More environmental and health agencies defend safety of granite countertops. The Marble Institute of America reports that several agencies have issued statements that conclude that granite countertops do not place consumers' health at risk, including the Florida Dept. of Health, Texas Dept. of State Health Services, New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection, North Carolina Geological Survey and Washington State Dept. of Health. About 13 agencies are directing consumers to get information on the issue from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which recently updated its position on granite countertops: "Based on existing studies, most types of granite used in countertops and other aspects of home construction are not typically known to be major contributors of radiation and radon in the average home."

ThermaSol unveiled its 50^th anniversary collection of steam bath and shower controls at Hopkins, MN-based Pipeline Supply's 24th annual tent show, which drew more than 600 attendees. The collection, displayed at the Rakieten Sales' booth, includes stylized controls available in 14 finishes. Both a traditional series and a contemporary series of controls are offered. Also included:a Serenity light and music system for the shower stall as well as FastStart and SmartSteam, which address the speed of steam release and steam room temperature.

Besa Lighting has relaunched its Web site, www.BesaLighting.com , with a more contemporary design and enhanced functionality. Visitors can try out product combinations, download product and ordering information, locate retailers and reps, and learn about the company's activities.

City Pipe & Supply Corp. (Odessa, TX ) appointed Brett Lossin as president. He succeeds Bob Glast, who will serve as chairman. In other changes, Bennie Cleveland was named sales manager; Steve Wimberley, vice president - operations; and Leslie Jones, vice president - finance. Employee-owned City Pipe celebrates its 66th anniversary this year.

First Supply

BrassCraft announced the following key appointments: Steve Tokarz, director, New Product Development; Patty Stinson, director, Business Development Gas Products; Mahesh Cheerla, director, Business Development Water Products; and Todd Mapes, director, Packaging Engineering.

Bradford White Corp. promoted Eric M. Lannes to executive vice president and general manager at the manufacturing facility located in Middleville, MI. In addition, he was named president of Niles Steel Tank Co., a subsidiary of Bradford White, after the retirement of former Vice President - General Manager Len Rzepczynski. Also, Michael J. Borinski was promoted to vice president - finance. Formerly, he was the company's controller.

Watts Water Technologies hired Jim Erhardt as national market manager for its line of hydronic heating products. Most recently he was sales and marketing manager for Slant Fin. Also, Cary Wiley was named southeast regional sales manager for Watts Plumbing & Heating Wholesale Division. He had been sales and operations manager for Watts Georgia.

Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co. promoted Brian Coyle to regional sales manager of the Mid-Atlantic region. He has been a sales representative with the company in the New York area for more than six years.

W.A.C. Lighting named Kirby Underwood southeast territory sales manager. His prior employers include Hagemeyer North America, PadgeWood Electric Co. and Dan Gibson Electric Co.

2007 Residential Bath CLEAReport 
Which residential brands of faucets, toilets and showerheads are preferred by contractors and recommended by wholesalers? To find out, purchase this report. Buy a section on toilets, faucets or showerheads for $1,000 each or the whole report for $3,000. For more information, visit www.clearseasresearch.com and click CLEAReports or contact Lydia White at whitel@clearseasresearch.com. 

MEC Webinar presented by John Siegenthaler, PE

The Application of Storage Tanks in Hydronic & Solar Thermal Systems

October 16 at 10am PT | 1pm ET

Register today for only $49! 

This Webinar covers a wide range of tank applications and presents technical information on where the tanks are needed, how they are sized, and the best way to pipe them into specific systems. Although storage tanks have been part of some hydronic systems for years, this Webinar will present unique and state-of-the-art applications that will help define the future of hydronic and solar thermal systems. FIND OUT MORE

First Supply LLC (Madison, WI) offered continuing education credits, seminars, prizes and food for more than 500 attendees at its annual product show and customer appreciation event held Aug. 14 in La Crosse, WI. Russ Lee, general manager, noted that the GREEN Initiative seminar was especially well attended.
"The First Supply 'GREEN' program identifies the eco-friendly products First Supply offers while highlighting the environmentally responsible manufacturers," Lee said. "The final goal is to not only make First Supply a primary source of green products, but also a primary source of information and knowledge to our customers." 

BrassCraft has introduced streamlined packaging and is developing more energy-efficient manufacturing processes at its plants. Its packaging materials are provided by suppliers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative. An average of 30% recycled materials is used in the production of its shipping cartons. The company has installed state-of-the-art water treatment equipment in its plating operations and is saving about 430,000 kilowatts per year with T5 high-density halogen lighting in its Lancaster, TX, plant.

Duravit announced that more than 160 pieces of its sanitaryware were selected for the bathrooms being built inside BMW Welt, designed to serve as BMW's multifunctional event and vehicle delivery center in Munich. Its products will furnish the bathrooms in the building's lounges, restaurants, shops and the showroom.

T&S Brass and Bronze Works has rolled out its EasyInstall concealed widespread faucets for the plumbing and foodservice industries. The company says the new faucets save up to 50% on labor cost and installation time. They do not require connections under the mounting surface, but prevent side bodies from rotating and becoming unaligned and eliminate three potential leak points.

Staron Surfaces, a division of Samsung, added 10 colors to its Tempest product line of surfaces for residential and commercial projects, bringing the total to 20 color options. The new Tempest Stylist series exudes rich, natural color tones and includes larger, translucent particulates, creating a look that rivals quartz and natural stone. Several of the new color choices have reflective chips for an appearance consistent with metallic elements and minerals often found in nature.

Stone Forest offers onyx Wabi sinks carved from small boulders of rare purple and green onyx, each one unique in shape, size and color. The company's minimalist SYNC System combines onyx and stainless steel for various sinks, countertops and shelving. Onyx is a natural and translucent stone with superior textures and a flawless surface.

Sloan Valve's battery-powered ECOS is a dual-flush Flushometer that features two buttons on top of the valve: Push the small green button for a reduced flush for liquids or push the large chrome button to initiate full flush for solids. If the user does not depress a button, the Flushometer's Dual-Flush Smart Sense Technology automatically initiates a flush cycle based on how long the user remains in the sensor range. Sloan now offers retrofit kits for ECOS and  SOLIS that provide an efficient, economical way to convert manual Flushometers to dual-flush.

Aristokraft Cabinetry this year introduced the Roxburgh door style (pictured), with beaded center panel shakers, and the Teagan door style, constructed with a full overlay and veneer slab panel that offers a blank canvas for those who want to personalize their kitchen. The Roxburgh is available in Autumn, Fawn, Natural, Rouge, Saddle, Cocoa Glaze, Harvest Glaze and Java Glaze. This door design is also offered in white laminate with the new Ellsworth door style. The Teagan door style is available in Autumn, Fawn, Natural, Rouge and Saddle finishes.

Jacuzzi's Bellavista showerhead line features more traditional styling. The showerheads come in rain can and jetted configurations and are available in three finishes with a clean, stylish look. The jetted version is adjustable by both direction and spray flow to further customize the shower experience. The rain can version offers a relaxing rain-like experience.

Tech Bits

TECH BITS by Gregg Marshall

Did you know that 100 million hard drives fail every year? I've had my share, including one last Christmas Eve. When was the last time you backed up your notebook? Your home desktop? Your work PC?

You can find 500 gigabyte external USB drives selling for $99 to $129 on sale (Amazon has one LaCie Desktop Hard Disk 301285U 500 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive). That's enough to back up a notebook and most people's desktop(s).

My favorite backup software is CMS Products' BounceBack Professional ($79, www.cmsproducts.com). While Windows has a built-in backup program, BB Pro can create a backup drive that can be simply installed to replace a failed drive (obviously you can't put a 3.5-inch hard drive into a notebook).

What I really like about BB Pro is it's the ultimate "nagware." You tell it how often you want to back up and it will nag you to plug in that external drive and do your backups.

So really, when was the last time you backed up?

Gregg Marshall, CPMR, CSP, is president of Rep Connection Inc. He can be reached by e-mail at gmarshall@repconnection.com, or visit his LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/greggmarshall.

Bath & Kitchen Pro, a publication created for bath-and-kitchen installers, distributors with showrooms and designers, takes a closer look at ways to customize the bath and kitchen in the Fall 2008 issue. Also in that issue: an interview with contractor Gary Phillips about his showroom in Raleigh, NC; why green makes business sense; and how tankless water heaters can enhance a luxury bathroom.

Contact Publisher Bob Miodonski at 630-694-4007 and miodonskib@bnpmedia.com or visit www.bathandkitchenpro.com for more details.

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