortgage rates and a cooling residential housing market, Supply House Times chatted with a few showroom professionals from around the country to gauge what’s expected in the 2023 showroom sector.

NKBA reaches new milestones

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500

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.

Rise in outdoor living spaces brings opportunity for plumbing pros

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0500

To demonstrate just how popular these outdoor home additions have become, Saniflo USA explored the internet, surveying search and social media metrics. The company found that the outdoor kitchen trend inspires over 49,500 monthly Google searches of the keyword 'outdoor kitchen' in the United States alone. In addition, 558,000 posts use #outdoorkitchen on Instagram. Outdoor bathroom receives 2,900 monthly Google searches in the United States, and 11,000 posts use #outdoorkitchen on Instagram.

NKBA releases 2023 Design Trends Report

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0400

The survey showed that designers’ client pool continues to be mostly older, mainly Gen X and Boomers. However, there is a growing Millennial client base that is gaining momentum. In fact, 17 percent of respondents said they are designing more for this group than any other, nearly double what it was in 2020.

Bath & kitchen market outlook

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400

According to the 2022 Kitchen and Bath Market Outlook, conducted by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), full-year industry revenues are expected to reach $199 billion by the end of 2022.

Jeff Valles: Drill down sales

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400

In a quiet home or company office, away from the hustle and bustle of a busy 21st-century decorative showroom, a knowledgeable salesperson will dig into their knowledge of today’s market, the designer’s style filtered through their meeting notes to create the total schedule.

Second Quarter Codes Update

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400

There have been strong collaborative efforts by various industry associations, including ACCA, ASA, ASHRAE, HARDI, PHCC and others.

Scenes from the 2022 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0400

The Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) wrapped it’s first in-person show in two years. The combined strengths of the NKBA and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), continuing their nine-year partnership to produce Design and Construction Week (DCW), brought forth the first and one of the largest in-person events since the beginning of the pandemic.

Supply House Times Top 20 products of 2021

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Each year, Supply House Times editors receive thousands of product releases from industry manufacturers. The 20 products highlighted here have earned the distinction of being PM’s Top Products of 2021 based on the number of page views on supplyht.com. Congratulations to those products on this year’s list.

KBIS returns to Orlando for first in-person show since 2020

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0500

More than 600 kitchen and bath exhibitors use KBIS/IBS to showcase the latest product technology and design trends to the tens of thousands of designers, dealers, architects, showrooms, builders and remodelers who attend the show. For the first time since 2018, DCW is returning to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida this February 8-10.

Use of tankless water heaters continues to blossom in nonresidential applications

mmiazga@asa.net (Mike Miazga) — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Water heater manufacturer Rinnai America Corp. has been working for the last three years with a state department of corrections to upgrade the water heating systems in five prison facilities. This initiative, Jason Tuttle, Rinnai America’s commercial business manager for the North Central region, notes, had a goal to increase the facility’s overall efficiencies.

Showroom display trends: Less is more

forstern@bnpmedia.com (Natalie Forster) — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0500

There’s a shift happening in showrooms, and experts say it’s not about competing with the internet, it’s about offering an experience that can’t be matched by online shopping.

Jeff Valles: Expand your conference schedule

jwvals@gmail.com (Jeff Valles) — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0400

The DPHA conference actually shuts down its exhibit hall during the speaker and roundtable meetings, allowing every attendee the ability to participate and network. The vendors know the conference schedule offers ample time for their customers to see their new products. They also understand that face-time away from others outside the exhibit hall is important in building stronger vendor-distributor relationships.

Why you should stock green plumbing products

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0400

With the cultural shift in consumer needs moving from Boomers to Millennials and Gen Z, not only will there be a higher demand for a variety of options but there will also be an increase in wanting more knowledge around what's being installed.