In an industry where mergers and acquisitions often get a bad reputation, it’s important to recognize the cases where the merging of two companies is of the best interest of each party and their respective customer bases. This was on full display in 2019 when two longstanding PVF product suppliers decided to merge into one powerhouse.

Writing this column I am just getting home from my first-ever trip to Chicago. While I was there — on Thursday, Nov. 10 — the city recorded a record high temperature for that time of year at 76° F. This was great news for a born and bred North Carolinian who doesn’t fare well in temps below about 50°. Now, the culprit behind these record-setting temps — global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions — isn’t such great news, but it is one our industry is actively working to address (check out the story on geothermal trends and decarbonization in this issue for more information there).

There is an old wives tale that bumblebees should not be able to fly. According to aerodynamics, their wings are much too small in relation to their body size to move them through the air. Bees, ignorant to these laws of science, manage to defy the odds and fly every single day.

While it may feel like the other side of the world, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have lasting effects — including sparking the European Union’s hasty transition to energy independence. In May, the EU announced a $300 billion roadmap to ditch Russian energy — mainly oil and gas. The EU said it would slash consumption of Russian gas by 66% by the end of the year, and break its dependence completely by 2027 by saving energy, finding alternate sources and speeding up the transition to renewables, according to ABC News.

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.

The Southwest Pacific Distributors, a region of ASA, held its annual SWPD Awards Dinner in Long Beach, California on Oct. 6.

ASA recently attended the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) Technical Membership Meeting as part of IAPMO’s annual conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Over the years, there have been plenty of occasions where I have been overwhelmed/flooded with material provided to me on subjects I have written about.

This is a good thing because it tends to reinforce that person’s already known prominence/level of reverence in their particular vocation/walk of life.

The company’s newest BRG is VALOR, which stands for Veterans and Allies Leading Organization Results, and was launched last year. The group is comprised of more than 800 associates who are former military service members, active-duty service members, military spouses and partners, and allies.

Just before the October recess, ASA Government Affairs Director Steve Rossi headed to Capitol Hill for discussions focused on water quality, as well as supply chain and small business issues.