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.

The willingness to lift up industry peers was especially evident when we conducted our first-ever Next Gen All Star: Top 20 Under 40 feature last fall. The BNP Media Plumbing Group — Supply House Times, Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer —asked readers to nominate stand-out PHCP-PVF professionals to be recognized in the publications. We were blown away by the number of nominations and the positive response as the feature was published. It was clear out industry values the next generation of leaders.

For example, Richard Fox, northeast territory sales manager, Navien nominated Ben Fox, inside sales. Ferguson and had this to say about him:

“I believe Ben is a great example of what other career fields are in our industry. His technical experience has helped him realize the importance of understanding what your customers go through daily. The deep understanding of customers inspires an exceptional sense of urgency and attention to detail. Benjamin has a truly stellar work ethic and passion for doing the best possible job for his customers. I believe as an industry we should highlight all branches of our trade.”

Another great representative of a Next Gen All Star is Colin Twist, customer service/warehouse manager for Tim Morales & Associates. Jessica Kolaitis, vice president, operations for Tim Morales & Associates nominated Twist because, “He is always going the extra mile for our customers from helping them find an alternative for an out-of-stock product to making sure a product leaves our warehouse that day to help them out of a jam. Our customers trust him and know that he has their best interests in mind. In addition to his customer service duties, he runs our warehouse like a fine-tuned machine — shipping/receiving/inventory, you name it.”

Take a look at the full list of Supply House Times’ 2022 winners here.

We are excited to recognize another class of Next Gen All Stars this year. Nominations are open now through June 30. Anyone under 40 working in any aspect of the plumbing industry, including wholesalers, manufacturers, manufacturers’ reps, plumbers and pipefitters, contracting business owners, professional engineers and plumbing designers can be nominated.

Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase a hardworking, next-generation individual in the PHCP-PVF industry. Now more than ever, it is vital to shout from the rooftops what great people we have in this industry, giving those people the chance to share why they love their career here as well.