Family business takes on a new meaning when you walk into Addison, Illinois-based Porter Pipe & Supply. Visitors, longtime customers and brand-new team members alike say they feel a welcoming, family-like energy throughout the company’s locations — no matter which of its five branches you’re in.
With the cultural shift in consumer needs moving from Boomers to Millennials and Gen Z, not only will there be a higher demand for a variety of options but there will also be an increase in wanting more knowledge around what's being installed.
There’s no better way for distributors, manufacturers and reps to strengthen relationships than to gather together and discuss the most hard-hitting topics facing the PHCP-PVF supply chain today. In August, ASA’s Emerging Leaders’ division annual conference, EMERGE, did just that, providing both scheduled and free-time networking opportunities for the under-40 crowd.
How many people reach a point to celebrate five complete decades working in the same industry? Better yet, who remembers the exact date they began their career? Bonomi Valves’ Rick Wentzell does. On Oct. 1, 1971, Wentzell began his career in the PVF industry and since that time has grown passionate about creating product, figuring out how best to sell it, and now, training the folks coming up.
The heightened awareness and changing nature of the home was the dominant trend throughout the past year and a half, and the large percentage of consumers still working from home as we head into the end of 2021 — combined with health and wellbeing being top of mind — homeowners recognize that the primary bath can be a refuge from Zoom fatigue, a wellness center and a space where they can spend a few minutes for themselves, devoid of emails, texts, video calls, school assignments and family obligations.
Over the past 18 months, I have been in the unique position to hear first-hand how the booming remodel market, supply chain disruptions and material costs are affecting plumbing distributors and showrooms while simultaneously being the end-user customer who’s remodeling her kitchen.
I worked for a manufacturers’ rep when I was first learning about hydronics. A guy I worked with was 15 years older than me. He knew that I had absolutely no training as an engineer so he took a different tack with my education. He made me close my eyes and imagine myself as a marble rolling through the pipes.
As the industry’s only national trade association, the American Supply Association is uniquely positioned to be the voice of the industry. With that comes the responsibility to want the ball when it comes to advocating positions that will benefit our members and the industry as a whole.
Growing up, gameshows on television were a big thing. I can remember countless times eating dinner at my grandparent’s house and Wheel of Fortune being on the small television in the kitchen right in front of the table. Easy to see Pat and Vana and enjoy grandma’s cube steak at the same time.
People do not care how things work. They just want them to work. If a problem arises, customers want it taken care of effectively and immediately. When was the last time you saw an automated chatbox on the internet answer the question: Why is my faucet leaking?
As the world starts to emerge and settles into a “new normal,” I don’t think we will ever forget the year and a half we’ve just lived through. The keys to business survival include taking a long-term view, the willingness to change when necessary and the insight to know when not to, and the agility to be able to act with speed.
As a business owner, you are constantly comparing business performance not only to competition but to previous year earnings and performance. In merger and acquisition transactions, EBITDA is often used by companies to compare similar businesses in the same market. Understanding how to use EBITDA can help your overall performance and make sure you are prepared in the event of a business sale or purchase.
Hirsch Pipe & Supply announced it has acquired Hemet Valley Pipe & Supply. This is the twenty-fifth Hirsch Pipe & Supply store in Southern California and the first store in Riverside County.
Dakota Supply Group (DSG) announced plans to open a new branch in Burnsville, Minnesota, in March 2022. It will be DSG’s thirteenth location in Minnesota and its 46th across six states. The new facility will be located at 250 River Ridge Circle North in Burnsville with convenient access from Interstate 35W and Highway 13.
AD’s 5th annual eCommerce Summit, held Aug. 23-25 at the Gaylord National Resort in Fort Washington, Maryland, set a new benchmark for digital sophistication in AD’s independent distributor community. This year’s summit spoke to a new trend among its members: more companies ready to harness next-level tools and accelerate their digital growth.
A three-wall mural on the F.W. Webb wholesale store in West Harlem, New York is now complete. The west Harlem location opened in June. The exterior mural by renowned local graffiti artists Tats Cru took two and a half weeks to complete and covers three sides of the building at 2350 12th Ave. It visually represents F.W. Webb with images of plumbing and heating fixtures and PVF. It also highlights some of the brands that the location stocks.
Respondents to ASA’s monthly sales report registered a 15.4% change in average sales for July 2021 vs. July 2020. For the July 2021 vs. June 2021 period, respondents reported a median sales decrease of -5.7%.
Winsupply has completed the purchase of Clinton, Iowa-based HVAC distributor Clausen Supply. Clausen Supply is one of the best-established HVAC distributors in the eastern Iowa region. The previous owner, Jon Clausen, will be exiting the company immediately after close.
LIXIL and ASA continue to partner around the labor shortage within the skilled trades. LIXIL’s TradeUp Initiative, a program designed to bring more young people into the skilled labor force, began with research that was shared by ASA.
The Keenan Award is presented to individuals with a long history of service and dedication to the PHCP-PVF industry. To be considered, individuals must have exhibited strong influence on the current status of the industry, project a positive industry image, be responsible for positively affecting the industry in general, and have provided a history of dedicated service to the American Supply Association.
The American Supply Association announced a partnership with Carhartt Company Gear, the uniform solution business unit of the 132-year-old Carhartt apparel manufacturing brand.
A bold strategic tool to help members confidentially assess their readiness for growth.
September 21, 2021
Given today’s rapidly changing business environment, strengthening a company’s ability to compete will require leaders to think about their businesses like they never have before. Today’s environment requires a new level of strategic vision, growth mindset, planning, investment, expanding skill sets and taking risks to stay relevant and compete.