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In the 1980s, homeowners, builders and designers would walk into these new-fangled decorative plumbing showrooms and be wowed by all the sparkle and style. And as pretty as it all looked, these design leaders had no idea exactly what they were looking at. Sure, they saw fancy faucets but they had no idea how to layout, buy and install a “decorative bathroom”. Prior to decorative showrooms all that was only handled by the plumber. Who was going to help them navigate this new world.

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

Company training leaders and trainers come from many backgrounds with varying levels of learning and development experience. While not all have degrees in L&D, they most certainly have a passion for helping others to grow.

With the unemployment rate at its lowest level in decades, employers across the nation continue to struggle staffing their companies with high-quality talent.

For many, the term “hot work” might conjure up an image of a vast mill, where molten ore is ever present in vats, being poured into casting molds amidst a shower of sparks and extreme radiant heat. Or perhaps one imagines a metal worker operating a plasma table cutting thick sheets of steel like a hot knife through butter. While these are definitely both examples of hot work, the term covers a much wider array of activities performed in varied work environments.

Advocacy is one of the pillars of the American Supply Association. When the association was founded more than 50 years ago, the need to advocate on behalf of the industry as a whole with a unified voice was paramount and the need remains today.

My first job in this business was to be a truck driver for an AC/Refrigeration wholesaler on Long Island. I didn’t have a car at the time, so I walked a mile to the branch and loaded a box truck, which I then drove 30 miles east to the branch where I would spend my days. Once there, I unloaded the transfer stock, reloaded for the local deliveries, and then drove off to learn about life.

COVID-19 may remain in the news but it did not stop people from attending the 2023 KBIS/IDS show in Las Vegas. In fact, early estimates set the attendance in excess of 100,000 enthusiasts. Now that’s a show!

Distributors help keep businesses running smoothly by ensuring they have the right items in the right place at the right time. And if you’re doing your job well, the public doesn’t even see you.

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.