BNP Media announces the debut of Bath & Kitchen Pro, a unique publication created for a powerful audience of bath-and-kitchen installers, distributors with showrooms and designers. Unlike other magazines that focus purely on design, Bath & Kitchen Pro will provide information on installation and purchasing as well as design trends.

Bath & Kitchen Pro will be published three times in 2008, starting in February; its Winter, Spring and Fall issues will be distributed at major B&K shows in addition to its 55,000 circulation drawn from the readers of Plumbing & Mechanical, Supply House Times, Tile, Stone World, and Environmental Design + Construction.

For additional information, contact Publisher Bob Miodonski at 630-694-4007 and miodonskib@bnpmedia.com or Managing Editor Kelly Johnson at 630-694-4379 and johnsonk@bnpmedia.com. Or, visit www.bathandkitchenpro.com.

Eastway Supplies (Columbus, OH) named John Edwards chief operating officer. In this position he will be responsible for leadership of the kitchen and bath showroom, as well as overseeing the commercial, industrial, and residential operations of this privately held company.

Wiseway Supply (Florence, KY) hired Ed Jung as director of branch operations. He will focus on the management and growth of the wholesaler’s five existing locations and the growth of future branches.

John Roberts

Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. promoted John Roberts, national sales manager, to vice president/domestic sales; Charles White, marketing manager, was promoted to vice president/marketing; and Mario Stan, marketing analyst, has been assigned the dual role of marketing analyst and manager/Canadian operations.

Blanco America named Rich DeFeo director of finance, responsible for control and finance, IT and human resources.

Stephen Callahan

Watts Water Technologies hired Stephen Callahan as national market manager for its new line of OneFlow anti-scale systems for commercial applications. He will be responsible for product development and management, technical

Gisela Martinez

product training and coordination of marketing activities.

In other news, Gisela Martinez was appointed national market manger for Watts and Savard water connector products.

Ferguson (Newport News, VA) kicked off its "fill the truck with hope" project for the holidays of filling half of one of its large delivery trucks with gifts for St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children at a party celebrated in front of the corporate headquarters (pictured, right).

Barnett  (Jacksonville, FL) recently celebrated the grand opening of its new Atlanta-area distribution center (pictured, left) located at 6875 Best Friend Rd. in Doraville with more than 400 of its customers. The 147,000-square-foot facility also features a Barnett Pro Center pickup counter for contractors and stocks over 28,000 products.

Bruce-Rogers (Ft. Smith, AR) recently held a "Free Camouflage Gear & Apparel" customer promotion. Customers were rewarded free camouflage gear & apparel for making more of their purchases at Bruce-Rogers. The promotion ran three months from July 1 to Oct. 26, 2007.

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, Grant/Madison Supply (North Brunswick, NJ) held a show for its customers, employees and vendors in late September. Staged at the Pines Manor in Edison, NJ, with a fall football tailgating theme, the Grant/Madison team of employees were all clad in matching #75 red jerseys (pictured, right) as they greeted the more than 400 contractor guests.

DECOLAV was the recipient of a Merit Award at Interior Design magazine’s 2007 "Best of Year" awards. DECOLAV’s Cityview vanity (pictured) was honored in the "Bath: Accessories & Hardware" category.

Lasco Bathware , in conjunction with Ferguson Enterprises of Wausau, WI, donated two products from its FreedomLine series to the Chairs & Cares Model Accessible House, a two-story, 4,600-sq.-ft. universal design demonstration house built on the North Central Technical College campus in Wausau, WI. Lasco donated a four-piece, modular roll-in shower with a height-adjustable seat and horizontal movement, and a tub/shower unit. Both products are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the American National Standards Institute, and both were installed in upper-floor bathrooms in the model home.

Stone Forest announced that its Moso bamboo vessel (pictured) was honored with the Best of the Year award for 2007 by Interior Design magazine. The vessel, crafted from 100% bamboo, a renewable resource, combines eco-friendly design with a minimalist aesthetic. The interior soft part of the bamboo is removed and the hard exterior is laminated, so the vessel is light in weight, yet durable, solid and water resistant.

(L to R) Saeid Kiani; Stacy Swaby; Trish Stewart of Floors by Design; Zac Potts of Siano Appliances; Jeff Warden of Winnelson Plumbing and Fixtures; and Ron Patterson of Accublinds. Not shown: Kathy Crowe of Essence Lighting and Anita Roberts of AR Home Interiors.

SelectionCenter.com, Your Home Show Headquarters  (Nashville, TN), combines vendors for cabinets and counter surfaces, flooring, appliances, plumbing fixtures, blinds and draperies, and lighting under one roof. Founding partners Saeid Kiani and Stacy Swaby (both Hendersonville, TN, residents), collaborated with top companies in Nashville, like Accublinds, AR Home Interiors, Designer Kitchen Distributors, Essence Lighting, Floors By Design, Siano Appliances and Winnelson Plumbing Fixtures, to combine their products in this multi-million-dollar showroom.

Miller's Fine Decorative Hardware (Jupiter, FL) was recently awarded Showroom of the Year by the Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Association (DPHA). The award recognizes a showroom's training and marketing program, customer service, involvement and support of the industry, merchandising and innovative presentation of decorative plumbing and hardware within the showroom.

PM Engineer MEC WEBINAR SERIES CONTINUES IN 2008 

This series of intensive 90-minute Webinars presents the latest concepts for modern hydronic heating system design in both residential and commercial applications. Attendees learn state-of-the-art concepts that enable them to design efficient, affordable, and reliable hydronic systems. Economically priced, they are a fraction of the cost of travel and attendance fees for other high-priced conferences or seminars. CEU/PDH Credit* is available.
This year’s Webinar topics include:

Multiple Mod/Con Boiler Systems – Defining the Future of Hydronic Heating

Thursday, February 14, 2008, at 1:00 pm ET
$49 for the Webinar, downloadable reference and Q&A session. [Early Bird Rate of $49 Expires January 31, 2008. Price after 1/31/08: $79 (US)]
Sponsored by: Lochinvar

A Survey of Modern Mixing Methods
Thursday, March 20, 2008, at 1:00 pm ET
$49 for the Webinar, downloadable reference and Q&A session. [Early Bird Rate of $49 Expires March 6, 2008. Price after 3/6/08: $79 (US)]

Active Solar Heating — New Opportunities For Hydronic Professionals
Thursday, May 1, 2008, at 1:00 pm ET
$49 for the Webinar, downloadable reference and Q&A session. [Early Bird Rate of $49 Expires April 17, 2008. Price after 4/17/08: $79 (US)]

Home Run Distribution Systems — An Outstanding Alternative to Metal Piping
Thursday, June 12, 2008, at 1:00 pm ET
$49 for the Webinar, downloadable reference and Q&A session. [Early Bird Rate of $49 Expires May 29, 2008. Price after 5/29/08: $79 (US)]

Presented by:

John Siegenthaler, P.E.
John is a licensed engineer with more than 28 years of experience in hydronic heating. He also is a writer, software developer and columnist for PM and PM Engineer magazines.

Register today at: http://webinar.pmengineer.com. If you're busy that day, sign up anyway. You have 12 months to play back the scheduled broadcast any time you like.

Missed one of our 2007 MEC Webinars? No Problem! They are now available On-Demand! Visit the archive section at http://webinar.pmengineer.com to view these and other Webinars.
*CEU/PDH 1.5 credit hour Certificate of Completion will be made available for those who attend. It is up to each individual to verify if a given course is approved by their state licensing board.

Gerber  announced that it donated low-flush toilets to the Save the Water Race program in Tennessee (pictured). Reacting to the severe drought conditions plaguing the Southeast, Mayor Tony Reames of Orme, TN, launched a community awareness campaign titled, "Save the Water Race," in an effort to inform homeowners about the significance of preserving water by repairing water leaks in toilets and faucets, and by installing water control fixtures throughout the home.

With the introduction of a new "Environmental Elkay" brochure, Elkay is educating customers about its environmentally sound products, including sinks, faucets and water fountains/coolers/chillers. The four-page, four-color Environmental Elkay brochure is available at www.elkayusa.com/green.

The Alliance to Save Energy announced that the 2008 Stars of Energy Efficiency Award nominations are now available online. The awards recognize organizations/companies, learning institutions, state offices, and government programs for their efforts to promote energy efficiency domestically and/or overseas.

The Acadia combined heating and cooling system (pictured) from Hallowell International is all electric, eliminating the need for fossil fuels. Acadia is a next generation heat pump, a single system that relies on the Opti-Cycle booster to run efficiently in temperatures as cold as -30°F. According the company, Acadia outperforms conventional heating systems by 200%, natural gas furnaces by 300% and has already lowered home energy bills by up to 70%.

Chicago Faucets, a member of the Geberit Group, announced that the City of Milwaukee has awarded its Starline foundry, based out of Milwaukee, for exemplary implementation of environmental conservation regulations.

IAPMO R&T has recognized NEOPERL as the first manufacturer to be independently certified to meet the U.S. EPA WaterSense criteria for lavatory faucets.

The new Solar House Web Site at www.solarhouseproject.com provides information on how to build a passive solar home for the same costs as a traditional home, but with results that require 70% less energy to operate the home as compared to a traditional home.

The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI) has entered into a partnership agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense Program. As a partner, PMI will support the goals of the EPA WaterSense program, and promote the value of using water resources more efficiently and the value of using WaterSense-labeled products and programs.

ISH NA e-Newsletter Announced
  ISH North America has launched an industry e-newsletter highlighting the kitchen and bath, plumbing, commercial/industrial pipes, valves and fittings (PVF), heating and air conditioning segments. ISH North America Pipeline , published quarterly by ISH NA, focuses on advances in renewable energy, technology and code development. The e-newsletter is also a vehicle for show management to keep its exhibitors and attendees up to date on the latest developments for the ISH NA show Oct. 1-3, 2008, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. To be added to the distribution, please contact Jimmy Mouton, jimmy.mouton@usa.messefrankfurt.com.

Use Paint To Define Spaces
  The shade and sheen of paint can influence the perception of a room’s size and width, according to Debbie Zimmer at Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute. For example, a light-colored paint will make a small room appear bigger while darker shades will make a large room appear more intimate. Here are some ideas from Zimmer on how to use paint to change the perception of a room’s dimensions:
  •Use paint to "raise" or "lower" the ceiling. Bright white will make the ceiling appear higher; this can be further enhanced by painting the walls with vertical stripes. To make the room seem less cavernous and "lower" the ceiling, use a mid to deep hue or paint horizontal stripes on the walls.
  • Shrink or expand the room with your paint selections. Make a large room appear smaller by choosing a dark color. A room that is too narrow and long can be made to look wider just by painting the shorter walls a deeper color than the longer walls. If color alone is not enough to change the perceived dimensions, use color combinations to create visual breaks. Divide the wall space horizontally with a chair rail, and paint the upper and lower portions different hues.
  • Selecting the right sheen of paint is just as important as the actual color. Glossier finishes lend greater warmth and depth to surfaces than do flat paints. For example, a room with white gloss paint on the ceiling will seem larger than a room where the ceiling is painted with a white flat paint.

Old Is New
  Take a trip back in time by redecorating the kitchen or bath with vintage-inspired accents (pictured). Here are a few ideas:
  • Install a claw-foot bathtub. Neptune offers the Victoria, a traditional claw foot bathtub. It is available with forged iron claw feet.
  • Add an Art Déco style shower valve. Waterdecor applies the rich geometric shapes and delicate details of the Art Deco period to its Marcelle shower valve and related products.
  • Highlight a classic pedestal sink with decorative underbrass, comprised of angle stop water supply kits and P-traps in various time-honored finishes. Jaclo offers these, as well as a Roaring 20s shower system in deep oil-rubbed bronze, and its Kimberly showerhead, featuring a  curvaceous, traditional style.
  • Don’t forget the kitchen sink! Julien offers its Vintage sink in single- and double-bowl configurations that combine a clean design with 16-gauge premium stainless steel that is welded and polished by hand.
  Return to the opulence of decades ago with fixtures and furnishings that capture those styles. They can be elegantly nostalgic while also exceptionally functional.