2007 Reps Of The Year

This year Supply House Times, Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer are each honoring a manufacturers rep firm as Rep Of The Year. Supply House Times has named Harry Warren LLC, Kernersville, NC, as its 2007 Rep Of The Year. Plumbing & Mechanical's choice is Emerson-Swan, Randolph, MA, and PM Engineer ’s is Bornquist Inc., Chicago. Congratulations to all!

Richard (Dick) E. Posey (right), president and CEO of Moen Inc. for the last five years, has announced his retirement effective Oct. 1, 2007. Succeeding Posey will be David B. Lingafelter (below left), Moen’s president of U.S. Businesses. Under Posey’s leadership, Moen has entered new market segments, introduced a new luxury brand, ShowHouse® by Moen®, expanded its business internationally and improved Moen’s brand equity. Lingafelter joined Moen in 1990 as manager of retail service. Since that time, he has served in a variety of capacities, most recently as vice president and general manager for Moen’s U.S. Wholesale Business Unit.

Richard Manoogian, 70, chairman and CEO of Masco Corp., plans to give up the CEO position this July and become the company’s executive chairman. Manoogian has recommended to the board of directors that Timothy Wadhams, 58, Masco’s CFO, be named CEO.

In other changes at the top, Alan Barry, 64, Masco’s president and COO, plans to retire early next year when he reaches the company’s normal retirement age.

Blanco America has announced a six-month transition plan that will culminate in the retirement of current President Chuck Burhans (right). Burhans, a 35-year plumbing industry veteran, has headed the company since 1996. Upon completion of the transition, Burhans will remain on Blanco’s Global Advisory Board. The search for the new president is being headed by JR Bechtle & Company.

Dornbracht has added Patrick Jarvis (below left) to its staff to head up bath sales, and Adam Rabinowitz (below middle) to oversee project sales. In addition, four-year Dornbracht veteran Mike Mozzicato (below right) now leads the kitchen division.

American Standard Cos. sold a small part of its global bath and kitchen business for $165 million. Venesta Bathroom Systems supplies cubicles, vanity units and pre-plumbed systems to the commercial market throughout the United Kingdom and had sales of $62 million last year. Buyer RS Building Products is a private-equity company established last November to acquire companies in the commercial washrooms market. Last February, American Standard announced that it would sell its $2.4 billion Bath and Kitchen division.

MGS ’ Randa K2 Lavatory Set (left) was acknowledged with a GOOD DESIGN Award at a ceremony that was organized and hosted by The Chicago Anthenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. Drawing from hundreds of submissions from the foremost designers and manufacturers from a total of over 30 countries, MGS’ stainless steel faucet was deemed the best, most advanced and most cutting edge product. The GOOD DESIGN Awards were judged in New York, NY, by an international jury of design professionals, experts and cultural leaders.

Dornbracht has announced a name change to Dornbracht Americas from Dornbracht USA. The new name reflects the company’s expansion beyond the U.S. and Canada into Mexico, Central America and South America. With its new name in place, Dornbracht is redefining the way it sells and markets its luxury design faucets and fittings. The company will now distinguish between bath and kitchen markets by creating sales divisions. Dornbracht has also launched a new division for projects, which will exclusively handle sales of all categories of products to commercial properties.

Axor, the designer brand from Hansgrohe , is launching its 11th bath collection, and its first in collaboration with the internationally renowned French designer Jean-Marie Massaud. The signature piece of the new collection is the single-lever washbasin faucet with a chrome finish and featuring an expansive, asymmetrical shelf surface that measures nearly 16 inches wide. A delicate sheet of water pours from this fitting into a white, molded-mineral washbasin that is also part of Axor Massaud.

Mr.Steam has named Nordic Sauna & Leisure as its new exclusive distributor in England, Scotland, and Wales. Mr.Steam is a provider of steambath generators, towel warmers, sauna rooms and sauna heaters for residential and commercial use. Nordic was established in 1965 and has become a leading supplier of steam, sauna and leisure related products. The company specializes in the design, supply, service and installation of modular and custom-made leisure products for commercial and private use.

Famed interior designer Jamie Drake made a stop in California’s Laguna Niguel on March 27 to introduce his award-winning faucet lines by THG , the exclusive importer of luxury bath products from the House of Tetard-Haudiquez-Grisoni in Normandy, France. Drake visited the B&C Select Showroom in the Laguna Design Center and discussed the creative inspiration behind his “Profil” and “Emotion” Collections by THG, a truly innovative series that redefines the luxury faucet.

Vendor & Supplier News

North Carolina-based plumbing distribution company Murray Supply held Church Seats counter days at multiple branch locations in March. Representatives from Rep South participated in the Church Seats counter days at the Winston-Salem and Apex locations. The customers and sales associates enjoyed breakfast and learned about the new products from Church Seats, including the Easy Clean and Slow Close seats.

Americh Corp. has been appointed the exclusive importer and distributor for Clearwater Collection Ltd. in North America. Manufactured in Bradford, England, Clearwater Collection LTD is recognized as Europe’s largest manufacturer of acrylic, freestanding bathtubs offered in 50 different designs. Americh Corp. has been creating uniquely personalized bathing experiences since 1982. With facilities in North Hollywood, CA, and Charlotte, NC, Americh offers more than 120 bathtub shapes and sizes, a broad palette of colors and a wide selection of finishing touches.

Green Street

NAHB Finds More Remodelers Using Green Building Products

Consumers want their remodeling projects green and remodelers already answer the call, according to recent research by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers. NAHB Remodelers discussed the state of green remodeling at a March 26 press conference during the National Green Building Conference in St. Louis, MO.

“The only way to bring green into 120 million existing households is through remodeling,” said NAHB Remodelers Chair Mike Nagel, CGR, CAPS, a remodeler from Chicago. “Americans spent over $230 billion last year in home remodeling, with energy-efficient and sustainable products representing an increasing share of the market.”

More than one quarter of remodelers surveyed by NAHB saw growing demand for green remodeling late last year, compared to just 6% reporting less demand. The majority of remodelers already incorporate energy efficiency into their work. Nearly all (85%) used low-energy windows, 68% used insulated exterior doors, 65% upgraded insulation, and 56% installed high-efficiency HVAC systems.

For more information about remodeling, visit www.nahb.org/remodel.

Green Building Conference Announces Keynotes

The Ecobuild America and AEC Science & Technology (AEC-ST) conference will feature two keynote sessions as part of its upcoming conference program May 15-17 at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA.

• “Beyond BIM — Toward Integrative, Performance-Driven Design Methodologies,” Wednesday, May 16, 1 – 2:30 p.m. will be presented by Alan Hudin, director of Development, Gehry Technologies; Paul Seletzky, director of Digital Design for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Charles (Chuck) Eastman, director, College of Architecture Ph.D. Program, and professor, College of Computing and the College of Architecture at Georgia Tech (joint appointment); and Andrew Marsh, co-founder and head of R&D, Square One Research. This keynote will feature the work of an initiative between four organizations, each of which is a force for the advancement of Building Information Modeling (BIM), green building and process performance efforts in its own right.

• “Global Reach and Global Impact: A Strategy for Environmental Integration,” Thursday, May 17, 1 – 2:30 p.m. will be presented by Jeff Barber, AIA, LEED® AP, principal and executive director, Gensler Architecture Design and Planning, Worldwide. Among the topics that will be examined are exploring the intersection of sustainable design and virtual design.

Ecobuild America and AEC-ST are offering free admission to both keynote sessions and the accompanying comprehensive exhibit. Visit www.ecobuildamerica.com or www.aecst.com for more information.

Kohler Co. said it has joined the Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments, a non-profit organization that seeks to inform decision-makers that the choices they make regarding their facilities can be economically and environmentally sustainable. Kohler brings a focus on water conservation to companies that belong to the Alliance.

By Kelly Faloon

Among the many things to be seen at ISH, as well as Frankfurt and around Germany, I noticed the following:

• Walking around The Bathroom Experience, I saw a lot of tubs (like the Blue Moon Tub from Duravit, right) — stone tubs, teak tubs, whirlpool tubs, safety tubs for the elderly — but there don’t seem to be tubs in the hotels. I guess only homeowners put tubs in their bathrooms. What do hotels have against tub people, anyway?

• Everywhere I went, I saw dual-flush toilets — not only on the show floor, but in the public restrooms on the fairgrounds, my hotel, restaurants, the train station, etc.

Julien® Home Refinements® sinks will be on display at the booth of the high-end cabinet line St. Charles Cabinetry, which is backed by Viking, at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (KBIS) this May in Las Vegas. For their four displays, each will feature the following Julien kitchen sinks: Classic Collection Undermount and Work Top, Vintage Collection Undermount, and the UrbanEdge™ Undermount.

Showhouse® by Moen® has announced its new Destiny hands-free electronic faucet designed exclusively for the powder room. The Destiny is a sleek, modern powder room faucet that features the latest in touchless activation; curves, hard angles and a distinctly styled spout that produces a clear, sheeting flow of water; infrared sensors that automatically stop and start the flow of water;  and a chrome finish. Coordinating accessories include a pivoting paper holder, robe hook, 18- and 24-inch towel bars and a towel ring.