One thing I love about this industry is how eager and willing most individuals are to recognize peers, partners and co-workers for their outstanding work and commitment to the industry. It is evident every time one of our award stories is deployed, when we publish anniversary stories or even other news items like grand openings. People like, comment and share their congratulations for the companies recognized; it’s my favorite part of posting those types of articles online and on social media.

KBIS drew one of its largest crowds in the show’s 60-year history. Trends from the show floor include mixed metal finishes, pops of color in fixtures and faucets, steam showers, soaking tubs, ease-of-installation and of course, smart technology enabled products. 

The Great Ideas Roundtable session at NETWORK2022 in Chicago was a popular place to be. I usually try to sit in with a table to hear first-hand what hot-button topics come up among distributor, rep and manufacturer members, but this year’s session drew such a large crowd that I didn’t want to take a seat from a participating member.

So will 2023 still be a sellers’ market, or can we expect things to level out? According to Danielle Hale, Realtor.com chief economist, next year could be more of a “nobody’s market.”

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).

When you listen to a good speech, there are usually a couple of standout phrases that stick with you. A really good speech will have you jotting down notes of a few key quotes that you don’t want to forget. This was the case for me as I listened to a few different speeches throughout the 2022 Affiliated Distributor’s PHCP North American Meeting.

Every industry is dealing with a pending “brain drain” and working hard to find new people to join their teams. Add in the challenges of appealing to a new generation of workers that have unique desires for their nascent careers, and you can be left with a daunting challenge.

A recent report by the Together Platform found that 37% of HR professionals say employees are not being supported to reach their full potential. I continue to hear news about mentorship programs in the PHCP-PVF industry, both formal and informal, and the tremendous impact they have on new employees, younger employees and those that are new to the industry.

On Aug. 16, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). While the bill claims it will, “make a historic down payment on deficit reduction to fight inflation, invest in domestic energy production and manufacturing, and reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40% by 2030,” plumbing associations aren’t convinced the IRA will do much — if anything — to reduce inflation or benefit small businesses or the American consumer.

Did you know Mark Zuckerberg originally founded Facebook in 2004 as an online website tool to help connect his fellow Harvard students with one another? Today, depending on who you ask, the purpose of Facebook could be many different things, but you can’t deny that it still connects people.