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Blaming the system is convenient. “It’s not intuitive.” “It doesn’t fit our workflow.” “It’s outdated.” Sound familiar? These are the exact excuses teams use to justify why nobody logs in, updates data, or follows through. But the truth is that even the simplest CRM, used daily, will outperform a fancy platform left untouched.

In plumbing, wholesalers are reporting price hikes of 15–35% across copper, steel, and PVC since the tariff chatter began. Distributors caught between rising supplier invoices and contractors reluctant to absorb increases face an unenviable choice: raise prices and risk losing volume, or protect customer relationships and watch margins evaporate.

The Stuarts Draft plant is capable of producing 3,085 different SKUs and has a 40-million-pound capacity when fully staffed.

Passing your business to a successor may seem easy, but researching potential candidates is essential. Evaluate their fit with your company’s values and strengths. Consider training a promising member of your management team early.

Every summer in Hershey, Pennsylvania, APR Supply Co. hosts one of the largest plumbing and HVAC wholesale buying shows in the nation. Now in its 103rd year, the 23rd Annual Buying Show attracts plumbing and HVAC/R installers from within a 150-mile radius of the company’s Lancaster, PA headquarters.

The 2025 standards are a reminder that regulation is never static. But wholesalers who position themselves as both compliance experts and trusted advisors can turn these challenges into an opportunity to strengthen contractor relationships—and protect their margins in the process.

This merger of equals within the U.S. PHCP industry brings together two member-owned groups consisting of 325 independently owned PHCP distributors in the U.S. and will be part of the overall AD community of over 1,000 independents spanning nine construction and industrial verticals and fourteen divisions within the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

The third edition of the Radiant & Hydronics All Stars eBook highlights the latest technologies and design trends in radiant heating. It features insights from our All-Star Roundtable on innovations and challenges, along with design trends for residential and commercial applications.

Across the country, water quality challenges vary dramatically, shaped by everything from geology to infrastructure to climate. For distributors, ignoring these regional nuances can mean stocking the wrong products, giving contractors poor advice, and ultimately missing out on trust and sales. On the flip side, understanding local water conditions gives forward-thinking wholesalers a distinct competitive edge.

While on-site support during installation isn't standard across all jobs, it's a growing part of how wholesalers like Minnesota-based DSG and Wisconsin-based First Supply serve their customers—especially when complications arise.