Geberit North America/The Chicago Faucet Co. announced that Andreas Nowak will become its CEO later this summer, succeeding current CEO William Christensen (left, pictured here with Scott Franz , publisher of Supply House Times, at K/BIS 2007 in Las Vegas). Christensen will relocate to Geberit’s corporate office in Switzerland and lead marketing for Geberit. Nowak is currently managing director of Geberit’s Austrian sales operations.

Kessler Sales & Distribution promoted Sean Fitzgerald (right) to the position of national sales manager. Fitzgerald joined the company in 2004 as Ohio Valley regional account manager. Replacing him in that position is Dennis Sapanaro, an industry veteran who most recently worked in a similar sales capacity for Sharon Tube.

BrassCraft announced the pending departure of Todd Talbot, who has been serving since 2005 as dual president of BrassCraft and Alsons. Talbot is returning to his native California to become president of a business within the industrial and commercial building industry. Effective immediately, Don Woody , currently the president of Liberty Hardware, will assume the role of president of BrassCraft/Alsons. He previously served as president of Alsons/Bath Unlimited from 2004-2005.

MJSI Inc. , maker of the HydroWorks™ family of water conserving plumbing products, hired Robert Wysock (left) for the newly created position of sales manager. Wysock formerly worked as a sales manager at The Standard Companies. Prior to that, he worked for 20 years with Suntory Water Group where he was manager of staff development, regional sales, and training.

Lasco Bathware appointed Shelly Roberts regional sales manager of its California, Nevada and Arizona territories. She has been with the company for the past six years, most recently as senior marketing manager.

Mike Sipek

Bradley Corp. appointed Mike Sipek chief operating officer and promoted Bryan Mullett to vice president of operations.

Most recently, Sipek served for five years as president and CEO of Western Industries. He has more than 30 years’ experience in the manufacturing industry, including a stint at Rexnord Corp. that began in 1975. Sipek will assist Bill Anderson, CEO, with leading the company’s continuous improvement and innovation programs. Sipek will assume leadership of the company as CEO when Anderson retires later this year.

Bryan Mullett

Mullett formerly was director of operations for Bradley’s restroom fixtures products and he will now manage operations for both the company’s accessories and fixtures divisions. Bryan Mullett and his brother, Erik, are the fifth generation of Mulletts to lead Bradley. Their father, Donald Mullett, is chairman of the company.

Bradley manufactures plumbing fixtures, restroom accessories and emergency equipment.

Vendor News

Bobrick Washroom Equipment, Inc. has announced the publication of the company's new full-line, 52-page Washroom Accessory Catalog, providing several new sections of interest to building owners, architects and specifiers. Building occupancy needs have been identified for restrooms in three property categories: Prestige Buildings, Standard Use Buildings and Heavy Traffic Buildings. Also, three Product Selection Guides list the most appropriate washroom accessory, toilet partition, hand dryer and baby changing station model for each property category in terms of design, durability, capacity and price. The new catalog also introduces Bobrick’s new Convertible Towel and Waste Series, which can be converted from folded to universal roll paper towels without changing the recessed cabinet or compromising the original design.

Best by Broan® recently held its annual All Stars training camp at the Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, CA, June 12-13, 2007. More than 100 dealers and distributors attended compact training sessions dealing with four topics: Ventilation Basics, the Best by Broan Built-In Collection, Professional/Fashion Collection and a Competitive session.

Tony Casillas (pictured) of Costa Mesa, CA, won a new Rheem tankless water heater for posting the fastest time in the Rheem EZ-Link Contest during the recent Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas. Visitors to the Rheem Water Heating booth at K/BIS were invited to experience the new EZ-Link technology first hand to see how quick and easy it is to connect two wall-hung tankless units with the EZ-Link communications cable, so that they operate as a single water heater. Casillas, a product engineer with Product Solutions Inc., made his connection in only 5.92 seconds, the fastest of any contestant at the three-day show.

FLEURCO , a leading manufacturer of luxurious glass shower doors, recently captured an Award of Excellence from the Montreal International Interior Design Show (SIDIM) for Kinetik, the industry’s first truly frameless sliding shower door. Representatives at SIDIM, the biggest design event in North America, awarded FLEURCO’s Kinetik with first prize in the bathroom appliances category. The Kinetik is a luxury shower door featuring two sets of silent, smooth Symmetry rollers, a brand-new technology that glides effortlessly over the door’s stainless steel bar without flexing or friction. Each set of three-inch rollers can support up to 300 pounds.

Oceania Baths garnered an Award of Excellence from the Montreal International Interior Design Show as well — the second consecutive year that the company has been honored. Representatives at SIDIM awarded Oceania with a third-place finish in the bathroom appliances category for its state-of-the-art Juliette bath. A member of Oceania’s Elegance collection, the Juliette is one of the most versatile clawfoot AeroMassage™ baths available in the industry. The bath’s exterior can be custom painted to reproduce a range of different looks, including marble designs, wallpaper borders, and specific paint colors. To demonstrate the bath’s versatility, the Juliette model displayed at SIDIM featured an inventive floral design with a bright green, orange, and yellow palette (pictured).

Green Street

MJSI announced that it has added the HydroForce flapper to its portfolio of water-conservation products. Manufactured from high-quality rubber to withstand harsh water conditions, the HydroForce has a watertight design that prevent leaks and fits on most toilet models. Leaking toilet flappers account for an average of 65% of home water leaks, according to a 2003 study conducted for the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. The high-quality engineering of the HydroForce assures a tight seal and is manufactured to the specifications of MJSI owner and fourth-generation plumber, Michael Schuster.

California Faucets has introduced a new harder than chrome PVD finish. The PVD, or physical vapor deposition, molecularly binds color to the faucet, creating an incredibly durable finish. Unlike traditional powder coating finishes that produce hazardous waste and can pollute water supply, PVD produces no waste; that means no toxic chemicals are used. In fact, some of the metals used in PVD are so bio-friendly, they’ve been used on prosthetic joints for the body. Pictured here, the La Jolla widespread faucet features a Satin Gold PVD finish.

Geberit has released its second Sustainability Report since 2004. The report was prepared in accordance with the authoritative guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and has been awarded the best possible rating (A-Level). As a leader in the field of sustainability, Geberit has addressed itself intensively to these concerns. In its Sustainability Report 2007, under the heading “Sustainably enhancing quality of life,” Geberit outlines the company’s understanding of sustainability. In addition to numerous facts and background information on environmentally friendly dealings and social responsibility, the report also contains comments from various people with whom Geberit maintains a dialog, for example customers, employees and suppliers. There are also comments from a financial analyst and a water expert. The Sustainability Report is available in German and English and can be ordered at www.geberit.com.

The Water-Efficient Showerhead by Delta® was named one of the Top 10 Green Building Products in 2006 by the editors of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec®, was awarded a 2007 Most Valuable Product (MVP) Award from Building Products magazine, and also was a Stevie Award (American Business Awards) winner. The showerhead uses H2Okinetic Technology® to offer the same user experience while using 36% less water, Delta says.

In an effort to educate Californians on the excessive cost of heating water with inefficient tank water heaters, Rinnai Corp. , the leading tankless water heating company in the U.S., has posted a billboard on California’s 405 freeway displaying the millions of dollars wasted in California each day by homes and businesses heating their water with inefficient water tanks. According to an annual estimated cost from the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and Energy Factor (EF) from the May 2007 Consumers Directory of Certified Efficiency Ratings, the 13 million single-family homes in California waste approximately $5.1 million daily heating water with tank-type water heaters, equaling about $1.9 billion a year or more than $3,500 a minute. The Rinnai billboard features an LED display with a running daily total of the money wasted in California by heating water in tanks.

Want to know if the U.S. Green Building Council considered its own guidelines when designing its new headquarters? Visit Environmental Design & Construction magazine’s website and find out.

TOTO opened a gallery in downtown Chicago (pictured) designed to be a resource for architects and designers, as well as their homeowner clients, who are seeking high-tech luxury bath fittings and fixtures. A grand opening was held June 12 at the facility, located at 500 N. Wells St. in Chicago. The gallery has working showerheads, faucets, toilets and tubs. Downstairs, a training/meeting room is decorated in cool, refreshing colors.

Mr.Steam has awarded Anita Fuehrer, showroom consultant of The Bath & Kitchen Showplace in Humble, TX, with a $250 spa certificate for winning Mr.Steam’s new Passport to Luxury Program showroom sales competition. Mr.Steam launched the program in May in an effort to provide showrooms and sales associates with generous incentives, improved sales tools and marketing materials. Fuehrer was selected from an impressive group of Mr.Steam sales associates who were entered in the drawing by selling qualifying Mr.Steam products. She has worked in the plumbing industry since 1983 and joined Joe Simmons, store manager of The Bath & Kitchen Showplace in March of 2006. The Passport to Luxury Program will reward one Mr.Steam sales associate each month with a spa gift certificate, culminating in December 2007, when the leading Mr.Steam sales associate will win an all-inclusive trip for two to Rome.

Chicago Faucets has announced a promotion that offers licensed plumbing contractors a  $500 U.S. Savings Bond when they purchase and install $5,000 of Chicago Faucet products in a school project. Called “A Lifetime of Value,” the promotion applies to minimum orders of $5,000 that are placed and installed between June 4 and Sept. 28, 2007. The promotion is only open to plumbing contractors or plumbing contractor companies and is restricted to installations in educational facilities that are for $5,000 or more. Entry forms and rules for qualifications are available at participating wholesalers, from Chicago Faucets sales reps or by visiting www.contractorsforeducation.com.

Designing your dream shower environment just became a lot cooler, and a lot easier, with the launch of Basco Shower Enclosures’ new website, www.bascoshowerdoor.com . With a few clicks of their mouse, homeowners in the market for a new shower door or enclosure can create their dream shower environment, print it out, and bring it to their local Basco dealer to get the customization process started. The website includes a Virtual Showroom where homeowners can mix and match and view a shower enclosure in any combination of Basco’s 13 glass options and 14 frame finishes. A Products Page, Product Gallery, Dealer Locator and Customer Care section are also featured.

Briggs Industries, Inc., announces the launch of a newly redesigned corporate website, www.briggsindustries.com , as part of its program of international growth. In phase one of the multiphase website initiative, new products and innovative plumbing technology are presented in a highly visual manner on the stunning impact page. Through eye-catching images of the Hathaway Suite™, Maelstrom™ toilet and Vacuity® flushing system, the site introduces visitors to Briggs while highlighting the company’s creativity, value and innovation. The online visitor has immediate access to the website’s major topic areas, including company information, available products and online presentations of the lastest plumbing technologies. Future phases will make dramatic improvements in navigation, uniformity and accessibility. It will also include translations for Spanish, German and Portuguese.

Sub-Zero, Inc., and Wolf Appliance, Inc., leading manufacturers of premium refrigeration and cooking appliances, announced a complete renovation to their websites, accessible at subzero.com and wolfappliance.com. The new sites feature enhanced interactive tools and imagery for each of the brands. They also act as virtual showrooms. A few simple clicks will change appliance finishes, cabinets, walls, countertops, trim and floors. Kitchen designers, architects and builders can view the online specification library, download CAD or request a trade kit. Trade professionals can visit the Design Resource Center to learn about upcoming products and view articles.

Besa Lighting, a  designer and manufacturer of decorative glass lighting, debuts the “Bolla” family of mini blown-glass pendants and wall fixtures, for a wide range of residential and light commercial applications. Twelve glass decors are available in the Bolla family from the Besa palette. Seven of them — Amber Cloud, Carrera, Granite, Cocoon, Fiero, Habanero, and Magma — are colorations with a textured look. The other five — Opal Matte, Apricot Matte, Cobalt Blue Matte, Armagnac Matte and Vanilla Matte — feature opaque hues. Each Bolla pendant shade, handcrafted of fine art glass by skilled European artisans, has a diameter of 5.9 inches diameter and a width of 5.25 inches.

With a wide selection of shower bases and whirlpool tubs, Eljer , Inc. transforms ordinary bathrooms into relaxing retreats. To create a spa experience in the bathroom, more homeowners are choosing to install separate shower and bathing areas to establish a more soothing and luxurious environment. Eljer shower bases are made from sturdy high-gloss acrylic that does not allow dirt, soapy film or germs to penetrate its surface. They are available in 13 models, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit a wide range of bathroom designs. All Eljer whirlpool tubs are available with the Soft Air™ bubbler system that consists of 16 air jets located at the bottom of the tub.

Lasco Bathware has released its new large shower pan (7248MPAN). The 72" width allows for two-person use and can accommodate a full spa-like shower system with two showerheads. The size, coupled with the high-gloss, non-porous acrylic surface, makes it an ideal shower pan for high-end applications. The back center drain location and moat design create a clean look on the floor surface. The unique drainage system lets water flow over the edge of the floor surface into the "moat," then flow around the perimeter to the back of the pan and into the drain. The three-tiered interior curb allows for various wall-tiling applications, and the unit meets IAPMO product standards.

Bowls, colanders, cutting boards and accessories are included.

BLANCO has introduced BLANCOPRECIS kitchen and bar sinks in earth-rich colors and natural materials. Six models in four colors were unveiled at K/BIS in Las Vegas last May. They are made of Silgranit®, composed of 80% granite, which gives them strength, durability and scratch resistance. The new multi-level design forms an integrated workstation with sliding cutting board, custom-sized colander and three sink grids.

Scavolini presents its Tess collection that combines wood, glass, aluminum and steel for kitchen furnishings. Tess provides a kitchen with sophisticated lines and a minimalist look that bring together functionality, technology and design. Pictured, a close up of the peninsula for the food preparation and cooking area characterized by a striking steel hood.

Watts Regulator Co. has upgraded its’ industry-leading Under Sink Guardian® tempering valve series by adding integral strainers to the hot and cold inlet ports of the valve. The strainers ensure the valve’s safe operation by filtering out debris and dirt, common to most commercial and residential plumbing systems. The USG Series also features integral check valves, which prevent cross flow in the event of unequal supply pressures. Watts’ USG Series features a patented 4-port design that makes installations fast and easy and are available in two styles, an economical, engineered thermoplastic housing certified to NSF low lead requirements (Model USG-P) and a solid bronze model for heavy duty applications (Model USG-B).

Steamist has introduced two new controls and an updated steam head. The new TC-150 and TC-125 controls are similar in design to the TC-135 and TC-110 models, respectively, but the new models offer a more contemporary look. Rather than the traditional octagonal shape, the updated controls are square, sleek and simple. The TC-150 and TC-125 also feature the latest technology, incorporating a blue digital readout. The TC Series is still available in polished chrome, brass, brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze. The new Even Steam Dispersal Steam Head features a thin, square design and a lower profile. The steam head offers a 360-degree steam dispersion, which improves diffusion and eliminates the need for a separate steam diffuser. It also features a well to facilitate the use of aromatherapy oils.

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