Houston, Texas-based industrial PVF manufacturers representative firm Armstrong/Weatherly Associates isn’t afraid to take a risk, express an opinion or try something completely new.

The industrial pipe, valves and fittings industry is applying the brakes when it comes to talk about the near future. While companies in that patch continue to report positive returns, industry insiders are predicting varying degrees of slowdown ahead.

Several notables came out of the recent 91st annual Southern Wholesalers Association conference held on Amelia Island, Florida at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort.

Push-to-connect, also known as push-fit, plumbing solutions have been on the market for a few decades as a time-saving alternative to traditional plumbing systems that require soldering or glue.

Stew Chaffee, CEO of Aston, Pennsylvania-based manufacturers representative firm Rich-Tomkins Co., puts into clear focus the major benefits of having properly trained customers.

MRC Global Senior Vice President-Business Development Robert Stein and Vice President and Chief Information Officer Lisa McClain are pipe, valves and fittings industry veterans with more than 65 years of experience between them.

A contractor friend decided to take on a part-time job teaching at a local technical school. He had never done this before.

As business leaders, you know the importance of building your business network.

Heart disease and heart-related emergencies have become quite common in today’s world. Almost everyone has either been personally impacted or knows someone who has been affected by a heart health issue or cardiac emergency situation.

Technology is changing our everyday lives and businesses, and continues to do so more rapidly than ever before.

Distribution leaders find themselves in a once-in-a-career opportunity to create a culture of change, transformation and innovation.

I must admit I’m but a mere dabbler in this Amazon thing. I’ll order things here and there, almost always using my wife’s Prime account, which I’m fairly sure Amazon is now losing money on due to its frequent, hard use.

Gateway Supply Co. recently unveiled its newly remodeled showroom in Pendleton, South Carolina.

Without vision there is no change, transformation and innovation.  Sam Walton, the iconic founder of Walmart Stores once said, “Capital isn’t scarce, vision is.”

Leadership development is the best way to ensure your company’s success. Giving your high-potentials the right training is essential.

Applications for ASA member companies to be considered for the annual ASA Safety Award must be submitted no later than Aug. 31, 2019!

Being an active member of ASA makes our company better. As more of our people get involved with the variety of programs that ASA has to offer, each of them learns more about products, people, themselves, and our industry.

The American Supply Association’s Political Action Committee (ASA PAC) is an integral component of ASA’s Advocacy program and crucial to the success of ASA’s legislative and regulatory agenda in our nation’s capital.

The U.S. Economy has continued an upward trend for the second year in a row. After adjusting for inflation, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased 2.9%.

Houston, Texas-based Texas Pipe & Supply announced the acquisition of Alloy Piping Products (APP), effective June 27, and MultAlloy, J+J Alloys, and J+J Bar Plus, effective July 1.

Oakland, California based AB&I Foundry, part of the Oakland Industrial Alliance, has teamed up with County Supervisor Nate Miley on his pilot program based on an emerging best practices to address illegal dumping that is plaguing the community.

HARDI’s monthly TRENDS report shows average sales growth by HARDI distributor members declined by 1.9% in May 2019. The average annualized sales growth for the 12 months through May 2019 is 9.8%.

Irvine, California-based Navien recently announced based on 2018 summary reports (via BRG Enterprise Solutions), its condensing wall-hung solo boilers are a leader in that category.

Taco Comfort Solutions recently named two regional sales managers of the year for the commercial and wholesale sales channels.

Harris Products Group announced Brian Henderson has joined its leadership team as national sales manager-wholesale.

HVAC distributor O’Connor Co., acquired the assets of the Oklahoma City branch of Hunton Distribution.

Indianapolis, Indiana-based Central Supply Co. President and CEO Ted Ashcraft announced a bevy of promotions and appointments.

The member-owned AD buying and marketing group welcomed more than 180 attendees from 114 AD member owner distributors and service providers, representing nine industries and two countries, to the second annual AD Finance & HR Summit in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Miami, Florida-based Watsco announced it has signed an agreement to acquire the HVAC business of Peirce-Phelps.

Mark D’Agostino becomes senior vice president and general manager of Hunter Fan Company’s industrial division.

Dakota Supply Group hired Brandon Emineth as its new vice president of sales for mechanical products and services.

23,000-square-foot facility opened July 1.

Blue Monster Arctic Armor is a new thermal barrier that protects surfaces from heat damage during soldering, welding and brazing operations.

The Lubrizol Corp., in partnership with Genova Products, expands its line of cost-effective and easy-to-install FlowGuard Gold pipes and fittings with the addition of the new FlowGuard MultiPort, the company reveals.

Sioux Chief’s OmegaPlate single-valve outlet plate, and the OmniPanel dual-vale outlet panel are two new offerings from the Kansas City, Missouri-based company.

Matco-Norca offers lead-free brass cold-expansion PEX & MNPT ball valves in three sizes.

New for 2019, Taco Comfort Solutions’ 0018e high-efficiency, Bluetooth-enabled circulator brings a new level of control to residential and light commercial hydronic systems, the company notes.

FabricAir’s VarioDuct is a highly engineered solution for most commercial building applications

Carrier Chillers’ mobile app allows consulting and facilities engineers to select chillers faster and easier, the company notes.

EVAPCO’s Advanced Technology ACC (Air Cooled Condenser), specifically designed for the power generation industry

The A. O. Smith iCOMM connectivity platform utilizes the latest technology in commercial water heating to easily connect iCOMM-enabled water heaters to the A. O. Smith mobile app.

Channellock announces the launch of SpeedGrip, an all-new family of American-made tongue & groove pliers that includes a fast-adjusting feature and patent-pending crosshatch teeth.

Uponor’s Radiant Rollout Mat is the ideal solution for faster, more consistent installations for large commercial radiant heating and cooling applications — saving up to 85% in installation time, the company points out.

Eliminate the hassle of trying to find a suitable location to place a monitor while doing a plumbing inspection with the new RIDGID CS6x Versa digital reporting monitor with Wi-Fi.

DEWALT’s FLEXVOLT 60V MAX*cordless pipe threader has a brushless motor that delivers long runtime in demanding applications

NEOPERL check valves are auto-assembled and 100% tested to provide durable drip-tight operation.

RectorSeal has been named the master distributor in the North American and Australia HVAC/R markets for the Flaretite seal

PrimeSource Building Products introduces a new range of cut-resistant gloves under its GRX brand.

Elkay recently launched the first built-in filtered water dispenser for the home — ezH2O Liv. The unit is designed to make filtered water more accessible throughout the home, and not just in the kitchen.

Supply House Times’ Ad Index for August 2019 is as follows.