Engineers representing five different New York-based plumbing engineering companies visited American Standard 's New Product Center. They were shown how testing is done to ensure that toilets flush and faucets flow to end user satisfaction. Attendees were given a complimentary FloWise showerhead to test at home.

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The American Supply Association announced major staff changes. Inge Calderon left ASA after 24 years to pursue other opportunities. Amy Black was promoted to executive director of the ASA Education Foundation and Chris Murin was promoted to replace Black as executive director of ASA. Read more.

Green Street

American Standard Brands recently partnered with The Nature Conservancy to provide a sustainable "no-goody" gift bag at the environmental group's "Design for a Living World" gala event held at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, NY. American Standard donated more than 400 of its FloWise three-function showerheads as the party gift.  Bazzèo was awarded the Innovative Green Design Award for Kitchen Design by NEW YORK HOUSE magazine, based on a criteria of green and sustainable design and manufacturing practices as well as innovation and overall aesthetics. Bazzèo submitted the Gaia, which features doors, drawer fronts and paneling in reconstituted oak veneer over a 1/4-inch compressed laminate core or 1/4-inch frosted glass front mounted on a 4-piece aluminum frame. The veneer doors and drawers were finished using a water-based, non-toxic stain. The Bazzèo cabinet box is made from 100% recycled as well as recovered wood waste and is held together with a formaldehyde-free resin. The presentation also featured energy-efficient appliances by FAGOR and  recycled quartz counter-tops from CaesarStone. Bazzèo was also recognized  for its green manufacturing practices, including a "zero waste" resource management system. The award will be presented at the Green Design Networking Reception June 16 at the Jacob K. Javits convention center in New York.

Hansgrohe made the difficult decision this year to pull out of K/BIS due to market conditions and because of the proximity of the show to its local operations in Georgia, Russ Wheeler, president of Hansgrohe North America, said in a recent question-and-answer session. "We invited customers to visit our Aquademie and ShowerWorld facilities, which are only 30 minutes north of the convention center in downtown Atlanta."
He added that Hansgrohe had participated in ISH, Frankfurt, Germany. "The five-day event was incredibly well-attended, even with the serious economic problems facing virtually every country in Europe and around the world," Wheeler said. "The final attendance was 202,000 -- down from 217,000 in 2007, but still a very strong showing in these times. In my opinion, this turnout is due in large part to the every-other-year format.
"That's why we feel that our North American bath and kitchen industry could benefit substantially if K/BIS also adopted an every-other-year format, alternating with ISH. This would encourage the attendance of customers from both Europe and North America at both shows, creating a more global mentality. It's no longer so unusual to cross the Atlantic to attend a major trade show on another continent, but the cost of doing so is certainly more acceptable if you are attending only a few of these shows in a given year. Moving to the biennial format would also allow manufacturers like us to showcase more new products and invest more time and money in each exhibition. Exhibitors and attendees would all benefit."

 Bath & Kitchen Pro, a publication created for bath-and-kitchen installers, distributors with showrooms and designers, looks at Milton Frank Plumbing's "just like home" showroom, describes how consumers are looking to achieve high style at a lower cost, and offers advice on becoming the green expert for kitchens and baths in the Spring 2009 issue.

Contact Publisher Bob Miodonski at 630-694-4007, e-mail: miodonskib@bnpmedia.com or visit the Web http://www.bathandkitchenpro.com www.bathandkitchenpro.com for more details.

TOTO 's Aquia Bath Collection features products designed to restore quiet and simplicity to the art of living and craft spaces that contain a distinct meditative feeling. TOTO's intention is to offer homeowners a bath space where they can retire to enjoy peace, solitude, relaxation and rejuvenation. Each product in the collection is clean and unencumbered, pared down to its organic essence. The shape of the Aquia wall-hung toilet reflects the soft and delicate curves of nature. The Aquia shower system continues the nature theme with soft, organic shapes.

Hercules Chemical Co. said it has been granted a U.S. patent for its professional grade stain-free polymer sealant, Sta Put Ultra.  
The product is oil free, non-staining and can be used on porous surfaces such as stone, marble, granite, plastic, rubber and fiberglass without pre-treatment.  Sta Put Ultra can be molded as needed and remains permanently soft, malleable and flexible. It is clean to handle, odorless, non-toxic, and will not melt, rot, crumble, dry out, or shrink even when used in contact with porous surfaces such as wood or concrete, according to the company.

Moen offers the Envi collection of Eco-Performance multi-function, water-efficient showerheads, hand showers and rainshowers that offer a lower flow rate than the industry standard and contribute to the earning of LEED points. The Envi three-function showerhead and hand shower preserve the powerful stream that consumers are accustomed to from full-flow showerheads. Users can choose a "relaxing" wide spray, "invigorating" concentrated spray or "refreshing" combination spray.  The modified spray formers actually increase the velocity of the water streams hitting the body.

BrassCraft has revised its full line of decorative plumbing products and accessories to offer wholesalers a variety of finish options for its water stops, connectors, faucet and toilet supply kits, escutcheons, cover tubes and other kitchen and bath components. Read more.

Elkay Commercial Products has enhanced its vandal-resistant 14 gauge stainless steel series to include a resilient, refrigerated 14 gauge vandal-resistant water cooler unit.  Its heavy-duty engineering, coupled with its attractive, curved profile, make it ideal for high-traffic applications prone to vandalism, including schools, recreation centers and correctional facilities. Its durable, sleek satin finish provides added protection against stains and corrosion. This model is also built to provide greater water efficiency,with a chrome-plated, one-piece StreamSaver bubbler. 

Waterless Co. LLC   has developed EnviroClean for both conventional and no-water urinal systems. It is designed to effectively and safely break down urine residue deposits so that they are transported directly down the drain or into the trap insert. Just spray, then walk away. No need to wipe or clean off. Prolonged use of Enviro-Clean may help reduce buildup from developing, effectively extending the life of the no-water trap.

AEC STORE CORNER

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Visit AECstore.com to view all of our products for bath & kitchen pros.