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PLUMBING • IRRIGATION • KITCHEN & BATH •UNDERGROUND • ASPE

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THE PIPELINE

16 Pages in 2 Sections

Cary HamiltonTerritory Manager

CONTINUED on PAGE 3A




Quality Marketing ExpandsCharlotte Facility

Ferguson Wilson, NC AwardsPaul Heath New HD Motorcycle

FAPCA to Host AnnualLadies’ Night Event

Cregger Opens NewGreenville, SC Location

Hello Plumbing Pros. Ihope 2009 promises to be abanner year for you andyours. As we have been in-undated with information onGreen building and/orplumbing I thought I wouldshare with you excerpts froman article I received fromGreen Living Ideas, a com-prehensive Green Livingwebsite. The article focuseson the growing demand forGreen Plumbing. One of ourgood friends here at ThePlumbing News, Charlotte’sSpeedway Plumbing, wasissued the first GreenPlumbing License in NorthCarolina in 2008. As part ofthe “Green Army” of trainedand licensed plumbers,Speedway Plumbing, andother eco-conscious indus-try professionals, is leadingthe way in what is sure to bethe future of our industry.

Excerpt: In an age where

Cregger Company ispleased to announce theopening of their newGreenville, SC area loca-tion. Located at 307 Stand-ing Springs Court inSimpsonville, directly off exit30 of I-385, the new branchhas replaced the company’sdowntown Butler Street lo-cation. With the much an-ticipated mid-Februaryopening of Design On Tap,Cregger’s free standingshowroom division, at 400McBee Ave. in Greenville’snew, trendy McBee Station,Cregger Company has cre-

ated a new vigor for servic-ing the Greenville area.

“Newer, bigger, andmore efficient,” is howBranch Manager Jay Kimbelsums up Cregger’s new30,000 square foot facility.“Both internally and out-wardly, in relation to cus-tomer service, the entire dayto day operation is more ef-ficient. With more space weare, of course, able to stockmore. This positively affectsour ability to service our cus-tomers.”

The location, 307 Stand-

On Thursday, December18th, Ferguson Enterprisesawarded Paul Heath, ofHeath Plumbing Companyin Farmville, NC, a brand

new 2008 Harley Davidsonmotorcycle. The Harley wasone of six given away coun-try wide as part of the

On February 13th, theFayetteville Area PlumbingContractors’ Association(FAPCA) will host their an-nual Ladies’ Night Event.The much anticipated,Valentine’s Day themed,evening has grown inpopularity over the years.Last year’s affair was ahuge success and FAPCA

has organized another funfilled evening just for theladies this year. Ladies’Night is attended by a widerange of industry profes-sionals, and their significantothers, from Fayettevilleand the surrounding areas.

Ladies’ Night is one ofThe Plumbing News’ favor-

Effective January 1st,2009, Charlotte basedManufacturer Representa-

tive Quality Marketing hascentralized all of their cus-


CONTINUED on PAGE 3ACONTINUED from PAGE 4A

Wade Hardin, Jennifer Hamilton, and Danny Hall enjoyLadies Night 2008

Cregger Greenville, SC Paul Heath(front left) and Jeff Heath(front right) of HeathPlumbing check out their new Harley

Ferguson Showrooms KickOff National Green Month

Ferguson, the country’slargest wholesale distributorof plumbing supplies,launches “National GreenMonth,” which will run theentire month of January,

nationwide. The programhighlights Ferguson’s exten-sive offering of green prod-ucts, as well as Ferguson’sshowroom consultants’ in-

A Carolina Plumbing News - January, 2009

Cregger ---------------------------------------- page 2ACritical Valve --------------------------------- page 6BFAPCA ----------------------------------------- page 5AFederated Insurance ----------------------- page 4AFerguson -------------------------------------- page 4BFerguson -------------------------------------- page 5BFlowguard Gold / FBC --------------------- page 7AGPSupply ------------------------------------- page 3BLiberty Pumps -------------------------------- page 7BOatey ------------------------------------------- page 6ASaniflo ----------------------------------------- page 1BWatco ------------------------------------------ page 2BWinnelson ------------------------------------- page 8BZurn -------------------------------------------- page 8A

Advertising Index

THE CAROLINA PLUMBING NEWSP.O. Box 68 Bethlehem, Georgia 30620Phone 404-391-2962 Fax 770-868-1856Website: www.theplumbingnews.com

E-mail: [email protected]: [email protected]

Advertising Department: 704-649-1408

Jack Morgan - PublisherCary Hamilton - Carolina Territory Manager

James Bickert - Art DirectorShannon Manders - Administrator

Shia Britt - Staff Writer

The Carolina Plumbing News is a monthly publication of MorganPublishing Company. The publisher does not assume responsibilityfor statements made by advertisers and reports opinions by dealers,suppliers and manufacturers as quoted. The advertising and copy

deadline for the next issue is February15th, 2009. All contents arecopyright 2009 by Morgan Publishing Company.

Carolina Plumbing News - January, 2009 A

FREE SUBSCRIPTION FORMFrom Counter Days to Trade Shows, each month we bring youexclusive coverage of industry events from around the state.Keep up with the latest news and newsmakers by faxing this

form to 770-207-0936.

Your Name_________________________________

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Address____________________________________

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Jack MorganEditor and Publisher

Message from the Publisher

Letters to the EditorLetters to the EditorLetters to the EditorLetters to the EditorLetters to the EditorDear Jack,

I wanted to drop you a note to thank you for our 50thAnniversary insert you put together for us in the GeorgiaPlumbing News.

I have received nothing but compliments on how welldone and meaningful it was.

My Mom, Dad and the rest of the Duprees especiallyloved it. You have a big heart and are very gracious. I re-ally appreciate what you did.

Mike DupreeDupree Plumbing

Greeting Plumbing Pros,I Hope you all had a wonder-ful Christmas and had timeto spend with your family andclose friends while celebrat-ing this wondrous day. As Iwrite this, the New year isupon us. By the time you re-ceive this edition 2009 will behere. Where does time go?Well, Happy New Year to youall! I wish for us all to have afine 09. It really is small busi-ness that makes the hugedifference in our economy.So let’s go out and make amark. I am excited aboutopportunities that arise infront of us this upcomingyear.We are Americans and

will get through this slowdown from the past year.Thanks go out to all ourreaders and advertisers inGeorgia, North Carolina,South Carolina, Tennessee,Alabama and the Gulf Coastfor supporting our newspa-pers. Without you we couldnot print your news everymonth. I get calls formcontractors all the time say-ing how much they enjoy theNewspaper.

“I read it from Cover tocover. I love it’, Mike Stanfieldof J&M Plumbing in Cleve-land, Tennessee recently toldme. It’s nice to hear positivethings out there. If there isanything we can do to helpyou promote your companyouting, personnel, or adver-tising promos, please feelfree to contact me or yourPlumbing News RegionalRep.

We appreciate all that youdo and please remember tosupport the advertisers in2009. Once again, HappyNew Year to all, God bless.and we’ll see ya down thepipeline.

ing Springs Ct., is virtually atthe intersection of I-385 andI-185. This puts the newbranch at the junction ofGreenville, Simpsonville,and Mauldin. Cregger antici-pates the locale to be muchmore convenient for the ex-panding metro area.

Cregger Company is alsoexcited about the addition ofDesign On Tap to downtownGreenville’s McBee Station.When the doors open in mid-February the Design On Tapshowroom will be 4,000square feet. Design On Tapwill be the premier kitchenand bath showroom in theGreenville area. In additionto being the area’s onlyKallista distributor, DesignOn Tap will also be the onlyPlatinum rated Toto show-room and the only Four-Starrated showroom for Jado,Porcher, and AmericanStandard in the Greenvillearea.

For more information onCregger’s Greenville, SC lo-cation phone (864) 235-2552, or fax (864) 235-0589.For more information onCregger Company phone(803) 791-5195, or visitonline at www.creggercompany.com.

CONTINUED from PAGE 1A

Cregger

Ferguson Team Rewards Pro-gram. The bike, with an esti-mated worth of $25,000, wasthe second bike to be won inthe Greenville/Wilson area intwo years, as part ofFerguson’s rewards program.Another Harley was awardedto a Charlotte area contrac-tor on the same day Heathtook possession of his bike.That makes three Harley’s intwo years for the state of NorthCarolina, out of the entirecountry. Just one more goodthing about being a Tarheel.

Pat Doherty, branch man-ager of Ferguson Wilson, saidthe company gives away sixHarleys across the countryevery year during its tradeshows. About 350 people at-tended the trade show in Wil-son this spring, includingHeath and his brother, whoare loyal customers ofFerguson.

“This has been really ex-citing for us,” Doherty said.“The way the industry is now,it is definitely exciting whenyou’ve got some good newsto share.”

Doherty said Heath was“floored” when he learned hewas the winner.

“He was very surprised,”Doherty said. “It is good tosee such a loyal customerreap such an award.”

CONTINUED from PAGE 1A

FergusonHeath, who was staring at

the large Harley while it wasstanding in Ferguson Enter-prises wrapped in Christmaspaper with a gold bow, said itstill had not sunk in.

“The way the economy is,anything that comes at thistime is the right time,” Heathsaid.

After Doherty handedHeath a $500 HarleyDavidson gift certificate anda case full of Harley Davidsonitems, he tore the wrapping offthe large, black bike. Heathand his brother couldn’t stopsmiling. Ferguson Wilson actsas a satellite of Ferguson’sGreenville, NC main branchfacility. For more informationon your local Ferguson Enter-prises location visit www.ferguson.com.

tomer service personnel, aswell as their inventory, to thecompany’s Charlotte, NC facil-ity. Located at 3500-CWoodpark Blvd, just off of Gra-ham Street, the 30,000 squarefoot complex allows the com-pany to provide increased avail-ability for product. The com-pany has also begun stockinga much broader spectrum ofproducts. Quality Marketinghas invested heavily to increaseits customer service infrastruc-ture. The elimination of thecompany’s Raleigh, NC officeto centralize customer service

in Charlotte is a continuing partof that upgrade.

Please feel free to contactQuality Marketing with any in-quiries or concerns. Phone(704) 599-9407, fax (704) 599-0595, or visit online atwww.qmarketing.biz. Lines rep-resented include: Bates andBates, Jacuzzi, Grohe, Formsand Fixtures, St. Thomas Cre-ations, Villeroy & Boch, BlancoAmerica, AK Industries,Aquaflex, BF Products, Haws,Intersan, Little Giant Pump,Matco-Norca, Metcraft Indus-tries, Miro Industries, Pipeconx,Proset Systems, StiebelEltron, Noritz, Zurn, andZurn/Wilkins.

QualityCONTINUED from PAGE 1A


ite events of the year. Theformat for the eveningmakes for one of the mostentertaining and originalevents all year. One of thehighlights from last year in-cluded James Haire andBrad Pittman. Before andafter dinner, AuctioneerExtraordinaire and theevening’s MC, James Haireof Hubbard Pipe and Sup-ply, led the raffle and giftauction. Along with BradPittman of Snider, Inc., Hairehanded out well over a hun-dred auctioned gifts andprizes. As gifts were auc-tioned off, the money wascollected and put into a‘pool’. David Coffman, ofCoffman Plumbing, madethings even more interestingby randomly adding sur-prises, usually in the form ofcash, to the raffled items. Atthe end of the evening, withover $3,000 in the pool, themoney was raffled-off andsplit between 14 guests.Also, a Grand Prize 37” FlatScreen TV donated byFerguson was raffled away.

FAPCA Ladies’ Night2009 will be held February13th, at the Holiday Inn, Ce-dar Creek Road, in TheDogwood Room. A socialhour will be hosted from6:30 to 7:30 PM with dinnerat 8:00 PM. Only the first150 guests can be accom-modated. Cal l DaveRunckle at (910) 484-0187to reserve the hottest tick-ets of the year.

FAPCACONTINUED from PAGE 1A

THE PIPELINEbeing green is quickly be-coming an industry stan-dard, it shouldn’t be too dif-ficult to find an ecologicallyconscientious plumbingcompany. Many haveleapt on board whole-heartedly, realizing the ex-tensive water and energywaste produced by house-holds with inefficient appli-ances and fixtures.

In addition, many com-

CONTINUED from PAGE 1A panies are “greening” theirservices, from the vehiclesthey drive to the pipes theyuse. So how can you dis-tinguish a green plumberfrom all the rest?

One surefire indicator iswhether they are certified“GreenPlumbers”. TheGreen Plumbing licensingprogram originated in Aus-tralia and was brought tothe U.S. care of The Plumb-ing-Heating-Cooling Con-tractors Association of Cali-fornia and Onni, Inc.

While California seemsto be leading the way inbringing Green Plumbers tothe U.S., there are those inother states who are wayahead of the game, suchas A2Z Plumbing Contrac-tors, Inc. of Asheville, NorthCarolina. Their website is aterrific base to use as acomparison when shop-ping for an eco-friendlyplumbing service.

Here are the highlightsto look for in a companyand a cost-comparison:

· Do they offer alterna-tives to PVC pipe? (Whyone should avoid PVC).

· Cost di f ference:Though alternatives suchas polyethylene or clay areusually cost more initially,they are much better for theenvironment and for yourhealth.

· Do they use low VOC(volat i le organic com-pound) glues and clean-ers?

· Cost di f ference:Should be none.

· Do they offer appli-ances such as on-demandwater heaters, low-flow fix-tures, and rain and graywater harvesting systems?

· Cost difference: Usu-ally more initially, but sig-nificant water- and energy-cost savings in the longterm.

And i f they’re supergreen...

· Do they use hybrid orbiodiesel vehicles?

· Are their office prac-tices green—do they makeuse of recycling, alternativeenergy sources, e-mail ver-sus paper mail, etc.?

Ultimately, if a companyis invested in saving waterand energy, it is better togo with them than a stan-dard plumbing company. Browse the net for yourarea and if you can’t findcompanies committed tolow impact practices, en-courage your local plumb-ers to invi te a GreenPlumber workshop to yourarea! From Green LivingIdeas.com.


Maxnet USA, a globalmanufacturer of plumbingproducts has immediateopenings for Inside Sales/Customer Service and Prod-uct Managers. You shouldhave a minimum of 2 yearsexperience with plumbingproducts and be energetic,detail-oriented, customer –focused and able to work withminimal supervision. Our ex-citing program offers an ex-cellent salary and growth op-portunity. Fax resume to 678-684-1160 or email sales@maxnetusa .com.

.

The Carolina PlumbingNews Free

Classified Ads

The Help Wanted Ads are free for our readers. we offer these listings

for Employers seeking Employees, andcompanies for sale.

Please try to limit ads to 50 words or less.You can fax your ad to 770-586-5174,

or e-mail them to [email protected]

Name

Company

Phone

Fax

Ad Information

NEW!Inside Sales

NEW!Sales/ManagementCommercial Project

Sales/Management Oppor-tunity for goal-oriented and

customer-focused individualwho has strong interest injoining a growing, presti-gious company. The Com-mercial Salesperson is re-sponsible for building rela-tionships and initiating con-tact with potential clients tomarket plumbing servicemaintenance contracts, andcommercial & industrialplumbing projects.

Successful candidatesmust have 4+ years of plumb-ing sales and project manage-ment and 10+ years of over-all exposure to plumbing ser-vices. Knowledge of regional& national codes required. NCmaster license preferred.Technical trade school or en-gineering background re-quired. To apply, go towww.thehrgroupinc.net andclick on Jobs

NEW!NEED IMMEDIATELY!Experienced inside sales

person to do fixture andrough-in quotes. Good prod-uct knowledge and phonesales experience a must. Weoffer a competitive salary,401K, company paid insur-ance, holiday and sick pay.Need an energetic, self moti-vated and enthusiastic indi-vidual that has worked in ourwholesale industry. ContactJoe lee at Mechanical Sup-ply Company-Matthews, N.C.704-847-9641 or e-mail re-sume to [email protected]

NEW!Evan Thomas Associ-

ates , Inc . is current lylooking for a PlumbingDesigner in Char lot te ,NC.

This position is heavilydesign oriented and willbe highly interactive withclients, architects, andother engineering disci-plines. The opportunityfor this person to becomethe department head isopen for the right candi-date. Candidates who areCIPE/CPD, CET, CMGIare highly encouraged toapply. $75k - $95k Basedon Experience. Excellentbenefits and bonus pro-gram

Please e-mail resume toapply [email protected]

Plumber ArmyNational Guard

As a Plumber in the ArmyNational Guard, you will buildthe skills you need for a lu-crative civilian career whileinstalling and maintainingany number of pipe systemsin the Army National Guard.

Up to a $20,000 Bonus,Paid training, A monthly pay-check, G.I. Bill, health in-surance, affordable life in-surance, Retirement ben-efits for part-time service,401(k)-type savings plan.Must meet citizenship re-quirements (see www.1-800-GO-GUARD.com for details)


depth product knowledge.“Our objective is to be

the premier provider ofgreen solutions,” said GailKaufman, Wolseley NorthAmerica’s director of greenbusiness and customer pro-grams. “Through our ex-pansive product offerings, toour industry expertise, ourassociates are committed tohelping customers makesmall steps to help the envi-ronment.”

Ferguson sells a broadrange of green productsacross several categoriesthat includes: fixtures, fau-cets, water heaters and ap-

pliances. The green aware-ness program was devel-oped, in part, from in-depthinsights from over 300Ferguson associates, whoprovided guidance on whatwas needed to really satisfythe company’s customer’sneed for green products. Acritical part of the programfocuses on training; to dateover 900 showroom associ-ates are trained to preparefor the company’s “NationalGreen Month.” The focus ison customer education aswell as special labeling onproducts that allow consum-ers to easily identify energyefficient options such ashigh efficiency toilets, whichcan reduce a homeowner’s

water consumption by up to22,000 gallons annuallywhen compared with tradi-tional 3.5 gallon per flushtoilets.

Earlier this year the Envi-ronmental ProtectionAgency recognizedFerguson as its first Retailand Distributor WaterSensePar tner of the Year.Ferguson received theaward, in part for their effortsto highlight the newPROFLO high efficiency toi-lets and other watersavingdevices.

“Our showroom consult-ants are committed to pro-viding plumbing, lighting andappliance expertise to build-ers, remodelers, designers,

plumbers, and homeowners,”said Sam Rose, WolseleyNorth America showroommanager. “Our consultantscan help customers makesimple adjustments – such asreplacing a showerhead –which can result in big sav-ings for themselves and theenvironment.

To locate the nearestFerguson showroom pleasevisit www.ferguson.com.

Wolseley plc is theworld’s largest specialisttrade distributor of plumbingand heating products to pro-fessional contractors and aleading supplier of buildingmaterials in North America,the UK and Continental Eu-rope. Group revenues for

the year ended July 31, 2008,were approximately $33.1billion. Wolseley has ap-proximately 74,000 employ-ees operating in 27 coun-tries. Wolseley is listed onthe London Stock Exchange(LSE: WOS) and is in theFTSE 100 index of listedcompanies. For more infor-mation, visit www.wolseley.com.

Headquartered in New-port News, Va., Ferguson isthe country's largest whole-sale distributor of plumbingsupplies; pipes, valves andfittings; heating and cool-ing equipment ; water-works; mechanical and in-dustrial; bathrooms and ap-pliances; tools and safetyequipment; and fire protec-tion products. Fergusonhas sales of $11.2 billionand over 19,000 associatesin approximately 1,400 ser-vice centers located in all50 states, the District ofColumbia, Puerto Rico,Mexico and the Caribbean.For more information, visitwww.ferguson.com.

Ferguson is part ofWolseley plc, the world’slargest specialist trade dis-tributor of plumbing andheating products to profes-sional contractors and aleading supplier of buildingmaterials in North America,the UK and Continental Eu-rope. Group revenues forthe year ended July 31,2008, were approximately$33.1 billion. Wolseley hasapproximately 74,000 em-ployees operating in 27countries. Wolseley islisted on the London StockExchange (LSE: WOS) andis in the FTSE 100 index ofl is ted companies. Formore information, v is i twww. wolseley.com.

Wolseley plc is theworld’s largest specialisttrade distributor of plumb-ing and heating products toprofessional contractorsand a leading supplier ofbuilding materials in NorthAmerica, the UK and Conti-nental Europe. Wolseley’sNorth American Division in-cludes Ferguson, StockBuilding Supply and WolseleyCanada. Group revenues forthe year ended July 31, 2008,were approximately $33.1 bil-lion. Wolseley has approxi-mately 74,000 employees op-erating in 27 countries.Wolseley is listed on the Lon-don Stock Exchange (LSE:WOS) and is in the FTSE 100index of listed companies.For more information, visitwww. wolseley.com.

Raleigh, NC-based StockBuilding Supply is a leading

ShowroomsCONTINUED from PAGE 1A



supplier of building materialsto professional home buildersand contractors in the UnitedStates. Stock currently oper-ates 209 locations in 27states, with reported sales of$3.5 billion for the fiscal year2008. For more informationvisit: www.stock buildingsupply.com Stock is part ofWolseley plc, the world’s larg-est specialist trade distributorof plumbing and heating prod-ucts to professional contrac-tors and a leading supplier ofbuilding materials in NorthAmerica, the UK and Conti-nental Europe. Group rev-enues for the year ended July31, 2008, were approximately$33.1 billion. Wolseley has ap-proximately 74,000 employ-ees operating in 27 countries.Wolseley is listed on the Lon-don Stock Exchange (LSE:WOS) and is in the FTSE100 index of l istedcompanies.

Greenville, S.C. Chapterby John Neal

President’s Message

ShowroomsCONTINUED from PAGE 6A

I hope everyone had agreat Christmas. I alsohope that you recognizedthe holiday for what it re-ally is; the birth of Jesus,the Messiah. I don’t knowabout you, but I didn’t shopat any place that couldn’t,or wouldn’ t recognizeChristmas. In my opinion,if folks don’t want to rec-ognize Christmas, thenthey have no business tak-ing a holiday. Well, I’ll getdown off my box now andgo on to ASPE business. Igot our membership rosterfrom national, and CentralIl l inois has jumped outahead of us once again. Itappears that they gained 2

and we lost 1, so they are3 ahead of us now. How-ever, we are tied with EastTennessee at 34 members;so i f any of you knowsomeone who might be in-terested in joining, pleaselet me know. We need tostart the new year off witha good attendance for ourfirst meeting in 2009. PaulDay will be our speaker,and his topic will be watercoolers, and the latestcodes regarding them. Socome out and support ourchapter.

I would also ask eachone of you to be thinkingof what we can do for ourGolf Tournament this year.As you know, we lost ourtournament chairman, sowe need to come up withsome ideas; becauseSpring will be here beforeyou know it. I have someitems that were left overfrom the convention that Iwill be offering for sale toraise money for the chap-ter. I will bring a few itemsto our meetings for folks to

view, and purchase if sodesired. Some of the itemsinclude: tool set, rachet set,carving knife set, steakknife set, hats and LEDlights. Items that don’t sell,will probably end up asdoor prizes at the GolfTournament.

Guest EditorialBy Andrew B. Ward

Every once in a while youcome to a cross road in life.These are places where youmust decide which path you willtake. Some times these canbe easy choices, no brainersin other words.

Other times, these can betough, I mean tough decisionsthat often come with secondguessing and regrets.

A great poet wrote aboutsuch a decision in The RoadNot Taken by Robert Frost.TWO roads diverged in a yel-low wood,And sorry I could not travelbothAnd be one traveler, long IstoodAnd looked down one as faras I couldTo where it bent in theundergrowth; � � � �

Then took the other, as justas fair,And having perhaps the bet-ter claim,Because it was grassy andwanted wear;Though as for that the pass-ing thereHad worn them really aboutthe same, � � � � � �And both that morningequally layIn leaves no step had trod-den black.Oh, I kept the first for an-other day!Yet knowing how way leadson to way,I doubted if I should evercome back. � � � � � �I shall be telling this with asighSomewhere ages and ageshence:Two roads diverged in awood, and I—I took the one less traveledby,And that has made all thedifference.

A few years ago, MemphisPlumbing Association and TheNashville Area Plumbing andMechanical Association help topass legislation that requiredthe State of Tennessee to


A Carolina Plumbing News - January, 2009CONTINUED from PAGE 7A

implement inspections on newplumbing installs in the areasthat don’t currently have them.

Soon the new legislature willbe meeting to decide issuesand bills that effect the citizensand businesses in this state.Because of budget restraints,they and we may be coming tothat divided road.

Their dilemma will be howto fund this program and willthey hire more state employeesor shift responsibility to the coun-ties and cities, ours will be, dowe pressure the state to not gobackwards. Let me make acase for staying the course. Bykeeping the inspections, we willprotect home owners. Believeit or not, homebuilders don’t al-ways use the best qualitypeople. Sometimes it’s igno-rance on their part. Sometimesit’s pure greed. By keeping in-spections you protect ahomebuilder from bad subs aswell as give good builders aneven playing field.

After competing against un-licensed plumbing contractorsall of my life I can tell you what ahelp it would be to have a fairplaying field. A builder couldbuild a house and know hisprice would be competitive withother builders. Second, if abuilder trust people that aren’ttrustworthy, inspections willsave his skin from property dam-age and law suits. And lastly,contractors that look athomeowners as just a sheepfor the shearing will have tostraighten up or go into anotherline of work. Inspections protectall of us really, we must not loosethis to budget cuts or specialinterest groups. Really muchmore needs to be done thanwhat we have.

It is critical that at some pointwe inspect Heating and Cool-ing installs across the wholeState of Tennessee. This reallyshould have been passed at thesame time as the other.

Not only does all that I men-tioned apply to this trade, it is alife a death issue as well. Nash-ville only imposed inspectionson HVAC systems after thedeaths of tourist near Opryland.Improper HVAC systems haveto be prevented. This new in-spection should cover both sys-tems period.

So which road will the Stateand the Legislature take, whichroad will you take. On one handyou can do nothing, on theother, join a local association,let you legislator know how youfeel.

I will tell you, the easy roadof doing nothing is a wide wornpath. But the road not taken ofinvolvement will make all the dif-ference in the world.

EditorialGrundfos’ 18-Wheeled

‘Pumps On Tour’

Grundfos Pumps Corp.’snew rolling Mobile EducationCenter display is coming toa city near you. The “PumpsOn Tour” exhibit began itsnationwide expedition thisfall and already has been thefocus of many hands-on edu-

cational events typicallyhosted at wholesaler andman-ufacturer’s rep loca-tions. The trade-show-on-wheels occupies an entire18-wheel Peterbilt truck andtrailer with bold graphicsoutside. Inside is a class-room for hands-on trainingand a complete theaterroom for 40 or more visitors.“The wheels won’t stop spin-ning for several months, andeven then only for a shortwhile,” announced Steve

Goble, Grundfos marketingdirector. “The truck andtrailer were built to be seenand experienced. The MECis more than a mobile dis-play, it’s a hands-on labora-tory and demo tool like noth-ing else in the industry to-day.”

The MEC made a stop inPennsylvania recently whenGrundfos held a grand open-ing of its enlarged trainingand fabrication facility inAllentown, Pa. During theday, manufacturer reps,OEM partners, commercialengineering, contractor andwholesale distributor visitors

toured through and experi-enced a wide variety ofworking pump displays.

“We outfitted the MECchiefly to demonstrate thecapabilities of new productsserving the commercial andindustrial markets,” said EdSmiley, Grundfos marketdevelopment manager.

“It’s all right here on thebed of this well-designedtrailer,” said DennisWierzbicki, Grundfos presi-dent.

“And we’re taking to it lo-cations across the country.You might say we’re prettypumped up about it.”

Carolina Plumbing News - January, 2009 Section B

CONTINUED on PAGE 2B

Implementing GPS“It only keeps an honest

man honest.” That’s howQuality Service Contrac-tors’ Business CoachLawrence Snow sums up thevalue of purchasing a Glo-bal Positioning System(GPS) for p-h-c companies.

The Connection inter-viewed Snow to find out howbusiness owners can makethe most of this fairly newtechnology that has pro-duced significant bottomline results for many mem-bers. Although there are ini-tial hesitations about beingperceived as “Big Brother,”many contractors are find-ing that the positives out-weigh the negatives. Hereare Snow’s tips:

* If you’re going to spendthe money to buy one, useit. Many times contractorsbuy GPS, but then do notimplement it. If you’re notgoing to monitor, don’t evenbuy it.

* Use it as a two-way com-munications tool. Use it tohelp technician get to jobquicker and also use as adispatch tool.

* Communicate up front

to everyone, in person, thatyou are going to implementa GPS system. Emphasizethat it will help them get tothe job faster and also helpthe company be more prof-itable, which ultimately willhelp them possibly earnmore money.

* Establish a policy forany infractions so that every-one is treated equally. Makeclear how any infraction willbe brought to an employee’sattention and what the pen-alties are. An example of apenalty for a minor infractionwould be to dock someone’spay a certain amount for anymisuse of the vehicle(speeding, taking to a bar,etc.). Of course a penaltyfor a major infraction (e.g.,using for side work) could bejail time. I have a real-life“horror story” about an inci-

dent when I had to filecharges against field man-agers which resulted in themserving time.

* Get comfortable withthe notion that you will beable to automatically letsomeone know that youhave caught them doingsomething wrong. ManyGPS “ping” a driver whenthey are speeding or usinga vehicle on the weekend,for instance. You’ll haveaccess to that report andcan choose whether to ad-dress the problem immedi-ately or to wait and discussin person.

* When an infraction hap-pens, be sure to talk with theemployee about it. It’snearly always a quick con-versation about “you need toslow down,” or somethingalong those lines. That’s theend of conversation, typi-cally. Normally these situa-tions correct themselves.

* Be sure to maintain aposition of authority andleadership throughout theGPS process. Don’t be “Mr.Nice Guy.” Employees haveto understand that it’s yourtruck, equipment, tools. Ev-erything is your liability.

* Remember that once

your employees get used tothe GPS, they are going tolove it. It will make their jobeasier because they won’thave to look up directions,won’t have to communicateas much with the front officeand there will be less downtime sitting waiting for thenext call.

* If an employee reacts

badly to the implementationof GPS and perhaps evenquits, sit back and wait. Heor she may come around.An employee of mine oncequit after hearing about themovement toward GPS, buthe ended up coming backto work in a couple ofweeks.


ASA Ends Relationshipwith ISH North AmericaIn a letter dated Decem-

ber 15, 2008, ASA informedMesse Frankfurt that theAmerican Supply Associa-tion Board of Directors hadvoted to withdraw supportand involvement from ISHNorth America.

“Long and serious con-sideration was given to thisdecision, and it included ex-tensive input from our manu-facturer members,” saidMike Adelizzi, ASA’s execu-tive vice president. “Whilethe original concept of ISHwas to bring the PHCP andPVF industry together underone trade show banner, the

result weakened the focuson the sponsoring associa-tions. This loss of focus re-duced the urgency to attendamong people who had tra-ditionally identified with aspecific association. Atten-dance diminished and ISHdidn’t realize the potential weall believed in when wejoined forces.”

In addition, Adelizzi saidthat many of ASA’s manu-facturer members clearlyvoiced their desire to endthe partnership with ISHNorth America. “With thestate of the economy the

B Carolina Plumbing News - January, 2009

way it is today, a closer work-ing partnership between themanufacturer and whole-saler has an even greatervalue than in years past,”continued Adelizzi. “ASA isplacing a stronger emphasison providing manufacturersand wholesalers a venue to

RelationshipCONTINUED from PAGE 1B

* I recommend GPS forcompanies that have threetrucks or more. You’re onlytalking about a $65 permonth charge, and you’llsave that in fuel costs.

* I recommend you pur-chase an Internet-based sys-tem, one that updates auto-matically, one that sendsyou “exception” (violation)reports and one that canhave two-way communica-tion.

* GPS can also serve as

GPSCONTINUED from PAGE 1B

fortify that working partner-ship and coupling it with criti-cal information about whatthe future has in store for ourindustry. Those are the guid-ing principles that have ledto the development of theagenda for NetworkASA2009 and the introduction ofthe Industry Interchangeprogram.”

In related news, Supply

House Times has receivedword that PHCC also is nolonger co-sponsoring theevent. We are attempting tocontact other show spon-sors that have not yet offi-cially stated their intentionsto support or discontinuesupport of ISH NA. We willreport these developmentsas we hear back from them.

ASA will be introducing

the Industry Interchange, aninnovative and excitingevent that will replace thetraditional industry tradeshow and conference boothformat.

“For a few years now,we’ve heard dissatisfactionabout industry trade shows,“said Adelizzi. “Our VendorMember Division (VMD)came out strongly this yearin favor of developing a newway to connect with theircustomers and the IndustryInterchange is it. What theIndustry Interchange allowsus to do is choose a theme

and a format, hold the eventand then have the option ofredesigning the whole thingthe next year."

He continues, "We aren’tpigeon-holed into just atrade show, or just a con-ference booth program.This allows the VMD to re-act in a responsive way tochanging needs and de-sires as to how vendorsand their customers bestconnect. We’re very ex-cited about this event andthe potential it has to stayinnovat ive for years tocome.”

time cards. I used it forsuch in my new construc-tion division. When employ-ees are on the job site, paystarts. When they depart thejob site, pay ends. Throughthis process I learned thatsome employees actuallywere charging for time whenthey were not even at work—to the tune of 40 hours aweek, or $1,200 a day. Af-ter the tracking and monitor-ing began, they startedshowing up for work ontime. Isn’t that example anincentive to think about GPSfor your company?


Moen Learns that Today’sConsumers are Going Green,

and Getting Wired

Think you know all thelatest trends? From metallicfrocks to chunky knits – ifan item is hot this season,chances are, you’re wearingit. But what about hometrends? In today’s consumerworld, how you dress yourhome can be just as impor-tant as how you dress yourbody. Have you ever stoppedto think of whether your livingspace is on the cutting edge?

During a recent presenta-tion at Moen® Incorporated’sINSPIRE Design Seminar,leading consumer trends ad-visory firm Iconoculture® dis-cussed its consumer out-look for the home, includingwhere we live, how we liveand the movement toward a

greener, smarter and moresoothing abode.

Glamorous GreeningWhen it comes to home

décor, consumers are goinggreen – and saving green –with energy-conserving so-lutions and practical eco-friendly home products thatdon’t skimp on style. Ex-amples include energy-effi-cient appliances and furnituremade from rapidly renewableresources. Other new itemsin green home décor includewall coverings, like MIO’sPaperForms, made of 100%post- and pre-consumerwaste paper, and water-sav-ing showerheads, such asMoen’s new 1.75 gallons per

Carolina Plumbing News - January, 2009 Page 3B

minute model, which offers a30 percent water savingsfrom the industry standard 2.5gallons per minuteshowerhead while maintain-ing a satisfying shower expe-rience.

Leading the way in theemerging sustainability trendare so-called “LOHAS,” orLifestyles of Health andSustainability consumers,first-time homeowners andempty-nesters. However, ac-cording to TimothyHenderson, Iconoculture se-nior director and consumerstrategist, going green is notjust a fad among elite environ-mentalists. “Twenty yearsfrom now, people will expectto find environmentally re-sponsible, sustainable prod-ucts,” said Henderson.

Tech-savvy HabitatFrom the living room to the

bathroom, Americans are get-ting wired. According toIconoculture experts, tech-nology is the homeconsumer’s new best friend.From “smart homes” that of-fer homeowners the conve-nience to control appliances,sprinklers, security systems,curtains and media compo-nents from a single-touchpanel to “intelligent homes”that monitor what the con-sumer is doing and use thisinformation to set preferencesfrom a secure server, hometechnology is available atmany different levels.

Leading the tech-savvyhome trend are working fami-lies, older adults looking toupgrade their current homeand those with multiplehomes. These groups rely onthe convenience of technol-ogy to simplify their lives. Out-side of these demographichotspots, popular techchoices making their way intothe mainstream include virtualphoto storage, smart appli-ances and furniture and fix-tures embedded with technol-ogy, like ShowHouse® byMoen’s new hands-free elec-tronic Destiny™ faucet, fea-turing clean, minimalist stylingand a sheeting water flow.

Design TherapyForget the therapist…great

décor is the new path to heal-ing and restoration. Accord-ing to Nissa Hanna,Iconoculture associate direc-tor and consumer strategist,the trend is “more about ap-preciation of good design, notjust for the sake of good de-sign, but for better living.”Hanna explained that today’sdesign is all about experience– aspiring to create custom-ized comfort and functional-ity. Among those leading the

ConsumersCONTINUED from PAGE 2B trend toward extreme home

personalization are multi-generational home dwellersneeding both common andpersonal space, GenerationX “blenders” who mix workand life, home artisans,young cosmopolitan con-sumers and empty nesters.

To create this level of per-sonalization, homeowners aregravitating toward unique itemslike the Puzzle Floor™, solidhardwood flooring that is put to-gether like the pieces of apuzzle, and the Loftcube,

a customizable pod-likeprefabricated unit, com-plete with kitchen and bath,that can be added to anyproperty – from rooftop toopen field. Beyond currenttrends, Iconoculture expertsput several items on theirwatch list for the future.

Trends to watch amongseniors, the fastest growingsegment of the population,include “aging in place,” re-jecting the idea of a retire-ment community to continueliving in the traditional home;

and “luxe retirement,” rede-fining retirement with luxu-ries such as multiple homesand extra spending money.

When it comes to whereAmericans live, the trend is

either toward tall or sprawl– consumers are choosingto pile into urban environ-ments where everything is atyour doorstep or spreadingout into more rural areas.


3 Percent GovernmentWithholding Tax UpdatePHCC is one step closer

in our fight to repeal the con-tentious Three PercentGovernment WithholdingTax, which is scheduled to

take effect in 2011. PHCChas worked tirelessly forthe past 2 years to seek fullrepeal of the 3% tax by


Congress. In preparationfor implementation of thelaw, recently the InternalRevenue Service issued aproposed rule implement-ing the Three Percent TaxWithholding. On Decem-ber 5th, the IRS publisheda proposed rule (REG-158747-06) relating to with-holding under tax codeSection 3402(t). PHCCjoined with our coalitionpartners in May to providecomments to the IRS re-garding the concerns of

CONTINUED from PAGE 3B

Tax Update proposed rule also providescertain guidance to per-sons receiving paymentsfor property or servicesfrom government entities.The proposed rule wouldrequire federal, state andlocal governments with$100 million or more in an-nual, non-wage outlays towithhold 3 percent of thepayments they make forservices, such as installa-tion, service and repair, inaddition to property, includ-ing plumbing and hvacequipment. According tothe proposed rule, thiswould apply to paymentsmade after Dec. 31, 2010.As stated in the text of thefederal register, govern-mental entities would sub-mit the amounts they with-hold to the IRS, and pay-ees could claim a corre-sponding credit on incometax filings.

The IRS provides ex-plicit clarification regardingthe exception for subcon-tractors: “[I]f the govern-ment entity enters into acontract with a prime con-tractor for property andservices, and that primecontractor separately con-tracts with subcontractorsfor delivery of certain prop-erty and services, then with-holding under sect ion3402(t) applies only to pay-ments by the governmententity or its payment ad-ministrator to the primecontractor, and does notapply to successive pay-ments by the prime con-tractor to its subcontrac-tors.”

Furthermore, the pro-posed rule would exemptpayments of $10,000 orless from withholding. Writ-ten or electronic commentsare due by or on March5th, 2009. PHCC will againbe sending comments onbehalf of our members.We welcome any inputmembers may have,please send suggestions orcomments to government@naphcc. org. PHCC plansto continue the fight for fullrepeal of the 3% Withhold-ing tax as part of our prior-ity issues in 2009 for the111th Congress. Imposinga 3% tax on p-h-ccontactors who may dobusiness with federal, stateor local governments couldbe detrimental, given thecurrent state of theeconomy.

For additional informa-tion and view the text of theproposed rule, please visitthe following link: http://edocket.access. gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-28789.pdf.

our members.IRS said the proposed

regulat ions ref lectchanges in the law madeby the Tax Increase Pre-vention and ReconciliationAct of 2005 (Pub. L. No.109-222) that require fed-eral, state, and local gov-ernment entities to with-hold income tax when mak-ing payments to personsproviding property or ser-vices. The proposed regu-lations provide guidance toassist the government en-tities in complying withSection 3402(t), IRS said.According to the IRS, the

Taco Buys InnovexTechnologies

Taco Inc. has acquired the assets of Innovex Tech-nologies, a Lewiston, Maine,-based manufacturer of In-telligent Building Systems products, that include stand-alone control devices and accessories that offer com-plete control for both residential and commercial build-ings.

Announcement of the acquisition was made by TacoPresident and CEO John Hazen White Jr.: “The additionof the Innovex Technologies product line is consistentwith Taco’s strategy to expand its electronics productoffering and our continued focus on system selling. Thisis another way in which Taco will create value for ourcustomers, further diversify the Taco product line andcontinue to move away from the industry’s tendency ofsimply selling cast iron by the pound.

Carolina Plumbing News - January, 2009 Page 7B

C A R O L I N A E V E N T S C A L E N D A RMay 16t-19th, 2009GAMA 74th Annual MeetingLOCATION: Santa Ana Pueblo, NMCONTACT:www.gamanet.org

June 17-18th, 2009National Disaster Reconstruction ExpoLOCATION: New OrleansCONTACT: www.ndrexpo.com

October 7-9th 2009WaterSmart Conference and ExpoLOCATION: Las VegasCONTACT: WaterSmartInnovations.com

October 14-19th, 2009American Supply Association Con.LOCATION: Washington, DCCONTACT: www.asa.net/

October 21-23rd, 2009PHCC National ConventionLOCATION: New Orleans, LACONTACT:www.phccweb.org

October 22-25th, 2009ASPE National SymposiumLOCATION: Dearborn, MichiganCONTACT:www.aspe.org

Send all of your open house, continuing education, seminar, and trade show information to: THE CAROLINA PLUMBING NEWSCALENDAR: P.O. Box 68 Bethlehem, Georgia 30620 or Fax 770-586-5174

February 25th -March 4th, 2009Associated Builders & Contractors Con.LOCATION: Honolulu, HawaiiCONTACT:www.abc.org

April 15-17th, 20092009 TAPHCC Convention/Trade ShowLOCATION: L.P. Field, Nashville, TNCONTACT: (865) 531-7045

May 1st-3rd, 2009KBIS 2009LOCATION: Atlanta, GeorgiaCONTACT: www.kbis.com

May 1st-3rd, 2009KBIS 2009LOCATION: Atlanta, GeorgiaCONTACT: www.kbis.com

May 8-9th, 2009National Green Building ConferenceLOCATION: Dallas, TXCONTACT:www.nahb.org

May 11-13th, 2009HVCAR/Plumbing Instructor WorkshopLOCATION: Landsdowne, VACONTACT:www.instructorworkshop.org

November 11-13th, 20092009 Greenbuild International ExpoLOCATION: Phoenix, AZCONTACT: www.greenbuildexpo.org

1st Tuesday of Every Month 6PMColumbia Chapter ASPE MeetingLOCATION: Damon’s GrillContact: 803-407-2643

1st Tuesday of Every Month 6:30 PMFAPCA Monthly MeetingLOCATION: call for detailsContact: www.fapca.org

2nd Tuesday of Every Month 6:30PMCPHCCA Monthly MeetingLOCATION: check website for detailsCONTACT: www.cphcca.org

3rd Tuesday of Every MonthRaleigh Chapter ASPE MeetingLOCATION: NCSU University ClubCONTACT: www.aspe-raleigh.org

4th Tuesday of Every MonthCharlotte Chapter ASPE MeetingLOCATION: To be determinedCONTACT: Hal Angel at 704-525-3388

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