Contractormag.Com MAY 2019

www.contractormag.com MAY 2019

THE NEWSMAGAZINE OF MECHANICAL CONTRACTING

Book SPONSORED BY A. O. Smith Announces of The new degree of comfort.® Acquisition of Water-Right, Inc. Giants SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR MILWAUKEE, WI— Water technol- BY STEVE SPAULDING, ogy company A. O. Smith Corpora- OF CONTRACTOR’S STAFF tion (NYSE-AOS) today announced Despite economic storm clouds, that it has acquired Water-Right, the nation’s largest mechanical Inc., a Wisconsin-based water treat- contractors have had another ment company, for $107 million in strong year, some posting record cash, subject to customary adjustments. solutions provider with a complete line of profits. See all the numbers—in- The acquisition includes all Water-Right residential and commercial products and cluding breakdowns by region subsidiaries, real estate, and sister com- systems for a wide variety of applications, and type of work—in our annual pany Mineral-Right, Inc. including solutions for problem well wa- feature. Family-owned Water-Right, Inc., based ter. Water-Right products are sold under ➤ ➤ Turn to Giants, page 20 Photo by E.M. Duggan in Appleton, Wisconsin, is a water quality Turn to A.O., page 8

Our top Giants by percentage increase in revenue over 2018 Hotel Zachary: Wrigleyville numbers (includes only those companies reporting revenue Top 10 Giants YoY for both years). BY KELLY FALOON, OF CONTRACTOR’S STAFF Hospitality Company Location % Change over 2018 A location across from the friendly conﬁ nes meant subtly U.S. Engineering Company Holdings Kansas City, MO 48.80% incorporating baseball themes — as well as the ballpark’s Arden Building Co. LLC Pawtucket, RI 48.71% sustainable plumbing. DE-CAL, Inc. Warren, MI 44.73% After the Chicago Cubs’ Hermanson Co. LLP Kent, WA 44.35% historic World Series win Harder Mechanical Contractors, Inc. Portland, OR 43.49% in 2016, the area around IMCOR - Interstate Mechanical Corp. Phoenix, AZ 33.29% iconic Wrigley Field, lo- AMPAM Parks Mechanical Carson, CA 33.10% cated in the city’s north- side Lakeview/Wrig- Pan-Pacific Mechanical, Inc. Fountain Valley, CA 32.91% leyville neighborhood, E.M. Duggan, Inc. Canton, MA 30.50% underwent a transforma- Dave Jones, Inc. Madison, WI 28.42% ➤ Hotel Zachary & Wrigley Marquee Turn to Hotel, page 10 McKinstry Co. Seattle, WA 24.55% IN THIS ISSUE FEATURE Book of Giants 2019 20 The Good Times Roll

PRODUCTS 32 34 36 51 Yates on Eatherton on Feldman on PLUMBING HYDRONICS TECHNOLOGY The SM Rev C Shapiro & Duncan Prefab Facility geothermal 6 A beacon for better production. heat pump. ABC Congratulates Champions -- Helping Helping Contractors Contractors Run Run A A Better Better Business Business Since Since 1954 1954 - - 14 National Craft Championship held in Long Beach, CA. EFFICIENT, MONEY-SAVING PRDIGY

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NEITHER Informa NOR ANY THIRD PARTY CONTENT PROVIDER OR THEIR AGENTS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY ACT, DIRECT OR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR ACCESS TO ANY DIGITAL MATERIAL, AND/OR ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN. For information circle 201 Industry News Features & Departments 6 Shapiro & Duncan Prefab Facility PHCC Welcomes Mr. Rooter as a Contractor hope to make the facility electrically self-sufficient. Franchisor Sponsorship Participant 18 Forum by Dale Stroud New Housing—Hard to Believe? Expanding its reach, influence and opportunities among plumbing con- 20 Book of Giants 2019 tractors, the Plumbing-Heating-Cool- The Good Times Roll. ing Contractors—National Associa- 46 USGBC Releases Sustainability Report tion (PHCC) has welcomed Mr. Rooter The report shares the progress of seven sustainability objectives. Plumbing to its Franchisor Sponsor- ship program. The company, part of 51 Green Products the Neighborly community, represents more than 230 business owners in the 54 Editorial United States and Canada. panded opportunities to access a wide array Staying Successful Means Taking Risks Through Mr. Rooter’s participation, their of education and training programs, net- franchise business owners will have ex- ➤ Turn to PHCC, page 12 Columnists Smith-Cooper to Merge With Anvil 16 Management by Al Schwartz Pursuing Excellence COMMERCE, CA and EX- to merge. The combined ETER, NH – Anvil Inter- company will be major- 32 Plumbing by Dave Yates national (“Anvil”), a ity owned by Tailwind Hot Work global designer, man- Capital. Terms of the 34 Radiant Solutions by Mark Eatherton ufacturer and provider transaction were not Boiler Replacement Opportunities - Part 3 of high-quality products disclosed. 36 that connect and support The combined company Technology by Patti Feldman Inventory, Service and Productivity piping systems, and Smith-Cooper In- will be a leading designer, manufacturer ternational (“SCI”), a global designer and and provider of products that connect and 38 Marketing by Matt Michel provider of branded, high-quality pipes, support piping systems, with a portfolio of The Living in Place Opportunity valves, and fittings, today announced they high-quality, global brands including AF- 40 by Mike Agugliaro ➤ Best Practices have entered into a definitive agreement Turn to Smith-Cooper, page 14 How to Win Big This Summer

42 Best Practices by Michael A. Capasso ASPE to Develop New Standard on Hot Unifying the Moving Parts of a Large Company Water System Temperature Maintenance The American Society water exiting a fixture Editorial Offices of Plumbing Engineers or appliance in domes- (ASPE) is seeking volun- tic water distribution EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS STAFF teers with a technical systems. Ideal candi- DIRECTOR OF SALES EDITORIAL DIRECTOR background in design- dates would be plumb- Mike Hellmann Steve Spaulding 978/289-0098 312/635-9132 ing plumbing systems, ing system designers/ [email protected] [email protected] specifically domestic engineers, piping sys- water heating systems, to participate on tem experts, code authorities, and others EDITOR-AT-LARGE SENIOR CONTENT DIRECTOR Working Group 15 to develop a new Amer- knowledgeable in plumbing system design John Mesenbrink Mike Eby ican National Standard on system design techniques. 847/340-9962 913/967-1782 [email protected] [email protected] methods used to regulate the temperature of ➤ Turn to ASPE, page 12

CONTRACTOR INFOCUS New Single-Family Home Sales COLUMNISTS 600 9 Irving Blackman, Finances • William & Patti Feldman, Technology • Dave Yates, Plumbing • Matt Michel, Marketing • Mark Eatherton, Hydronic Heating 700 8 7 600 Months’ Supply GRAPHICS by Susan Lakin, Art Director 6 500 5 BUSINESS 400 4 Susan Johnson, Marketing Coordinator • 312/840-8497 300 3 Susan Poskin, Production Manager • 913/967-7204 200 Vince Potochar, Production Director • 913/967-1755 2 Nick Iademarco, Reprints • 281/419-5712 100 1 New Home Sales (SAAR, ths) New 0 0 CUSTOMER SERVICE OR SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES: 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Paid Sub.: Informa, PLC, PO Box 2135, Skokie, IL 60076-7835 Source: National Association of Home Builders Cust. Serv.: Informa, PLC, PO Box 2113, Skokie, IL 60076-7813 Phone: 866/505-7173 • Fax: 847/763-9673 • [email protected] Industry News

In Brief CREAM OF THE CROP CONTRACTORS Uponor North America CONTRACTOR Do you know of a top-notch contractor? If so, then was recently honored with the mag.com Minnesota Real Estate Journal award nominate them to be one of our CREAM OF THE CROP in the Industrial/Manufacturing/ CONTRACTOR’s! These Contractors will be featured Science category for the design Visit www.Contractormag.com for your daily dose of industry news! on our website. All you have to do is send your and build-out of the company’s nomination to [email protected]. new, 237,000-square-foot PEX online exclusive pipe manufacturing facility in Hutchinson, Minn. More than 225 Top Stories HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT projects were nominated from across the state with honorees Hand Tools and Power Tools? • Little Red Schoolhouse Reopens selected by a panel of judges. Take our Monthly Plumbing Quiz and ﬁ nd out

Greenheck, a manufacturer of air movement, control and • Saniflo Parent Company Acquires conditioning equipment, was Zehnder Pumpen GmbH s recently named as one of Forbes’ America’s Best Midsized Employers. Employers are chosen based on • TDIndustries Earns ABC Eagle Award results from an independent survey for Mansﬁ eld Wellness Center distributed to more than 50,000 U.S. based employees. Companies considered for this award were • Sloan Launches Sustainability rated by nation-wide survey Resources on Earth Day respondents on work-related topics.

OLFA North America has You could win a $25 gift card just for taking announced its “Build Diversity” Videos & Media Galleries program, intended to support CONTRACTOR’s all-new Monthly Plumbing Quiz! individuals, organizations, Which States Pay Plumbers Top Dollar  Choose a card from Amazon, iTunes or Cabela’s. classrooms and, apprenticeship/ Every month the quiz focuses on a different topic, such as green plumbing training programs that demonstrate and heating systems, and pipes and valves. diversity and inclusion as a part Test your knowledge and find out what your Plumbing IQ is! of professional skill development. Qualified individuals or organizations can apply for the Register now for access to: program on an annual basis to  receive a gift of up to $1,000 in A surprising secret for contractors to get more cutting tools and solutions at no time in their day cost to support their efforts. Visit  The engine that could: how contractors can https://olfa.com/ to learn more. produce a solid business plan Dakota Supply Group (DSG) Plumbing and Heating Nightmares II   8 Simple ways to boost your monthly cash flow recently named Ryan Tracy, Wayne Trosen, Karl Wrobel and Roy Eskro as new Regional General Managers. This is a new leadership role at DSG, created to bring leadership closer INDUSTRY to its markets, its employees and its customers. These Regional General PERSPECTIVES Managers will be responsible for Want to know what is on the mind of Ed OÕConnell, providing direct leadership for all business coach and consultant? branches in their respective regions, as well as the development of their Want to know about how to get the flow rates right in regional management staff. Crazy Uses for PVC Pipe  hydronics from master trainer Steve Swanson?  Taco Comfort Solutions has Want to know what the 14 characteristics are of a announced the naming of two professional plumbing company? Matt Michel will tell new manufacturer’s representative you. firms. R. F. MacDonald, based in Hayward, CA, is now the exclusive If so, our Industry Perspectives page is the place for you! Visit Taco representative for Northern Industry Perspectives today at California. The company president contractormag.com/industry-perspectives-0 is Jim MacDonald. Southwest Sales Reps, with offices in Mesa, AZ and Want to converse with experts in the plumbing and Las Vegas, NV, now serves Taco hydronics industries? Then check out CONTRACTOR’s Industry Perspectives, serving up thoughtful, exclusively in Arizona and Southern ➤ www.contractormag.com conversational content from the industry experts you Nevada. The firm was founded by stay connected Earl Brockert in 2002. have gotten to know so well at www.Contractormag.com. Follow @contractormag on Twitter

4 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com For information circle 202 Industry News

Shapiro & Duncan Prefab Facility - A Beacon for Better Production BY JOHN MESENBRINK OF CONTRACTOR’S STAFF

LANDOVER, MD. —Industry lead- rework is eliminated,” said Drury. ing mechanical contractor Shapiro & Additionally, the team stacked two Duncan is making waves with several sea containers and custom modified projects and initiatives in its prefab- them to provide a multi-floor work- rication facility that will enhance the space for skills enhancement. company’s capabilities, which includes multi-trade prefab work. Since 2002, Committed to Sustainability Shapiro & Duncan has been involved The final project of 2018—with the in the prefabrication of piping assem- help of Aurora Energy, a commercial blies with a 12,000-sq.-ft. leased facil- solar project developer—was the instal- ity in Beltsville, Md, but after realizing lation of a rooftop solar PV farm, which the company needed more space, in was a significant step for the Shapiro & 2007, Shapiro & Duncan purchased a Duncan’s commitment to sustainabil- 52,000-sq.-ft. building in Landover to ity, and the prefab facility’s goal of be further its path to becoming an indus- self-sufficient in its electrical supply. try leader in prefab pipe assemblies. Going from a primarily coal-fired elec- “The prefabrication facility gives us a trical energy supply to a solar energy clear advantage in the market through a high level of quality, minimized impact on jobsite and reduced jobsite storage and manpower clutter. We are making a huge upfront in- The Plasma Pipe Cutting and Profiling vestment of intelligence in the plan- machine in operation. Its addition has ning, coordination and detailing of doubled the company’s steel line capacity. every project to ensure project success through offsite production; we are far cone, bumpers and overlaps. Redoing more productive in our fab shop work- its steel line, Shapiro & Duncan added ing in a safer controlled environment an additional 150 feet of rail and an- with the best tools and equipment,” other overhead crane, allowing for said Mark Drury, Vice President of Busi- a well-supported assembly finishing ness Development, Shapiro & Duncan. area,” said Drury. Last year, the company moved for- The replacement of the 20-year-old, ward with multiple projects that will tar-and-gravel roof was the next pri- help Shapiro & Duncan, “work more ority and Shapirio & Duncan chose a efficiently to provide a better product white TPO roof system over two layers for our client,” added Drury. of insulation and hardboard. The ad- The first project Shapiro & Duncan ditional insulation improves winter completed was the construction of a heat retention and the white surface 4,800-sq-ft. three-sided metal storage reflects the sun’s rays in the summer to building, which is being used for stor- keep the building cooler. While replac- A section of the fab shop has been set up as a boot camp to help develop specific industry ing finished prefab assemblies. “With ing the roof, four rooftop air handling skills in a controlled environment. racked shelving, we have doubled the units were replaced and four 25,000 area’s storage capacity and added the cfm ventilation fans were added. complete at least three hour per year of supply, “Having the right team is crit- benefit of the items being under roof,” continuing education. ical to the success of any venture, and said Drury. Skilled Trades “At the fab shop we have set up an our rooftop solar team was top notch. Inside the shop, another CNC With the reconfiguration, the com- area as a boot camp where tradespeople They were extremely knowledgeable of Plasma Pipe Cutting and Profiling ma- pany added an area for S&DYouniversi- will be brought in for a week or more the product, the installation and the chine was added; this machine dou- ty—a program which provides instruc- of skills training specific to an identi- process,” said Drury. bles the steel line capacity, as well as tion across a wide range of knowledge fied need. This in-house instruction The 925 SunPower solar modules on increasing the size of pipe to 48” and and skill sets—to set up a versatile is provided by our own master trades- a Panel Claw support system complete down to a 2” diameter pipe. The ma- training area where the best trainers people. Having the most highly skilled a 302 kW production capacity, which, chine will cut and bevel straight, sad- conduct weekly skills enhancement workforce is a distinct advantage—the over the course of a year, will provide dle, tee, multi-miter, lateral, multi-sad- boot camps for five to 10 tradesmen at production is more efficient, the qual- power in excess of current consump- dle, gusset slots, double miter, pipe to a time. All employees are expected to ity is superior, execution is safer and ➤ Turn to Shapiro & Duncan, page 50

6 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com SOMETIMES, YOU JUST NEED TO VENT

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A. O. Smith Acquires Water-Right

➤ Continued from page 1 vices, and a state-certified lab, Clean beyond its strong presence in the di- market knowledge, established rela- the Evolve®, WaterCare®, Sanitizer Water Testing LLC™, specializing in rect-to-consumer and retail spaces tionships and array of training pro- Series®, Impression Series® and Cus- water analytical services. with Water-Right’s capabilities in the grams, Water-Right is the ideal fit as tomCare® product brands. In addi- “The acquisition of Water-Right wholesale and independent water the newest member of the A. O. Smith tion to its advanced and innovative squarely supports A. O. Smith’s quality dealer channels,” said Kevin family. It is an innovative, family-run product solutions, Water-Right also growth trajectory in water treatment J. Wheeler, president and chief ex- and Wisconsin-based company that has a retail facility, Water-Right Ser- and enables A. O. Smith to expand ecutive officer. “With its exceptional takes great pride in addressing customers’ problem water needs with the highest level of care.” “We’re honored and excited that the business founded and nurtured by my father and expanded by my brothers and me is finding a long- term future home with A. O. Smith, an innovative and global leader in water technology,” noted Kurt Gru- ett, Water-Right president. “We’re confident that A. O. Smith – with its global capabilities and manufacturing expertise – will be able to take

Kurt, Guy, and Greg Gruett will continue to lead.

Water-Right and its family of products to the next level.” Kurt Gruett, Guy Gruett and Greg Gruett will continue to lead the Wa- ter-Right businesses, while father and founder Glenn Gruett will continue to provide insight and business counsel. The Water-Right offices will remain based in Appleton, Wiscon- sin, and Mineral-Right will remain in Phillipsburg, Kansas. Water-Right employs approximately 90 employees with annual sales of approximately $60 million. On April 30, 2019, A. O. Smith plans to release its first quarter 2019 results, including the financial impact of this transaction, which is expected to be minimal in 2019 due to purchase accounting and one-time costs.

[Editor’s Note: This release contains statements that the company believes are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause For information circle 204 actual results to differ materially from those anticipated as of the date of this release.]

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Hotel Zachary: Wrigleyville Hospitality

➤ Continued from page 1 operations. The company has an office Lessons Learned The hotel boasts nearly a dozen din- tion. A new year-round entertainment staff of five and 60 plumbing techni- However, the biggest challenge for ing/drinking options: Alma, The Bar, venue was built outside the ballpark’s cians who primarily work on new con- the crew was the hotel’s ground level. Big Star, Brickhouse Tavern, Dutch and west gate, previously a parking lot, by struction or major renovation projects Because Hotel Zachary is across from Doc’s, Jeni’s, Lucky Dorr Patio and Tap, the Cubs’ owners, the Ricketts family. in the commercial/institutional/multi- Wrigley Field, the retail and restaurant Mordecai, Smoke Daddy, Starbuck’s Re- Gallagher Way, originally called The family/hospitality sectors. spaces were very important. However, serve and Westown Bakery and Tap. Park at Wrigley, appeals to more than For the hotel section, Adamson Plumb- just baseball fans, offering restaurants, ing installed Kohler fixtures in the gues- outdoor movies, a farmer’s market, ‘We didn’t know what was going in until trooms, which are designed with a nod music and other family events. to the 105-year-old ballpark — ivy-green Across Clark St. is the new the project was rolling... We had to adjust headboards, pinstripe carpet, leather 238,000-sq.-ft., seven-story Hotel our system to facilitate their build out.’ wing chairs, floor-to-ceiling windows Zachary, a Marriott property designed overlooking Wrigleyville, custom light- by VOA Associates/Stantec with 153 ing, local artwork, historic photographs guest rooms and 20 suites, retail space and rare Wrigley Field memorabilia. and various dining establishments Sloan fixtures were installed in the along Clark Ave. The boutique hotel public areas of the building. Sloan Valve opened last year and is inspired by Co. is the official water efficiency partner Zachary Taylor Davis, the architect of of the Chicago Cubs; the team’s club- Wrigley Field (as well as the old Comis- house, as well as the concourse, are out- key Park of the Chicago White Sox). fitted with the commercial plumbing Hickory Street Capital is the Ricketts manufacturer’s sustainable products. family-owned development company So, it only made sense to use its wa- behind the project. ter-saving fixtures in the nearby hotel Walsh Construction, the general — Royal 111 ESS flushometers deliver- contractor on the project, hired de- ing 1.28 gal. per flush with hybrid SU- sign-build subcontractor Adamson 1009 urinals and ST-2459 water closets, Plumbing Contractors to design and and hands-free, Optima EAF-700 fau- install the plumbing systems in the ho- cets customized with a brushed amber tel and restaurant spaces, as well as side gold finish to match the trim along the utilities (bringing in water and sewer restroom mirrors, as well as the handle- lines from the street). The 35-year-old bars in the water closet stalls. commercial plumbing firm is located Behind the walls, Adamson used cast- in suburban Addison, Ill., and co- iron hub and spigots from Charlotte Pipe owned by Doug Withington, a LEED and Viega copper press fittings. The 2 Sloan Zachery Hotel baseball themed restrooms. Accredited Professional, and Chris Ei- million Btu domestic hot water system senhauer. On the Hotel Zachary project, the the building’s owners didn’t have all comes from A. O. Smith and includes While Eisenhauer grew up in his Adamson Plumbing Contractors’ crew the retail/dining space rented out a 1,000-gal. storage tank. The triplex family’s plumbing business, Eisen- of 10 to 15 plumbers worked on the when Adamson Plumbing Contractors booster pump system is from ITT Goulds. hauer Plumbing, Withington entered building for a year and a half. One of did its system design. Earlier this year, Withington had an the industry nearly two decades ago the challenges for the crew was the lo- “Usually we’ll stub in the water and 11-month walk-through with the facil- after a career in marketing and man- cation itself. waste lines and call it a day,” With- ities staff and all the mechanical trades. agement consulting. “I had young kids “There were issues on game days,” ington notes. “But with this hotel, we “The facility folks said they’ve been very at home and the travel was extensive,” Withington explains. “We don’t use a didn’t know what was going in until pleased with how the building’s oper- Withington recalls. crane a lot but it was shut down on cer- the project was rolling along. We had ating across all trades,” he says. “It was He started at Adamson Plumbing tain days because they didn’t want it to adjust our plumbing system to facil- a great project and Adamson Plumbing Contractors (the former Thomas P. Ad- boomed out over Clark St. The neigh- itate their build out.” Contractors is proud to be part of it.” amson Jr. & Associates) as an assistant borhood would go from being pretty He adds: “We got too far ahead of our- Withington does have some advice project manager; his organizational quiet to teaming with tens of thou- selves with design and had to make a for other design-build subcontrac- skills honed in the corporate world sands of people on game day. Safety lot of changes to accommodate all the tors working on commercial projects. were a natural asset for project man- was a major concern. There was no restaurant tenants. We designed the “With the popularity of design-build, agement. He worked his way up to po- room for error with a high-profile job plumbing system for a hotel; in the end, subcontractors need to understand the sitions of more responsibility until he like that.” it was much more a mixed-use build- impact of being the engineer of record and Eisenhauer bought out Tom Ad- Noise also was an issue as the ballpark ing. It’s typically good to move fast on projects,” he explains. “We (as sub- amson Jr. in 2014. and hotel are located in a residential during the design/coordination phase contractors) tend to underestimate this Withington handles office oper- area. All construction crews had to be but due to the unique use of this project, cost; as a group, we need to be sure we ations and Eisenhauer manages field mindful of the city’s noise ordinance. it only ended up costing us money.” adequately cover it in our bids.”

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For information circle 206 The Leader in Condensing Technology Industry News

PHCC Welcomes Mr. Rooter as Sponsorship Participant ➤ Continued from page 3 nancing and marketing programs source for p-h-c service businesses portunity to reach more professional working events and business coaches • Updates on legislative and regula- • DOL-approved apprentice training contractors and further PHCC’s mis- from PHCC, PHCC’s Quality Service tory issues affecting the p-h-c industry and a soon-to-be released Fast Track to sion to provide best practices, expert Contractors (QSC) and the PHCC Edu- • Plumbing-specific information, re- Service Plumbing resources, education and training for cational Foundation, including: sources and discussion opportunities • Workforce development resources the industry.” • PHCC CONNECT 2019—Oct. 2-4 • Frontline Service Technician and “We are very excited about this new Nielsen adds that the Franchisor Spon- in Indianapolis, Indiana Service Manager Training sponsorship program,” says PHCC sor program is a new opportunity for • Discounts on customer service, fi- • “Pillars of Success” coaching re- President Ken Nielsen. “It is a great op- franchisors to participate as a group with PHCC. “We’re eager to expand our network and pursue relationships with other franchisors as we continue to advance the industry as a whole,” he says. “We are excited about this partner- ship with PHCC,” says Glenn Gal- las, Mr. Rooter VP of Operations, Mr. Rooter LLC. “This will add a much- needed technician training component to our Franchisee Support so our Franchisees can continue to build and grow their businesses while providing well trained Service Professionals to provide World Class Plumbing Services to all our clients.” For more information on PHCC’s Franchisor Sponsorship program and membership opportunities, contact [email protected] or 800/533- 7694.

ASPE to Develop New Hot Water Standard ➤ Continued from page 3 ASPE 15 is intended to reduce the Commercial Auto potential for hot water scalds and re- GEICO for your lated injuries, as well as reduce the General Liability risk of thermal shock due to pressure disturbances within the domestic wa- business, too. Business Owner’s Policy ter distribution system. It will fill a void that exists in current product standards by addressing the total sys- Running a business takes a lot of hard work. We’re Professional Liability tem design from the point of entry, here to make it easier by helping you save time through the distribution system, and and money. Get a quote today. Workers’ Compensation to the point of use. The deadline to apply is May 10, 2019. Interested individuals are en- couraged to fill out the application at aspe.org/content/aspe-standards-committee-application. For more information, please contact WG 15 Chair, geico.com/business | 1-866-509-9444 | Local Offce Chris Haldiman, at Chris.Haldiman@ wattswater.com or ASPE Sr. Director of Technical & Regulatory Affairs, For information circle 207 Ramiro Mata, at [email protected].

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ABC Congratulates 2019 National Craft Champions

LONG BEACH, CA —Associated Builders fessional development. This talented The 2019 National Craft Championships Winners by Category: and Contractors announced the win- group of craft professionals are leaders ners of the 32nd annual National Craft in our workforce, and I look forward to Pipefitting Bronze Championships on March 29th during their continued contributions to the Safety Jonathan Epps its Careers in Construction Awards at construction industry.” Jeff Barker Pro-Craft Construction the conclusion of ABC Convention 2019 Clement Prevost, a senior talent de- Manhattan Mechanical Services ABC Southern California Chapter in Long Beach, California. veopment specialist for Fluor’s U.S. Manhattan Mechanical Services Silver The NCC featured a field of 168 Gulf Coast Training Center in Pasa- Bronze Miko Martinez Jr. craft professionals competing for top dena, TX, was named the 2019 Craft Robert Adams Collins Plumbing Inc. honors in 14 competitions repre- Instructor of the Year. Polk Mechanical ABC San Diego Chapter senting 12 crafts, from electrical and Started in 1987, NCC is a part of TEXO/Construction Education Gold plumbing to carpentry and welding, ABC’s effort to raise the profile of ca- Foundation Danial Rex Needels as well as a team competition with reers in construction and highlight the Silver Royal Plumbing journey-level craft professionals from $1.1 billion that ABC member com- Jeff Barker ABC Iowa Apprenticeship and four different crafts working to companies spend annually on workforce Manhattan Mechanical Services Training Trust plete a joint project. The competition development. Each year the competi- Manhattan Mechanical Services includes a two-hour written exam and tion draws some of the nation’s most Gold Pipe Welding a day-long, hands-on practical perfor- talented craft professionals and high- Sean O’Dowd Safety mance test. lights the important role that craft DECCO Inc. Joshua Brown “The annual National Craft Cham- skills education plays in the construc- Gould Construction Institute S & B Engineers and Constructors Ltd. pionships honors the best the merit tion industry. S & B Engineers and Constructors Ltd. shop construction industry has to of- Milwaukee Tool, an industry-lead- Plumbing Bronze fer,” said 2019 ABC National Chair ing manufacturer of heavy-duty power Safety Benjamin Nunan Tony Rader, telecom vice president of tools, accessories and hand tools, is the Nichollas Dow Cianbro National Roofing Partners, Coppell, official tool sponsor of this year’s NCC. Humphrey and Associates Inc. Cianbro Texas. “I am always amazed by the Milwaukee Tool provided tools, safety TEXO/Construction Education Silver level of dedication NCC competitors equipment and prizes for NCC com- Foundation Ryan Beaver show to their craft, safety and pro- petitors. Performance Contractors Inc. ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter and Performance Contractors Inc. Gold Smith-Cooper to Merge With Anvil Kenneth LaBree ➤ Continued from page 3 “Bringing together Anvil and look forward to partnering with Jason Cianbro CON, Anvil, Anvil EPS, Anvil-Strut, Smith-Cooper is a unique opportunity and our teams to drive the long-term Cianbro Basic-PSA, Beck, Catawissa, Cooplok, to significantly expand the strong and growth of our business.” Cooplet, FlexHead, FPPI, Gruvlok, J.B. complementary capabilities of both or- “This transaction combines two phe- Fire Sprinkler Smith, North Alabama Pipe, Megawatt, ganizations,” said Jason Hild. “Anvil’s nomenal businesses and management Safety SCI, Sharpe, SPF/Anvil and Sprink- commitment to domestic manufactur- teams to create a world-class platform Andrew Aylies FLEX. Together Anvil and Smith-Coo- ing and deep relationships with their that can comprehensively serve the Wiginton Fire Systems Inc. per will offer a more comprehensive distributor partners make them an ex- pipe, valves and fittings market,” said Florida Automatic Sprinkler product portfolio to national, regional cellent complement to Smith-Cooper, Jeff Calhoun, Partner at Tailwind. “We Training, Inc. (FAST) and local distributors across North with our expertise in global sourcing look forward to supporting Jason, Tom Bronze America serving the industrial, com- and our ability to strongly service our and the entire leadership team as they Nicholas Beavers mercial, fire protection, energy and customers. We are excited to work col- continue to pursue strategic growth Wiginton Fire Systems Inc. mining end markets. laboratively with the talented Anvil opportunities.” Florida Automatic Sprinkler Upon closing, Jason Hild, Chief team to create a bright future for our The transaction is expected to close Training, Inc. (FAST) Executive Officer of SCI, will serve as combined business.” in the second quarter of 2019, and is Silver Chief Executive Officer of the com- “We are excited to be joining forces subject to customary closing condi- Tyler Ray Patch bined company, and Tom Fish, Pres- with Smith-Cooper and have great re- tions. Piper Fire Protection ident and CEO of Anvil, will serve as spect for their team, sourcing capa- JP Morgan and BlackArch Partners ABC Florida Gulf Coast Chapter Chairman. All additional members bilities and high-quality products,” served as financial advisor and Dechert Gold of Anvil’s and Smith-Cooper’s senior said Tom Fish. “Together, we will be served as legal advisor to Anvil. Bar- Richard Eckert management teams will remain with positioned to offer a wider breadth of clays served as financial advisor and Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers the combined company. No changes products and best-in-class service that Davis Polk & Wardwell served as legal ABC Florida Gulf Coast Chapter. to either company’s facilities footprint our combined customer base wants, advisor to Smith-Cooper. are anticipated at this time as a result needs and deserves. We have many For more information visit www.an- Categories not listed included electrical, of the combination. terrific opportunities ahead and I vilintl.com and www.smithcooper.com. HVAC, carpentry and others.

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For information circle 209 Management by Al Schwartz PLUMBING CONTRACTOR Pursuing Excellence ex·cel·lence to install and maintain those systems seen the “Plumbing Nightmares” gal- /’eks( )l ns/ and to make them work properly. Ar- lery, wherein the most bone-headed, noun chitects and engineers can draw and outrageous and dangerous “fixes” for 1. the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. figure, but the guy who does the in- plumbing problems are highlighted. stall is the guy who needs to make Well, the “Wall of Fame” piece is the wonder how many reading this decline of our trade, both in the quan- those drawings and figures work. You exact opposite. would consider their trade skills as tity and quality of the people coming can compartmentalize aspects of the The 35 photos included in that gal- Iexcellent? Do we value excellence into it and practicing it. There are a lot industry and “get by” but eventually, lery showed some of the finest exam- in ability, training, knowledge and skill of reasons for this but, in my opinion, you’re going to come upon a situa- ples of our trade to be found in one anymore? In recent times—in my opin- one of the biggest reasons is that no tion that requires knowledge of the publication. When we think of ex- ion anyway—excellence has fallen out one (or not many) ever thought such a entire picture to solve an issue. That’s cellence at all, the work highlighted of favor and been replaced by “good long-standing, basic bread-and-butter where excellence starts. in those photos is what we should be enough.” Time though has a way of occupation would suffer the declines Which brings me to the point of this thinking of. The design, implemen- redefining our memories, and so, rec- tation and presentation of the piping ollections of pursuit of excellence in and systems is a true representation of skills and knowledge of times past may Do we still teach excellence? Is trade craft, skill, knowledge and art- be suspect. In other words, perhaps my istry. Pride in workmanship, across all recall of doing excellent work years ago excellence an outdated concept, not types of materials and for all types of is flawed. Only my memory serves, and just in our trade but in general? piping systems practically jumps off it’s biased. the screen. The very word, excellent (or excel- The workmanship and attention lence) has become passe. It is used in we’ve witnessed in just one generation. piece. Excellence is still the benchmark to detail represent the very best our the vernacular to describe something After all, plumbing is one cornerstone of a true craftsman. Excellence cannot trade has to offer. The people respon- that goes our way or that makes one of a successful civilization. Without be ‘taught’, it can only be achieved by sible for that should be justly proud of happy. You know what I mean. Today plumbing as we know it today, disease education, hard work, repetition and their work. They have achieved excel- someone exclaiming “EXCELLENT!!” and pestilence would be running ram- developed skills. It is having not only lence in their chosen field. It represents when a particular event or happen- pant in our cities, as indeed they are in a comprehensive knowledge of the our entire industry not only to other stance turns out well for them is com- more than a few third world countries. mechanics of a particular skill, but an tradesmen, but to construction profes- monplace. Is it really “excellent” or The fact that technology has made the intimate understanding of “what goes sionals and lay people alike. You can- is it merely good? Much as the words application of the trade in the U.S. to- where and what comes next.” Reach- not look at those photos and not see ‘dude’, ‘cool’ or ‘hip’ has become se- day into a DIY paradise is not reason ing that point in one’s career where all the expertise. The logical progression verely overused, so has the word excel- enough to explain the decline. of those things come together, is the in those pictures is one of competence lent. It’s now just a part of speech and Homes and businesses still need goal. and skill in delivering a product in the has, for the most part, lost its descrip- to be built with modern plumbing The catalyst for this column was a very best way possible. tive uniqueness. systems. Commercial and industrial photo-gallery in the recent online edi- So the question remains, do we still What, you may wonder, am I prat- buildings and plants still need spe- tion of Contractor Magazine entitled teach excellence? Is excellence an out- tling on about? I’ll tell you. For quite cialty piping systems as well. Some- the “Wall of Fame.” If you are a reg- dated concept, not just in our trade, a few years now, we have watched the one has to know what they are doing ular reader of this magazine, you’ve but in general? In a broader context, which is evident in our present day, do we settle for mediocrity by pander- ing to the one-size-fits-all “participa- Viega Names New Head of Human Resources tion trophy” mentality that seems to BROOMFIELD, CO – Indus- Nashua, N.H. HR strategy,” Samona said. “We want pervade all aspects of our society? Or try veteran Terry Samona “Terry’s skill and expe- to enable growth while maintaining an do we strive for and encourage excel- has been named Vice Presi- rience make him the right environment where a strong culture of lence? Where do you stand? dent of Human Resources at person to ensure we con- striving for excellence and living our Viega LLC. tinue to hire and develop Viega Values continues to offer us a The Brooklyn, N.Y.-born author is a Terry oversees human the best people,” said CEO competitive advantage in the markets third-generation master plumber. He resources management Dave Garlow. “Viega owes that we serve.” founded Sunflower Plumbing & Heating in Terry Samona and development at Vie- its growth and indus- Samona’s entire career has been Shirley, N.Y., in 1975 and A Professional ga’s operations in the U.S., including try-leading status to its exceptional in human resources. Prior to joining Commercial Plumbing Inc. in Phoenix in headquarters and a seminar center in employees and we know Terry can Viega, he was vice president of human 1980. He holds residential, commercial, Broomfield, Colo.; a manufacturing help us improve our processes and resources at Hach Environmental. industrial and solar plumbing licenses plant and distribution hub in McPher- policies even further.” He has a master’s degree in psychol- and is certified in welding, clean rooms, son, Kan.; three additional distribu- “I very much look forward to part- ogy from Mississippi State University polypropylene gas fusion and medical gas tion centers in Nevada, Georgia and nering with the executive team and and a bachelor’s degree in psychology piping. He can be reached at allen@pro- Pennsylvania; and a seminar center in our colleagues to develop an aligned from Louisiana State University. quilldriver.com.

16 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com Engineering the world’s most advanced high-efficiency boilers and water heaters requires more than just the right parts. It calls for the right people—people like Eric—who have a passion for bringing it all together with grit and determination. It’s a Lochinvar thing.

Visit Lochinvar.com to see the industry’s broadest line of high-efficiency boilers and water heaters. For information circle 210 Forum by Dale Stroud HOUSING AUTHORITY New Housing – Hard to Believe?

ometimes, things are hard to be- Let’s consider some history. In the hole, four million starts? that could theoretically be as high as four lieve. Take time, for example. Of- For the 10-year period preceding the Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau million new homes! In other words, the Sten, time seems like little more than start of the recession, annual housing show that there were 1.2499 million new quantity of homes NOT built since the re- a blur. It just goes by so quickly. Things cession far out-numbers the excess num- that we sometimes think just happened ber built prior to the recession. actually occurred much longer ago. It is possible to conclude that over the Far more conservative methods of cal- Think about this: It has been almost culating the deficit still put the shortage a decade since the “Great Recession” past 20 years we have accumulated a at between one-half and one-million ended! Hard to believe. shortage that could theoretically be housing units. So, whether the number is According to the National Bureau of one-half million or four million, there is a Economic Research, the recession began as high as four million new homes! recognized shortage of new homes. in December 2007 and 19 months later Hard to believe. (See Chart #2 on page was over at the end of June 2009 — thus, 48.) ending nearly 10 years ago. However, for starts averaged 1.72 million per year; housing starts in the U.S. in 2018: 875,800 many, it may not seem that it actually in the five years preceding the reces- were single-family homes and 374,100 Is there really a shortage of ended in mid-2009 because, for them, sion, 1.8 million. Compare that with multi-family units. And 2018 was the homes? both the recession itself and the subse- the long-term average, as calculated by high mark for starts in the post-recession So why aren’t we back to normal? For quent recovery have been long and diffi- the number of annual starts in the 50 cult. Many still bear scars from the effects years prior to the recession (national of that economic meltdown that brought housing starts were first tracked begin- our country nearly to its knees. ning in 1959): about 1.5 million starts On the other hand, some aspects of the per year. post-recession recovery have been truly Not surprisingly, that 50-year average is remarkable: the number of annual starts that housing • over 20 million new jobs have been experts say are needed, on average over created; time, to satisfy demand. In other words, • unemployment is near an all-time for the years leading into the recession, low; it can be argued that we were building • stock prices have more than tripled; more houses than demographic-driven • GDP growth has been good; and demand actually required. As a result, • thousands of new businesses have an inventory of unsold new homes was been formed. created for which, in many cases, there Add the fact that consumer confidence was no need. A surplus of dwellings was is near a 10-year high — meaning people created. are willing to spend and participate in the It was a time of easy money and a lot Chart #1 - Historical housing starts. growth of our economy. Put these and of speculative house-buying took place. other upsides together, and you can begin Many people were buying houses they era! In the 10 years since the end of the starters, we should consider whether to paint a pretty positive picture. truly couldn’t afford or actually need! recession, cumulative starts totaled just there truly is a shortage. Or is it in theory As it has since been described, a over 9.2 million, for an annual average of only? What about new housing? “housing bubble” of unneeded new 920,000 — well under the 1.5 million per It’s not an easy question to answer. And let’s not forget the all-import- homes was created that, in many re- year needed, in theory, to meet demand. Understanding the true demand for new ant new housing market: It too must be spects, was ultimately one of the pri- On the other hand, as stated previ- homes is a rather complex puzzle. A num- booming! mary triggers for the start of the Great ously, in the five years prior to the reces- ber of big-picture factors must be taken Indeed, house prices have rebounded Recession. All bubbles eventually burst, sion, annual starts averaged 1.80 million, into account, including: from the recessionary doldrums, mort- and this one was no exception, sending resulting in a cumulative “surplus” above • overall population growth; gage rates are still affordable, financing is the new-housing market into a steep the 1.5 million per year level. As a result, • household formations; generally available, the vacant-home situ- downward spiral. The market finally the calculated pre-recession surplus of • housing vacancies; ation from the foreclosure crisis is mostly “bottomed out,” in 2009, at 554,000 new homes has now been more than • net immigration; gone, and there are even housing short- starts, or about 30 percent of the pre-re- eliminated by the low level of post-reces- • conversion of existing structures into ages in some areas of the country. cession level. sion building. housing units; But despite these and many other By now, nearly ten years later, you In fact, when you “simply” compare • demolitions of dwellings (both inten- seemingly positive factors, the new-hous- would think that we would be back to the pre-recession surplus with the deficit tional and unintentional); and ing market, when viewed on a national building houses in numbers that at least generated during the recession and the • the purchase of “second” homes. basis, is NOT back to “normal.” It’s still equate to that 1.5 million “sustainable” post-recessionary period — i.e., subtract In addition, some “softer” consider- trying to recover from the crash that oc- level. But we’re not! the deficit from the surplus — it is pos- ations come into play: curred because of the recession. Hard to Again, it’s hard to believe. (See Chart sible to conclude that, over the past 20 • the desire/intent to own a home; believe. #1.) years, we have accumulated a “shortage” ➤ Turn to Housing Market, page 48

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Despite economic storm clouds the nation’s largest mechanical How They contractors post another strong—for some a record—year. Get Work N=55 BY STEVE SPAULDING OF CONTRACTOR’S STAFF 36.75% t the end of 2018 a num- tion’s policies, tariffs have cost the outpaced the number of Ameri- ber of economic fore- American economy $900,000—about cans looking for work for the 13th Design/Build casters checked their tea thirteen times the average salary of straight month, with the rate of A Bid Spec leaves with wary, troubled one of those workers.) In December workers quitting jobs holding NegotiatedNegotiated eyes. Not that the year hadn’t been a of 2018 the International Monetary steady at 2.3 percent. The most- strong year; 2018 saw three consec- Fund issued a warning that most watched U.S. consumer confidence OOtherther 12.47% utive quarters where the U.S. GDP governments around the world were index, maintained by the Confer- grew 3.5 percent. The unemploy- so saddled with debt that they might ence Board, rose 5.0 points in April 16.48% ment rate was at a low not seen in 50 be unable to cope with a second to 129.2. Type of years. But still, almost everywhere an Great Recession. While existing home sales de- Work N=57 analyst turned for data there was rea- But if there was any one thing that clined 4.9 percent in March, new son to predict gloom (if not doom). troubled the average market watcher home sales picked up, reaching 16.46% Housing sales, which had never it was the simple law of gravity: what an 18-month peak and increasing 54.59% quite recovered from the Great Re- goes up must come down. Since the 4.5 percent month-over-month. cession (see Dale Stroud’s Forum Great Recession the U.S. had seen Developers and builders appeared New Construction piece in this issue, starting on page more than 10 years of expansion. to be slashing prices, as the Cen- Service/Maintenance/Repair 18), took a dip. So did auto sales How much longer could it possibly sus Bureau said that the median Retroﬁt/Replacement (both, in part, due to the Federal Re- last? The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act new home price fell 9.7 percent serve raising interest rates). In fact, had pumped another $1.5 trillion in March to a two-year low of Remodeling/Reconstruction at the end of November 2018, GM into the economy, but by 2018 it was $302,700. Additionally, the NAR had to shutter five factories, cutting feared the “sugar high” of that stim- pending home sales index, a gauge 10.7% 14,000 jobs. Consumer confidence ulus was wearing off. When, many of housing contract activity, rose continued the steady decline it had people wondered, would the music 3.8 percent for March after a 1.0 35.7% been on since about June of 2018. stop? percent February dip. Work On the international stage there None of which means that the Classiﬁcation were worries about Brexit and its Strong First Quarter economic headwinds discussed N=56 knock-on effects for the North Fast forward to May of 2019 and above have all somehow magi- American economy. There was the First Quarter GDP is up 3.2 percent. cally vanished, but few people are ongoing trade war with China, the A disastrous jobs report in February talking about a recession anytime 53.6% effects of which continue to bite. (A (just 20,000 for the month) proved soon. It looks (for now) that the recent economic report from NPR es- an anomaly with the economy add- good times will continue to roll, Union timates that for every job preserved ing an average of 173,000 jobs per and our Giants roll with them. Our Non-Union or created by the Trump administra- month in Q1. In fact, job openings top 100 mechanical contractors re- Mix

N is the number of companies supplying information 20 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com Contractor’s Top 100 Who They Are

Rank Company Location Revenue Rank Company Location Revenue (millions) (millions) 1 EMCOR Group Norwalk, CT $4,273.00* 51 GEM Inc., a member of the Rudolph Libbe Group Walbridge, OH $145.15 2 APi Group, Inc. New Brighton, MN $3,730.25 52 Shapiro & Duncan Mechanical Contractors Rockville, MD $140.00* 3 Comfort Systems USA Houston, TX $2,180.00 53 Worth & Company, Inc. Pipersville, PA $140.00 4 Team Industrial Services Sugar Land, TX $1,246.93 54 Villara Corp. McClellan, CA $135.30 5 ACCO Engineered Systems, Inc. Glendale, CA $1,246.00 55 Herman Goldner Co., Inc. Philadelphia, PA $131.50 6 Southland Industries Garden Grove, CA $900.00* 56 Atlantic Constructors, Inc. Richmond, VA $130.00* 7 McKinstry Co. Seattle, WA $685.00 57 Thomas G. Gallagher, Inc. Cambridge, MA $129.20 8 TDIndustries Dallas, TX $631.00 58 Grunau Co., Inc. Oak Creek, WI $126.00 9 Harder Mechanical Contractors, Inc. Portland, OR $617.00 59 Southern Air, Inc. Lynchburg, VA $125.00* 10 Conti Corp. Sterling Heights, MI $550.00* 60 University Mechanical Contractors, Inc. Mulkiteo, WA $120.80 11 Limbach Holdings, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA $546.50 61 Century Fire Protection LLC Duluth, GA $120.00* 12 The Brandt Companies LLC Carrollton, TX $500.00* 62 Letsos Co. Houston, TX $118.13 13 Apollo Mechanical Contractors Kennewick, WA $450.00* 63 Harry Grodsky & Co., Inc. Springfield, MA $117.37 14 U.S. Engineering Company Holdings Kansas City, MO $436.00 64 Entech Sales & Service, Inc. Dallas, TX $116.40 15 Dynamic Systems, Inc. Austin, TX $427.30 65 Icon Mechanical Construction & Engineering LLC Granite City, IL $110.00* 16 Harris Companies St. Paul, MN $400.00* 66 Polk Mechanical Corp. Grand Prairie, TX $110.00* 17 Kirlin Group Rockville, MD $375.00* 67 R.T. Moore Co., Inc. Indianapolis, IN $105.10 18 RK Mechanical, Inc. Denver, CO $365.53 68 Pueblo Mechanical & Controls, LLC Phoenix, AZ $104.17 19 J.F. Ahern Co. Fon du Lac, WI $331.45 69 Hussung Mechanical Contractors, Inc. Louisville, KY $99.79 20 Murray Co. Mechanical Contractors Rancho Dominguez, CA $320.00* 70 Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers, Inc. Ocee, FL $95.00* 21 Pan-Pacific Mechanical, Inc. Fountain Valley, CA $315.00 71 W.G. Tomko, Inc. Finleyville, PA $94.50 22 WDF, Inc. Mount Vernon, NY $290.00* 72 DE-CAL, Inc. Warren, MI $92.34 23 MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions Seattle, WA $280.00 73 J.M. Brennan, Inc. Milwaukee, WI $91.32 24 AZCO, Inc. Appleton, WI $270.00* 74 RANDALL Mechanical, Inc. Apopka, FL $90.50 25 VSC Fire & Security Ashland, VA $270.00* 75 Charter Mechanical Contractors, Inc. Portland, OR $90.00* 26 Murphy Co. Mechanical Contractors & Engineers St. Louis, MO $266.40 76 Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical Nashville, TN $86.88 27 The Hill Group Chicago, IL $260.00* 77 Dave Jones, Inc. Madison, WI $85.53 28 John W. Danforth Group, Inc. Tonawanda, NY $247.00 78 McCarl’s LLC Beaver Falls, PA $84.23 29 Lee Co. Franklin, TN $237.56 79 Goyette Mechanical Flint, MI $80.83 30 Mechanical, Inc. (Helm Group) Freeport, IL $233.86 80 Charles E. Jarrell Contracting Co., Inc. Earth City, MO $80.00* 31 J.C. Cannistraro, LLC Watertown, MA $230.00* 81 Kimbel Mechanical Systems, Inc. Fayetteville, AR $80.00* 32 KSW Mechanical LLC Long Island City, NY $230.00 82 Dunbar Mechanical, Inc. (acquired by Limbach) Toledo, OH $78.44 33 Hermanson Co. LLP Kent, WA $222.22 83 Corval Group, Inc. St. Paul, MN $75.80 34 Therma Corp. San Jose, CA $220.00* 84 Fresh Meadow Mechanical Corp. Fresh Meadows, NY $75.00* 35 E.M. Duggan, Inc. Canton, MA $212.20 85 Modern Companies, Inc. Cedar Rapids, IA $75.00* 36 John E. Green Co. Highland Park, MI $210.00 86 Wayne Crouse, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA $75.00 37 Critchfield Mechanical, Inc. San Jose, CA $200.00* 87 EGAN Companies, Inc. Brooklyn Park, MN $70.00 38 MMC Contractors Kansas City, MO $200.00* 88 Heating & Plumbing Engineers, Inc. Colorado Springs, CO $70.00* 39 Sauer Holdings, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA $185.46 89 W.J. O’Neil Co. Livonia, MI $70.00* 40 Dorvin D. Leis Co., Inc. Kahuliu, HI $185.24 90 Integrated Facility Services (IFS) St. Louis, MO $67.23 41 Baker Group Ankeny, IA $180.00* 91 HACI Mechanical Contractors, Inc. Phoenix, AZ $65.30 42 Fire & Life Safety America Richmond, VA $180.00* 92 IMCOR - Interstate Mechanical Corp. Phoenix, AZ $61.22 43 Ivey Mechanical Co. Kosciusko, MS $178.00 93 Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. Rochester, NY $60.39 44 P1 Group Lenexa, KS $175.00* 94 Bel-Aire Mechanical, Inc. Phoenix, AZ $60.00* 45 Total Facility Solutions, Inc. Plano, TX $175.00* 95 Corrigan Co. St. Louis, MO $60.00* 46 AMPAM Parks Mechanical Carson, CA $172.99 96 Frank M. Booth, Inc. Marysville, CA $55.00* 47 Arden Building Co. LLC Pawtucket, RI $167.00 97 Western Allied Corp. Santa Fe Springs, CA $55.00* 48 HB Global, LLC Harrisburg, PA $163.46 98 R.W. Warner, Inc. Frederick, MD $50.00* 49 BCH Mechanical LLC Largo, FL $160.00* 99 Cullum Mechanical Construction, Inc. North Charleston, SC $47.87 50 MTech Mechanical Westminster, CO $146.50 100 Tempo, Inc. Portland, OR $42.00 *Editor’s Estimates Photo: ACCO

wwww.contractormag.comww.contractormag.com Contractor’s Top 10 Companies By Region Northeast Rank Company Location Revenue (millions) 1 EMCOR Group Norwalk, CT $4,273.00 2 Limbach Holdings, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA $546.50 3 WDF, Inc. Mount Vernon, NY $290.00* 4 John W. Danforth Group, Inc. Tonawanda, NY $247.00 5 KSW Mechanical LLC Long Island City, NY $230.00 Photo: E. M. Duggan 6 J.C. Cannistraro, LLC Watertown, MA $230.00* 7 E.M. Duggan, Inc. Canton, MA $212.20 ported more than $23.30B in revenue, with its strength as a large mechanical con- 8 Sauer Holdings, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA $185.46 some hitting record revenues, record profits, tractor with a constant, high volume of and almost all reporting strong backlogs. work. The company has been able to move 9 Arden Building Co. LLC Pawtucket, RI $167.00 We reached out to three of our Giants people from one project to the next and 10 HB Global LLC Harrisburg, PA $163.46 to get their individual perspectives on the to schedule work far enough in advance year gone by, their hopes for the year to to work with the union halls and get the Midwest come, and how they, as large companies, workers they need. Rank Company Location Revenue (millions) are staying agile and responsive in the “We’ve been fortunate enough to main- 1 APi Group, Inc. New Brighton, MN $3,730.25 marketplace. tain growth in our human resources over the past few years,” Marrs said. “Over 2 Conti Corp. Sterling Heights, MI $550.00* ACCO Engineered Systems, Inc., the past two years alone we have hired 3 U.S. Engineering Co. Kansas City, MO $436.00 Glendale, CA. Rank #5 over 1,000 employees, which represents 4 Harris Companies St. Paul, MN $400.00* Last year was a record year for ACCO, roughly a quarter of our current work- 5 J.F. Ahern Co. Fon du Lac, WI $331.45 and the company’s second in the billion- force. We work with our signatory partners 6 AZCO, Inc. Appleton, WI $270.00* dollar range. “We’ve experienced growth to help wherever we can on recruiting 7 Murphy Co. Mechanical St. Louis, MO $266.40 consistently since the west coast climbed people into the skilled labor trades.” Contractors & Engineers back out of the recession,” Jeff Marrs, As part of that recruitment effort, ACCO 8 The Hill Group Chicago, IL $260.00* President and CEO of ACCO said. “We stresses safety as a core component of the 9 Mechanical, Inc. (Helm Group) Freeport, IL $233.86 work hard to set ambitious yet realistic company’s culture. That emphasis, Marrs 10 John E. Green Co. Highland Park, MI $210.00 goals throughout our footprint. For 2018 said, makes ACCO a company people want we anticipated growth of 13 percent and to work for. finished the year with actual growth of 23 For ACCO, evolving, adapting, and stay- South percent.” ing agile are something which its market Rank Company Location Revenue (millions) One of the constraints on that growth—as demands. Recent projects that the com- 1 Comfort Systems USA Houston, TX $2,180.00 it has been for years among all our Giants— pany has completed include the Wilshire 2 Team Industrial Services Sugar Land, TX $1,246.93 is finding enough skilled people to do the Grand in LA and Salesforce Tower in San 3 TDIndustries Dallas, TX $631.00 work. Retiring Baby Boomers and a tight Francisco. ACCO is close to completing 4 The Brandt Companies LLC Carrollton, TX $500.00* job market have exacerbated the problem. work on the Chase Arena in San Francisco. 5 Dynamic Systems, Inc. Austin, TX $427.30 ACCO has reached out to the unions to aid “Projects throughout the western 6 Kirlin Group Rockville, MD $375.00* their recruiting efforts. It has also leveraged United States tend to be complex and 7 VSC Fire & Security Ashland, VA $270.00* 8 Lee Co. Franklin, TN $237.56 9 Fire & Life Safety America Richmond, VA $180.00* 10 Ivey Mechanical Co. Kosciusko, MS $178.00

West Rank Company Location Revenue (millions) 1 ACCO Engineered Systems, Inc. Glendale, CA $1,246.00 2 Southland Industries Garden Grove, CA $900.00* 3 McKinstry Co. Seattle, WA $685.00 4 Harder Mechanical Contractors, Inc. Portland, OR $617.00 5 Apollo Mechanical Contractors Kennewick, WA $450.00* 6 RK Mechanical, Inc. Denver, CO $365.53 7 Murray Co. Mechanical Contractors Rancho Dominguez, CA $320.00* 8 Pan-Pacific Mechanical, Inc. Fountain Valley, CA $315.00 9 MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions Seattle, WA $280.00 10 Hermanson Co. LLP Kent, WA $222.22 Photo: IFS * Editor’s Estimate

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For information circle 212 Revenue Breakdown by Work Type (Top 50)

(Based on companies that supplied a detailed revenue breakdown per work category.)

Rank Company Location Revenue HVAC Piping Plumbing Sheet Metal Refrigeration Controls/Testing Fire Waste/Wastewater Other (millions) & Balancing Protection Treatment 1 APi Group, Inc. New Brighton, MN $3,730.25 $255.47 $5.14 $178.28 $89.06 $0.00 $17.10 $1,369.05 $0.00 $1,816.15 2 Comfort Systems USA Houston, TX $2,180.00 $1,976.37 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $95.09 $0.00 $0.00 $111.41 3 McKinstry Co. Seattle, WA $685.00 $322.50 $65.00 $92.50 $92.50 $37.50 $37.50 $37.50 $0.00 $0.00 4 TDIndustries Dallas, TX $631.00 $303.00 $126.00 $183.00 $0.00 $7.00 $11.00 $2.00 $0.00 $0.00 5 Harder Mechanical Contractors, Inc. Portland, OR $617.00 $30.85 $555.30 $30.85 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 6 U.S. Engineering Company Holdings Kansas City, MO $436.00 $52.32 $226.72 $95.92 $47.96 $4.36 $4.36 $0.00 $4.36 $0.00 7 Dynamic Systems, Inc. Austin, TX $427.30 $0.00 $107.10 $149.10 $136.90 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $34.20 8 RK Mechanical, Inc. Denver, CO $365.53 $70.50 $101.73 $120.50 $31.50 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $41.30 9 J.F. Ahern Co. Fon du Lac, WI $331.45 $47.60 $29.75 $39.56 $45.12 $0.00 $4.48 $137.36 $17.03 $10.55 10 Pan-Pacific Mechanical, Inc. Fountain Valley, CA $315.00 $69.30 $24.26 $245.70 $38.12 $3.47 $3.47 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 11 MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions Seattle, WA $280.00 $280.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 12 Murphy Co. Mechanical Contractors St. Louis, MO $266.40 $58.00 $110.40 $30.00 $49.00 $16.00 $3.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 & Engineers 13 John W. Danforth Group, Inc. Tonawanda, NY $247.00 $32.00 $116.00 $25.00 $70.00 $0.00 $3.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 14 Lee Co. Franklin, TN $237.56 $84.00 $23.34 $44.13 $65.69 $0.00 $3.27 $0.00 $0.00 $17.14 15 Mechanical, Inc. (Helm Group) Freeport, IL $233.86 $0.00 $202.57 $10.56 $15.83 $0.00 $3.45 $0.00 $1.45 $0.00 16 KSW Mechanical LLC Long Island City, NY $230.00 $195.50 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $25.30 $0.00 $0.00 $9.20 17 Hermanson Co. LLP Kent, WA $222.22 $0.00 $64.44 $64.44 $93.33 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 18 E.M. Duggan, Inc. Canton, MA $212.20 $115.60 $0.00 $81.70 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $14.90 $0.00 $0.00 19 John E. Green Co. Highland Park, MI $210.00 $70.00 $54.50 $51.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $21.00 $13.50 $0.00 20 Sauer Holdings, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA $185.46 $32.15 $46.50 $71.33 $33.25 $0.00 $2.23 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 21 Dorvin D. Leis Co., Inc. Kahuliu, HI $185.24 $40.75 $55.58 $59.28 $3.70 $9.26 $1.85 $14.82 $0.00 $0.00 22 Ivey Mechanical Co. Kosciusko, MS $178.00 $125.00 $0.00 $53.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 23 AMPAM Parks Mechanical Carson, CA $172.99 $0.00 $0.00 $172.99 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 24 Arden Building Co. LLC Pawtucket, RI $167.00 $115.50 $8.00 $3.00 $8.00 $0.00 $3.00 $16.00 $0.50 $13.00 25 HB Global, LLC Harrisburg, PA $163.46 $52.82 $19.44 $50.86 $25.18 $0.00 $11.19 $0.18 $0.00 $3.79 26 MTech Mechanical Westminster, CO $146.50 $20.00 $35.40 $49.50 $41.60 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 27 GEM Inc., a member of the Rudolph Walbridge, OH $145.15 $14.51 $94.35 $21.77 $0.00 $7.26 $7.26 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Libbe Group 28 Worth & Company, Inc. Pipersville, PA $140.00 $84.00 $0.00 $37.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $19.00 $0.00 29 Herman Goldner Co., Inc. Philadelphia, PA $131.50 $26.30 $26.30 $19.73 $0.00 $6.58 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $52.60 30 Thomas G. Gallagher, Inc. Cambridge, MA $129.20 $92.00 $0.00 $26.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $11.00 $0.00 $0.00 31 Grunau Co., Inc. Oak Creek, WI $126.00 $31.50 $12.60 $12.60 $12.60 $2.52 $2.52 $50.40 $1.26 $0.00 32 University Mechanical Contractors, Mulkiteo, WA $120.80 $0.00 $40.00 $30.00 $40.00 $0.00 $1.00 $0.00 $10.00 $0.00 Inc. 33 Letsos Co. Houston, TX $118.13 $84.14 $0.00 $23.69 $10.30 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 34 Harry Grodsky & Co., Inc. Springfield, MA $117.37 $70.42 $11.74 $35.21 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 35 Entech Sales & Service, Inc. Dallas, TX $116.40 $50.30 $0.00 $3.12 $0.00 $0.00 $47.00 $0.00 $0.00 $16.00 36 R.T. Moore Co., Inc. Indianapolis, IN $105.10 $15.70 $0.00 $89.40 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 37 Pueblo Mechanical & Controls, LLC Phoenix, AZ $104.17 $33.87 $38.79 $0.49 $25.86 $0.27 $4.89 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 38 Hussung Mechanical Contractors, Louisville, KY $99.79 $45.00 $10.00 $40.00 $0.00 $0.00 $4.00 $0.00 $1.00 $0.00 Inc. 39 W.G. Tomko, Inc. Finleyville, PA $94.50 $18.90 $14.18 $51.98 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $9.45 40 DE-CAL, Inc. Warren, MI $92.34 $10.00 $35.00 $25.00 $4.30 $3.50 $1.00 $0.00 $10.80 $2.74 41 J.M. Brennan, Inc. Milwaukee, WI $91.32 $76.60 $0.00 $14.72 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 42 RANDALL Mechanical, Inc. Apopka, FL $90.50 $31.00 $9.00 $19.10 $15.00 $1.00 $3.00 $4.00 $0.00 $8.40 43 Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Nashville, TN $86.88 $47.00 $0.00 $31.87 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $7.71 Electrical 44 Dave Jones, Inc. Madison, WI $85.53 $32.50 $0.00 $40.20 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $7.70 $0.00 $5.13 45 McCarl’s LLC Beaver Falls, PA $84.23 $0.00 $63.17 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $21.06 46 Goyette Mechanical Flint, MI $80.83 $16.17 $16.17 $24.25 $8.08 $4.04 $8.08 $0.00 $0.00 $4.04 47 Dunbar Mechanical, Inc. (acquired Toledo, OH $78.44 $26.81 $23.73 $11.64 $0.00 $0.50 $1.20 $0.00 $0.00 $15.06 by Limbach) 48 Corval Group, Inc. St. Paul, MN $75.80 $0.00 $55.60 $0.00 $0.00 $20.20 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 49 Wayne Crouse, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA $75.00 $30.50 $15.00 $4.50 $0.00 $1.00 $0.00 $0.00 $25.00 $0.00 50 EGAN Companies, Inc. Brooklyn Park, MN $70.00 $15.00 $20.00 $21.00 $4.00 $0.00 $8.00 $2.00 $0.00 $0.00

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www.TacoComfort.com For information circle 213 Contractor’s Top 10 Companies Book By Type of Work of (Based on companies that supplied a detailed Giants revenue breakdown per work category.) HVAC Top 10 Plumbing Top 10 Rank Company HVAC $ Rank Company Plumbing $ (millions) (millions) 1 Comfort Systems USA $1,976.37 1 Pan-Pacific Mechanical, Inc. $245.70 2 McKinstry Co. $322.50 2 TDIndustries $183.00 3 TDIndustries $303.00 3 API Group, Inc. $178.28 4 MacDonald-Miller $280.00 4 AMPAM Parks Mechanical $172.99 Facility Solutions 5 Dynamic Systems, Inc. $149.10 5 APi Group, Inc. $255.47 6 RK Mechanical, Inc. $120.50 6 KSW Mechanical LLC $195.50 7 U.S. Engineering Co. $95.92 7 Ivey Mechanical Co. $125.00 8 McKinstry Co. $92.50 8 E.M. Duggan, Inc. $115.60 9 R.T. Moore Co., Inc. $89.40 9 Arden Building Co. LLC $115.50 10 E.M. Duggan, Inc. $81.70 10 Thomas G. Gallagher, Inc. $92.00

Photo: E. M. Duggan Piping Top 10 Sheet Metal Top 10 Rank Company Piping $ Rank Company Sheet Metal (millions) $ (millions) often make use of exotic systems,” Monfredo, Executive Vice President 1 Harder Mechanical $555.30 1 Dynamic Systems, Inc. $136.90 Marrs explained. “We see it as our said. “We spend a lot of time with our Contractors, Inc. 2 Hermanson Co. LLP $93.33 responsibility to remain ahead of the division heads figuring out our per- 2 U.S. Engineering $226.72 curve of what is available with regard centages of getting various jobs, and Company Holdings 3 McKinstry Co. $92.50 to products and technologies and to also targeting specific jobs we’d like to 3 Mechanical, Inc. (Helm Group) $202.57 4 APi Group, Inc. $89.06 leverage our deep experience with en- have on our backlog… Overall we had 4 TDIndustries $126.00 5 John W. Danforth Group, Inc. $70.00 gineering.” a great year.” 5 John W. Danforth Group, Inc. $116.00 6 Lee Co. $65.69 ACCO has always been a de- Monfredo gives a lot of the credit to 6 Murphy Co. Mechanical $110.40 7 Murphy Co. Mechanical $49.00 sign-build firm, serving its clients the Boston area, which he describes as Contractors & Engineers Contractors & Engineers from a project’s inception through going through a kind of “micro-explo- 7 Dynamic Systems, Inc. $107.10 8 U.S. Engineering $47.96 Coopany Holdings.. construction and commissioning—the sion” in the real estate market, remain- 8 RK Mechanical, Inc. $101.73 9 J.F. Ahern Co. $45.12 company has more engineers on staff ing mostly unaffected by the trade 9 GEM Inc, a member of the $94.35 than some consulting engineering issues that take up so many headlines. Rudolph Libbe Group 10 MTech Mechanical $41.60 firms do. But now the company’s con- He sees a lot of room for growth in the 10 McKinstry Co. $65.00 struction and facility management market still, which he hopes will trans- teams, which had been somewhat siloed in the past, are working closer together than before to deliver service, maintenance and retrofit capabilities to its customers. On the front lines are the company’s Project Managers, who are given the authority and the responsibility they need to adapt and innovate in the field. “Each PM operates as the face of ACCO Engineered Systems and is the single point of contact for the customer,” Marrs said. “They are completely accountable for the success of the project and the relationship with the customer. We’ve pioneered that approach for the past 85 years.” E. M. Duggan, Inc., Canton, MA. Rank #35 CONTRACTOR’s 2018 Contrac- tor of the Year had another strong year—which it was expecting. “We do a really good job at budgeting,” Len Photo: IFS

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late into yet another good year to come. “Revenue-wise we’ll probably do more than we did last year,” Monfredo said. “We’ve got some big projects coming out, most of them already on our backlog, so we’re confident we’re going to be hitting budget, if not a little above budget.” Some of those large projects include One Dalton, a residential tower, Winthrop Square, a combined office/condo building, and the latest Wynn Casino. Monfredo is quick to point out that, to E. M. Dug- gan, it isn’t really about the revenue, it’s about the bottom line. “We don’t need to be the biggest in the area,” he laughs, “we just want to be the most profitable.” Much like ACCO, having a strong backlog allows E. M. Duggan to better schedule its work, and either shift its employees around or ramp up its hiring as the workload surges. The company has an outside super in all three trades—plumbing, HVAC and fire sprinkler—and each one keeps careful track of how the company is using labor. But the company’s not- so-secret weapons in boosting workforce efficiency are its prefab shops. “We have two state-of-the-art prefab shops right in Canton,” Monfredo said. “We try to do 90 to 99 percent of the cutting in our prefab shops, which takes out the guesswork.” Prefabbing boosts the safety factor, improves the quality of the final product, and, because the shops have consistent crews with steady work, makes highly efficient use of labor. “We’re building some of the things that are going to be out on the site months in advance,” Monfredo said. “We’re getting it all done, we’re storing it in our intelligent warehouse, and then as it’s needed it goes out to the men and women in the field.” Monfredo sees two trouble spots when it comes to the E. M. Duggan workforce. The first is in the Ser- vice Group, where good HVAC and plumbing technicians are simply hard to come by. Working closely with the local union to bring in new licensees seems to be helping the situation. The other area is in the company’s Coordina- Photo: ACCO tion Group that does all the computer models and helps manage and schedule the various trades “At the end of the day we’re paying someone that “That group identifies operational software that as they work through a project. It is, necessarily, understands the trade… the only thing they don’t we can use for the whole company, initiates it, and complex, technical, demanding work, but done understand is the computer,” he said. “They’re then does training for it,” he said. The IT Group has well delivers fantastic returns on productivity and working from a different point of view. At the end of a software engineer on staff. The group writes soft- efficiency. the day we feel that a good mix of union and non- ware for Revitt, helps do fixes, and is even working One solution for E. M. Duggan has been taking union people doing that is healthy.” on software tools the company is looking to patent people out of the field and teaching them coordi- Supporting the Coordination Group is the compa- and perhaps sell to the wider industry. “Where we nation. “Even if they don’t stay in the office they at ny’s new Innovation and Technology Group, which used to have people doing all kinds of different least then have knowledge of how the coordination has been operating for less than two years. Mon- things, now we’re all on the same page, using the process happens,” Monfredo said. And yes, there was fredo calls the establishment of the IT Group one of same thing,” Monfredo said. some pushback from people who didn’t understand the smartest moves the company has made because Monfredo sees the investment as vital for the com- why the company should pay a union worker to do it helps all the departments communicate and oper- pany’s future, something which he, as a fifth-gen- drawings. But Monfredo could see the value. ate better. eration owner eager to pass the baton to the sixth,

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For information circle 215 Book of Giants

is keenly aware of. “At the end of the zon. day,” he said, “if you’re not innovat- And also, like many Giants, IFS is ing, if you’re not changing, if you’re having trouble finding and keeping not keeping up with the times to the skilled labor, in particular plumbers, point where you’re setting the trends, pipefitters and sheet metal workers. you’re dying.” Rundquist is quick to stress the situation isn’t critical, but it could certainly Integrated Facility Services be better. (IFS), St. Louis, MO. Rank #90 “We strategically try to acquire peo- “Last year was our best from a prof- ple over the winter and early spring,” itability standpoint,” John Rundquist, Rundquist said, “because we gear up for PIONEERS President, Integrated Facility Services, a lot of work in the summer months. said. “Also one of our top two years Perhaps we don’t have enough work for from a revenue standpoint.” IFS has a some of these gentlemen, but we don’t GET THERE diverse offering that includes mechan- want to let them go.” ical design, installation, 24/7 service, Much like E. M. Duggan, IFS has and planned maintenance programs. done more with prefabrication, having FIRST Unlike many of the Giants, the com- recently converted a truck garage that pany started out on the service side wasn’t getting enough use into a stain- and only began bidding large projects less steel pipe fab shop. “That opened as it grew. up quite a bit of opportunity for us “I think [2019] will be another good and helped us make better use of the year,” Rundquist said. “So far this year space,” Rundquist said. our backlog is very strong and we see That type of innovation—creating a lot of opportunities, so I think we’re new capacities, finding new efficien- going to have another very successful cies—is a vital part of what Rundquist year… It’s been a good few years for believes keeps IFS successful. Innova- just about everybody in the contract- tion, in fact, is one of the company’s ing business.” core values. “I do think we are on He also credits the company’s lo- the leading edge of certain services cation near a large urban center for and some technologies we provide much of the company’s success. The to our customers,” Rundquist said. St. Louis area has seen a lot of recent “We’ve built a few initiatives in the large capital projects, and Rundquist past year that I think have really sees even further growth on the hori- stepped us up.” Achieving DOE compliance three years ahead of time is one way B&G solves buildings. Bell & Gossett is no stranger to blazing new trails in energy efﬁciency. We’ve been at the industry forefront for decades with innovative pumps and accessories, as well as with pioneering systems solutions. All accompanied by unmatched expertise. Learn more at BGefﬁciencynow.com.

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atching Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, enter an access door to climb a curved ladder (2x3’s • Have fire extinguisher(s) present, ensure they are WFrance, burn was gut wrenching. All indi- fastened to framing that matches the curve of the the proper type, and know how to use them. cations are the fire was connected to the sanctuary upper wall), then a steep ladder to reach • Have someone else present to be on fire-watch ongoing renovations. Imagine you were on the crew the catwalk that runs the length of the sanctuary and that is to be their only job. that had been working that day. When I saw pictures where the air handlers are located. That’s the ordeal • If possible, cover combustibles with a fire-resis- of the attic at Notre Dame (https://www. tant tarp. cnn.com/style/article/nortre-dame-fire- • If a confined space, continuous air oak-wood-trnd/index.html), it struck me Most mechanical contractors are not quality monitoring while following just how many similar tinder-dry tim- strictly following hot work guidelines. OSHA guidelines using certified per- ber-framed attics of churches, ware- sonnel. houses-turned-apartments, theaters OSHA defines flammable as ignition and hotels I’ve been in over the past five decades to you have to overcome just to change the air filters! under 100°F while combustible as 100°F to 200°F perform work. It also amazes me how many crushed- No surprise then, that when we first serviced those range. What is Hot Work? Soldering; brazing; cutting out cigarette butts are often present. Performing eight air handlers, the air filters completely blocked (Sawzall, grinder, plasma, or torch); heat gun, pipe “hot work” in these confined spaces presents clear the sun when held up to the sun’s rays: more like thawing, any open flame; or any power tool opera- and present dangers that often cannot be avoided. blankets instead of air filters! tion that can generate sparks. One thing missing at Notre Dame and all those attic Getting those air handlers up there was, no Commercial work sites often have strict oversight spaces I’ve visited: a sprinkler system! Hopefully fire doubt, an arduous task. Given the fact that you can regarding hot work. When we were contracted to suppression will get the attention it deserves during barely squeeze by each air handler and that the tim- install the radiant hydronic snowmelt tubing and the rebuild and for other structures. ber-frame forms a constricted upside-down V, chang- manifolds at the York Hospital Wellspan helipad, Where do we find the mechanical equipment in ing out any but the very first air handler will pose ambulance bays, roadways, bridges, sidewalks, and these darkened recesses of buildings? In their tim- an incredible challenge – unless a new approach is emergency entrance, we wrestled with ¾" PEX tubing ber-framed attics, of course. The timber framed attic considered. Looking around at the copper refrigerant in 6°F outdoor weather. It would have been nice to at a local church is hauntingly similar to what had lines, there were dozens of braze joints quite close to have a turbo-heater to warm the PEX, but the open been Notre Dame’s attic construction. That’s where the tinder-dry beams. The planked cross-walk hovers flame would have required a fire watch that would their existing eight air handlers are shoehorned over deep recessed cavities just waiting for a dropped have to be manned for hours after work was com- in-between the timber framing. Getting into the at- cigarette, dripping molten braze media, a dropped pleted each day. tic above the sanctuary is no easy feat. You have to red-hot fitting, an errant spark, or frayed wiring ex- One of the first jobs I worked on as an apprentice go through the Rectory and exit to the second floor posing wires that could arc or short. If you found was installing baseboard heating in a centuries old “porch”, climb over a condenser that serves the rec- yourself on the wrong end of a fire on that catwalk, farmhouse. The stone foundation was two feet thick tory, up a set of wooden stairs, traverse a sloped roof, your only way out would be through the plastered and that meant soldering ¾" copper in the deep re- ceiling that’s 45' above the pews. Geronimo! cess under the floors atop that foundation. I was Let’s be honest here: most mechanical contrac- soldering a joint on the second floor when the other tors are not strictly following hot work guidelines. apprentice came casually up from the basement and Sole proprietors don’t have a second set of eyes to waited patiently for me to finish soldering. Then he be on fire-watch. Be aware that the chemicals avail- said: “I think I may have set the house on fire!” Rush- able for flushing older R22 oil from copper line sets ing to the basement, smoke was billowing out from are very flammable. Don’t be fooled by the liquid one of the deep recesses between floor joists. For- chemical having evaporated because the vapors are tunately, a bucket of water could quickly be drawn extremely flammable and can result in a flash-fire from the well water pump tank and tossed into that the instant you light up your oxy/acetylene torch. In void to quickly douse the embers. More water fol- Notre Dame’s case, those 850-year-old oak timbers lowed and we kept a close eye on that spot for the had been subjected to centuries of hot-attic drying, remainder of the day. which made them exceptionally susceptible for com- Notre Dame Cathedral will no doubt be rebuilt, bustion. The first alarm came in after the workers but at considerable expense and over many years. If were gone for the day. Following the first alarm and you’re doing hot work don’t forget to follow those attic check - no fire was detected. A second alarm and common sense guidelines. Believe me, there’s not attic check, just 25-minutes later, revealed the fire enough time to run to retrieve a fire extinguisher was substantially involved. from your truck before a fire can be beyond being I reached out to York City Fire Chief Chad Dear- extinguished, or contained, by a single fire extin- dorff to ask what guidelines were suggested for hot guisher. work and he echoed the guidelines provided by OSHA. Dave Yates material both in print and online is protected • Identify what potential hazards are present be- by Copyright 2019. Any reuse of this material (print or fore starting the work. electronic) must have the express written permission of • If loose combustible materials are near the work Dave Yates and CONTRACTOR magazine. Please con- area, sweep & clean out as needed. tact via email at [email protected]. For information circle 218

32 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com © 2017 Delta Faucet Company For information circle The Delta The for plumbers. for We make the difference styles andstyles support at Change showerstylesaseasilycustomers the wall—offering ﬂ exibility that you and your customers will appreciate. Learn more about our innovative our appreciate. about more technologies, Learn having alter plumbing to without and functionality behind change theirminds. 219 ® MultiChoice DeltaFaucet.com/Pro ® Universal Valve lets you change style Radiant Solutions by Mark Eatherton RADIANT COMFORT CONTRACTOR Boiler Replacement Opptys. - Part 3

he next phase of evaluation takes place out- and doesn’t have the same R value that it had when it that notion (free energy = fast complaints) in mind. side of the boiler room. This is where you get was new. Remember, conservation in any form is less When you ask this question of the management, Ta chance to go out and see what the distribu- expensive than physical plant, and may end up in a they might not answer honestly, due to the possibil- tion system looks like. In most cases, the physical decrease in the required driving forces. ity of it going against their records. plant was engineered, so the chances While you are touring through the of having an undersized distribution living units, look at the methods of tem- system are slim to none. If anything, Remember, conservation in any form perature control. Not just the thermo- these components are probably over- is less expensive than physical plant. stats, but also the zone control valves. If sized in comparison to the real time the building is of the vintage age where loads being exerted on the system. pneumatic controls were employed, I’d If blueprints are available, it’s always a good idea to While you are out looking at the upper reaches of strongly recommend that you consider either the use not only look at the drawings, but also to look at the te building, you also want to look at the methods of of thermostats with individual zone valves, or pref- building to compare what was designed and installed heat emission, be that radiators, fan coil units or nat- erably the use of thermostatic non-electric control to what exists today. Remember, many systems have ural (baseboard) convectors. I will always do a “worst valves. Retrofitting a low voltage transformer, and gone through changes of one sort or another, and case scenario” heat loss/heat gain calculation, typi- running wires between the transformer, thermostat if the drawings show automatic air venting at the cally on an outside corner, on the top floor. I check and flow control devices is much more expensive tops of the risers, but someone eliminated them the heat loss against the heat gain to make sure that than simply placing a non-electric TRV and running for reasons unknown, you will need to adjust your the worst-case scenarios are covered. If it is not ade- a remote capillary tube to the thermostat’s location. labor factors for the need to eliminate air during the quate, then it’s a good idea to make mention of this Numerous TRV manufactures make these devices. filling and draining of the system, if that becomes to the building owner and then ask them if they’ve I have placed them with the TRV head protruding necessary. ever had complaints of discomfort due to a lack of from the convector (baseboard) cover, as well as plac- Remember also that what “was” when the building heating or cooling in these units. If they answer in ing them on standing cast iron radiators. Regard- was built, as it pertains to insulation and window R the affirmative, then I include the additional cost of less of which method of TRV you decide to use, as values has probably changed significantly over the the necessary emitters to ensure good comfort. a part of your Project Management procedures, I years. I like to do due diligence in looking at all of In my years of experience, I’ve rarely come across strongly recommend that you provide a written copy the R values that are in place and perform a building this situation, except where radiation has been re- of the operating instructions for these devices, most heat loss based on the building’s exterior skin and moved. Generally speaking, if radiation has been re- of which are written in “Europeanese” and use a compare it to the heat emitters that are currently in moved, it’s an indication of a heating system with “comfort number” instead of a “degree Fahrenheit” place. I also check for roof insulation. What was orig- little to no controls, and people who are uncomfort- setting. Instead of just handing the property man- inally installed has probably settled or broken down able due to too much heat. Again, pay attention to the agement a copy of the instructions that comes with number of windows you see open during your initial the device, I’d recommend that you put the instruc- visit and visual observations. It may tell you a lot more tions in your own words and explain the correlation about energy waste than management can tell you. between “comfort numbers” and the Degree Fahren- In the course of going through the building, I also heit “air temperature” settings that the occupants are like to ask the occupants about any comfort issues used to seeing on their thermostats. that they can relate. Bear in mind that in a subsi- dized rental operation, most of the occupants do not Mark Eatherton material, in print and online, is protected pay for their energy, and oddly enough, are the first by Copyright 2017. Any reuse of this material (print or ones to complain if there are any discomfort issues, electronic) must first have the express written permission whether they are related to heating, cooling and/ of Mark Eatherton and CONTRACTOR magazine. Please or DHW. Temper the answers that are given with contact via email at [email protected]. Viessmann Recalls Boilers Due to CO Hazard WARWICK, RI — Viessmann Mfg. Co. announced a sumers who continue the use of the boilers while recall of its Vitodens 200-W and Vitodens 222-F se- awaiting repair should have a working carbon mon- ries boilers used for space or domestic water heating. oxide alarm installed outside of sleeping areas in the The boiler heat exchanger back plate can corrode and home. leak flue gases, allowing the boiler to emit excessive Contact Viessmann at 800-288-0667 from 8:30 amounts of carbon monoxide, posing a CO poison- a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, by email at ing hazard to consumers. No incidents or injuries [email protected] or online at www.viessmann. have been reported at this time. com and click on “Important Notice” located in the Consumers with recalled boilers should immedi- middle of the homepage for more information. ately contact the installer or distributor from whom To see model numbers and photos, go to www. they purchased the boiler or Viessmann to schedule cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/Viessmann-Recalls-Boil- For information circle 220 a free in-home safety inspection and repair. Con- ers-Due-to-Carbon-Monoxide-Hazard.

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Using the mobile app, technicians type (residential or commercial), time Acctivate Inventory and Business Management Software for Quick- in the field can see if the customer for periods, technicians, referral sources, Books (Alterity, Inc. http://bit.ly/2J7uHTW, 817/870-1311, available an upcoming appointment has a main- leads, call backs, proactive repairs, and based in the cloud or on premise), tracks inventory locations and levels tenance plan and, if so, the bill would other parameters a contractor may and product availability, along with various service management tools. reflect the customer-specific pricing. is want to report. Reports are delineated The software allows an unlimited number of product entries. with a customer with an existing main- by a color graph, actual number, and tenance plan. percentage. he system, which uses barcod- or more). The website portion of the program The solution includes a library of ing, can locate and trace all stock 3C Connect service management enables users to create service agree- over 70 training videos for indoor and Tin any location(s), monitor levels software for small to medium size res- ments with pricing and schedule fol- outdoor units showing techs how to including keeping track of established troubleshoot and test and what the se- min/max quantities, and issue an alert quence of operations is for the differ- when stock is low. The solution can The onboarding process takes a ent types of HVAC units. suggest re-order quantities and auto- The software, which syncs with mate purchase orders. Pre-committed total of about twelve weeks. Quickbooks, carries a one-time set-up inventory can be labeled (e.g. cus- fee and a monthly fee based on the tomer, specific work order). numbernumber ofof users.users. A portionportion ofof thethe ServiceService managementmanagement toolstools in-in- feefee isis automaticallyautomatically addedadded toto eacheach cludeclude dragdrag andand dropdrop schedulingscheduling ofof customercustomer invoiceinvoice forfor serviceservice re-re- serviceservice orders,orders, at-a-glanceat-a-glance calendarcalendar pairs,pairs, essentiallyessentially reimbursingreimbursing thethe viewsviews ofof activitiesactivities forfor anyany specificspecific contractor.contractor. day,day, andand thethe trackingtracking andand billingbilling PipelineDealsPipelineDeals CRMCRM softwaresoftware ofof timetime andand materialsmaterials usedused forfor ser-ser- (www.pipelinedeals.comwww.pipelinedeals.com 866/702- vices.vices. UsersUsers cancan communicatecommunicate withwith 77303)303) iiss ssalesales pproductivityroductivity ssoftwareoftware serviceservice techstechs throughthrough texttext mes-mes- ssuitableuitable forfor salessales repsreps atat smallsmall andand sages, pagers, or email. mmedium-sizededium-sized ccontractorsontractors rreadyeady ttoo TheThe solutionsolution alsoalso hashas pricingpricing mmigrateigrate aawayway ffromrom ppencilencil aandnd ppa-a- toolstools thatthat enableenable flexibleflexible optionsoptions perper oror spreadsheetsspreadsheets toto keepkeep tracktrack toto accommodateaccommodate promotions,promotions, ofof prospectsprospects andand estimatesestimates forfor customercustomer specificspecific discounts,discounts, andand newnew work.work. TheThe solution,solution, whichwhich isis customcustom tiertier pricingpricing thatthat adjustsadjusts basedbased inin thethe cloudcloud andand hashas nativenative marginmargin levelslevels perper demographicdemographic oror AndroidAndroid andand iOSiOS appsapps forfor useuse inin other parameter. thethe field,field, hashas 9292 pre-formattedpre-formatted sys-sys- UsersUsers cancan createcreate purchasepurchase ordersorders temtem fieldsfields inin whichwhich toto enterenter datadata manuallymanually oror usingusing a ReorderReorder wiz-wiz- forfor trackingtracking deals,deals, companies,companies, andand ard,ard, a SpecialSpecial OrderOrder wizard,wizard, oror a peoplepeople throughthrough thethe salessales process.process. Drop Ship wizard, and can The software is highly set customer service alerts customizable with unlim- for overdue or priority ser- ited custom fields that can vice. idential and commercial contractors low-up tasks automatically. A built-in be added by the user. You can It is possible to track purchase or- (www.3cconnect.com, 888/518-7025) pricing book features customized algo- keep notes on each deal and prospec- der status (entered, request for quote, consists of three core modules: sched- rithms based on unit pricing, distrib- tive deal and the data is accessible as pending approval, issued), initiate a uling/technician dispatch, invoicing, utor pricing, technician commissions, calendar views and list views. A “morn- P/O invoice directly from a P/O with and parts supply for inventory man- and other factors. You can customize ing coffee” report is generated each day one click and a receipt from a P/O, agement. the flat rate system, including pricing that highlights the current pipeline also with a single click. Users also have The scheduling module centers on a of non-stock parts and repairs per- and details your company’s successes quick access to detailed customer his- color-coded dashboard that shows the formed in the field. from the previous day and the num- tories, including historical records status of the appointments for each Upon completion of each job, parts bers you need to know to move the of service requests and billable and technician, identified by a distinctly sold by the technicians and con- needle. Pricing for the software, which non-billable hours. colored icon, delineated down to each sumables needed are automatically comes with U.S. based phone support, The onboarding process takes a to- hour of the work day, with the loca- recorded to a replenishment list sep- is per salesperson per month or annu- tal of about twelve weeks from initial tion and specified job, tasks, or cus- arated for each technician and auto- ally. A free 14-day trial available. interview with an Acctivate specialist tomer agreement status and call notes matically ordered from the distributor to going live with the system. The one- included in that block. For emergency to restock each van’s inventory. Patti Feldman writes articles and web time purchase price is dependent on repairs, dispatchers can select the best Default reports with KPIs can be cus- content for trade magazines and manu- the base system, additional features, technician based on proximity and job tomized by contractors to track com- facturers of building products. She can be and the number of user licenses (three status. pany-wide sales and performance by reached at [email protected].

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ne of the greatest opportu- trauma in older adults (Lueckenotte mounted so a wheelchair can slip un- nities facing plumbing con- & Conley, 2009).” der them. O tractors today is retrofitting Walk-in tubs get a lot of attention, baths for people to live in place in Plumbers Can Help but most are not attractive. Yet, some their homes. Here is what you should There are a number of things are. Find attractive ones and discuss know. plumbers can do to help seniors live additional work to increase the flow in place. One of the easiest is apply- and drain rates. Recommend tubs The Baby Boomers Will Spur Greater Demand In 2010, 13% of the U.S. popula- Begin talking with home health care tion was age 65 or over, according providers about your living in place to the Census Bureau. By 2030, the percentage of Americans 65 and offering. It is in their interest to keep older will jump to 20%. This is a seniors in their homes as long as it is safe. massive increase, spurred by aging baby boomers (born 1945 to 1964). Demand of senior friendly housing ing non slip shower and bath floor is going to shoot up. stickers to prevent falls. They are inexpensive enough to be used as a The Cost of Assisted Living promotional item to open discus- is Significant sions about living in place. ADA-compliant sinks are an ideal retrofit In their 2018 Cost of Care Sur- Grab bars are the next easiest item. opportunity. vey, long term insurance provider However, few people want industrial Genworth found that the average looking grab bars in their homes. Find begin providing your own installa- cost of an assisted living facility was attractive ones that come in different tions, you can use photographs of $48,000. By 2030, it is projected to finishes and colors. They can replace your own work. reach $68,437. While living at home towel bars, which can be dangerous Work up pricing for each product. is not free, it is not nearly as expen- because seniors might grab them for Some items, like grab bars, can be paid sive as assisted living even when support and pull them out of the wall. out of pocket. For others are for a larger some outside help is required. This Not only are people more likely to ac- retrofit, you might need to arrange means there is a lot of room for re- cept attractive grab bars, they can com- third party financing. There are lots of modeling if it means moving to an mand higher prices and better margins. companies that specialize in this. assisted living facility can be delayed Fold down toilet grab bars are an- Begin talking with home health for a few years. other item to add to your living in care providers about your living in place product portfolio. Along with place offering. It is in their interest Seniors Prefer to Stay in fold down toilet grab bars, tall toi- to keep seniors in their homes as Their Homes lets or toilet risers can make it easier Lever-handle faucets with forward- long as it is safe. Still, consider spiff- Research by the American Associ- for seniors to stand after using the mounted handles are easy to operate from a ing them for leads. ation of Retired Persons found that bathroom. wheelchair. Prepare a living in place section nine out of ten seniors prefer to live Seniors can have a hard time turn- of your website. Publish informa- in their own homes. Not only is staying faucet handles. Offer to change with heated seats to prevent chilling tion about it on social media. Start ing in their own homes financially out the faucets and handles for a le- while the tub is draining. mailing and emailing information to better, it is what people want. ver handled faucet. Consider faucets your customers. with forward mounted handles that Steps to Take Falls are the Biggest Risk are easier for someone to use who is To develop your living in place pro- For more information on how to grow The Centers for Disease Control wheelchair bound. Touchless faucets gram, the first challenge is to source your plumbing business affordably, reported that senior deaths from are another option. the products. Challenge your sup- join the Service Roundtable. For $50 a falls increased 31% from 2007 to Because scalding risk increases pliers to help but do not be afraid to month you gain access to the Service 2016. According to the University for seniors, offer pressure balanced search online. Some of the most at- Roundtable’s vast library of download- of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, “It is esti- thermostatic mixing valves. The best tractive and function living in place able sales, marketing, and business mated that 30% to 40% of commu- solution is one located at the water products come from Europe so a man- operations tools. You can also access nity-dwelling elders aged 65 years heater to provide whole house pro- ufacturer with a European presence is the Plumbers Roundtable for peer sup- and older fall each year. However, tection. Another option is to install more likely to offer the products you port and you get a free membership in no specific data is available to con- them at every faucet or shower. seek. Offering them will differentiate Roundtable Rewards, the trade’s largest firm the number of unreported falls. When a senior is wheelchair bound, you from competitors. contractor buying group. Learn more Falls are the most common cause of wheelchair compatible sinks should Assemble manufacturer pho- at ServiceRoundtable.com or call injuries and hospital admissions for be discussed. These sinks are wall tographs into a catalog. Once you 877/262-3341.

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he summer time is usually a busy value their hard work and you’ll sup- #3. Pre-sell Your Slow Season Build systems, invest in training and time for contractors: the weather port them as they work harder than If the summer is your busy season, equipment, and fix whatever is causing T is nice, people have emerged ever. that means you probably have a slow those problems. You’ll discover next from winter hibernation and are As a leader, it’s your job to lead your season too, right? Maybe the fall? summer that you’ll have eliminated thinking about improving their home team. That doesn’t necessarily mean Maybe the spring? Identify when the many of the stop-you-in-your-tracks and spending more time entertaining problems that held you back this sum- friends in a beautiful backyard. mer. This can mean a busy time for a con- Do you hit your head against a wall It won’t make THIS summer better tracting business like yours. For some but it’s the first step to making every businesses, it’s the best time of year as because it seems like you face the same other summer better than ever. you get swamped with calls and en- problems summer after summer? joy being fully booked. Perhaps you’re #5. Ask For Referrals making more money than you do the How often does your team ask for rest of the year. that you have to get back into the truck slow season is for your business and referrals? Although people may think But most business owners will miss to do it, but it does mean that you need pre-sell appointments for customers to they “ask everyone,” they often only something. They’ll think they are get- to step up in front of them and show that season. ever ask one out of ten… or worse. ting the most they can out of the busy them that the busy summer months For example, if you’re at a custom- Train your team to ask for referrals summer months but what they won’t are nothing to dread. er’s home for one project in the early every single time, even whether or not realize is this: there are opportunities summer but you offer another service, you win the job. (Yes, even prospects to squeeze the lemon and enjoy an #2. Learn To Sell 1+1 product, or project, offer a discount if who don’t hire you can refer people even more prosperous summer! When your team is working with the customer pays and schedules now to you!) • More work, for longer throughout customers, and selling your services to to receive it in October or November. Get referrals and contact them to do the summer months them, you can easily add more income You’ll make more money now but work for them. Again, schedule them • More profitable when you sell any to your business by using the 1+1 sell- you also get the advantage of lever- into your slower seasons if you can. service ing system: whenever a customer buys aging your busy season now to turn a Referrals are a simple way to get more • More work for the rest of the year one thing, offer them one other related slow season later into a busier season! customers who are already very warm • … And all without adding to your thing. (not a lot of selling required!) and who stress and overwhelm • HVAC duct cleaning customer may #4. Pay Attention to What’s are likely to buy from you. Yes, it’s entirely possibly to have an also want filters Broken Since you’re talking to more custom- even better summer! Here’s how… • A new water heater customer may Do you hit your head against the ers than ever this season, it’s the per- also want a water filtration system wall because it feels like you face the fect time to get into the habit of asking #1. Rally Your Troops • A whole home generator customer same problems summer after summer? for referrals. Everyone knows this is coming up may also want GFIC receptacles Maybe your employees do the same to the busy time for your business. But Train your team to always offer one dumb thing over and over. Or maybe Summary that doesn’t mean you should let your other thing. Yes, your summer is al- there’s always a shortage of something Most contractors are looking for- team just do what they’ve always done. ready busy but this sale occurs with an critical. Or maybe the heat of summer ward to the summer because it’s a busy Instead, rally them. Hold an all-com- existing customer, which means you’re creates a lot more truck breakdowns. season and there’s the high likelihood pany meeting and get them excited not selling two things to two custom- Whatever the case may be, write it that you can make a lot of money. about the coming months. ers; you’re selling two things to one down on a “summer problems list.” But what if you could make more? Why excited? Because there’s a customer—so you’re making the same Write down anything that is a hassle Use these five strategies that I shared chance that some of your team is number of sales as with two customers this year, and especially if it’s been a with you here to squeeze the lemon dreading the busyness. Or maybe they but you’re saving the legwork of mar- hassle in previous years. and make this great summer even bet- don’t like the heat. Or maybe they feel keting, traveling to the second custom- Then, at the end of summer, look at ter than ever. overwhelmed at this time. So, get them er’s house, etc. This is a simple way to that list and use it as a problem-solv- excited and let them know that you add profit to your business. ing list for the fall, winter, and spring. Mike Agugliaro is a Business Warrior on a mission to change the lives and businesses of service business owners. Mike Pentair Adds Rewards to Popular Partner Program and his business partner started and grew BROOKFIELD, WI – Pentair®, a leading To accumulate points, Partner Pro- The Pentair Partner Program was a struggling home service company into global water treatment company, has gram dealers simply download the cus- launched in 2017 for professionals a multi-million dollar empire before sell- added even more incentives for water tom Scan & Service app and scan eli- looking to increase their revenue and ing the company in 2017. Today Mike is treatment professionals to participate gible Pentair products. Reward points customer portfolio. All three tiers of an author, speaker, and mentor; and he’s in its popular Partner Program. All earned during 2019 can be redeemed the program – Bronze, Silver and True the co-founder of CEO Warrior, a high dealers in the United States and Can- for pre-paid debit cards, gift cards and Blue – receive special marketing, sales, level coaching and training organization ada who register for the Pentair Partner a broad array of merchandise, includ- training and support resources. for home service businesses. Learn more Program are now eligible to earn re- ing electronics, tools, home goods and To enroll, visit www.pentairpartners. about Mike and CEO Warrior at www. ward points throughout 2019. brand name products. com. CEOWARRIOR.com.

40 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com Get your own subscription today

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Available in print and digital formats. Best Practices by Michael A. Capasso FOUNDING OWNER AND PRESIDENT OF C.A.C. INDUSTRIES, INC. 3 Steps to Unifying the Moving Parts of a Large Company

s the owner of CAC Indus- a great family feel within the com- 2. Holding myself and others whole crew pitching in to move in the tries, a large public works pany, but as the business grew, it be- accountable right direction. So, it became crucial to A contracting company in New came harder to keep that intimate, I’ll be honest, it was not easy to take get everyone on the same page. York City, I used to coordinate a caring culture, especially as new gen- responsibility for the issues we were Part of the issue, I realized, was that lot of moving parts on a daily basis erations of workers joined the team. having. It isn’t for most leaders who I knew exactly what I wanted the com- – both literally, ensuring we have We needed to define and articulate are deeply and emotionally invested in pany to accomplish, but having ev- people at all of our myriad job sites our values. what they do because it means admit- erything in my head was not helping performing work up to our high Prior to starting the coaching pro- ting you’ve made mistakes and open- anyone else understand. Once I started standards, and figuratively, handling cess, we developed 27 of what we call ing yourself to scrutiny. But it was a sharing my vision with the leadership the operations for a large business “Fundamentals,” or the basic rules necessary step to begin this process of team, and we turned them into specific and coordinating our work on roads, by which we live and work. They change. goals, they were able to share those sewers, water mains, gas lines and with others, which allowed everything more. While our company has con- to fall into line. tinued to grow immensely over the I want to move more outside of the And we don’t just share those goals years, I felt it was time to incorpo- by word of mouth, we make it some- rate more structure and efficiency in operations and get others to feel thing tangible that can be measured how we work. In addition, we had comfortable making decisions for and tracked. For example, we decided an influx of new employees, and our to make cash flow a priority, so now long-standing culture just wasn’t themselves and for the company. we track it for each job on a scoreboard sinking in with them. that everyone can see. Often it’s very That’s when we turned to Petra motivating to visually understand Coach, a business consulting firm detail the CAC Industries Way with To get a baseline of how we felt we where we are with that goal and what that I met at entrepreneur and au- points such as, “Think Safe, Work were performing, we started by doing we need to do to reach it. thor Verne Harnish’s CEO Boot Safe,” “Use Data to Make Decisions,” a talent assessment with the execu- As owner, I want to move more out- Camp. We wanted to bring in a busi- “Act Like It’s Your Own” and “Be Re- tive team in which each team mem- side of the operations and get others to ness coach not only to oversee this lentless About Improvement.” Now, ber “graded” one another on his or her feel comfortable making decisions for process of learning and growing, but every employee has those values on performance. It was an opportunity to themselves and for the company. Now more importantly, to make sure it cards that they carry around at all be very frank with each other about that I’m sharing my perspective with was done correctly, in a timely man- times as a constant reminder of their what’s working and what’s not – myself them on a regular basis, I feel more ner and in a way that was best for commitment to carrying those out. included. confident that we’re all headed in the our company. We also defined our core purpose Once those concerns were voiced, same direction. With Petra’s help, our manage- – our motivation for doing what we each team member came away with Because of all the work we have ment team implemented the Rocke- do – and four core values – the foun- an action plan to make those changes, done and the engagement that it has feller Habits, the legendary strategies dational principles our company is Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) brought to our employees, the feel of John D. Rockefeller used to grow his built on. Once they were outlined, to measure when that goal has been the team has been much more posi- empire. They ensure that the team we had a “Rollout” event, where – reached and an accountability partner tive. And we didn’t have to make any is aligned and that all members are over food, drinks and camaraderie to make sure each person stays on the major overhauls, but we couldn’t have held accountable for meeting orga- – we revealed them to everyone in right track. done it on our own. It required the out- nizational goals – which can make the company. We plan to start doing these kind of side perspective and guidance from our a large company like ours function The event allowed us to celebrate assessments, and developing action coach, and some open-mindedness on much more efficiently. our core purpose and core values plans, with all employees later this our part, but now we are seeing the We began implementing these and make them something exciting year, as it’s so important to get them transformation take place in our com- “habits” in the last year, and we’re for everyone to be a part of – but it in the habit of sharing their goals with pany. Now, what changes are you go- already noticing how much tighter didn’t stop there. others and understanding how their ing to make? our operations have become with We want to make sure we’re living work affects both themselves and oth- only a few changes: them out every day. We now have ers – all of which is the basis for ac- Michael A. Capasso is the founding owner these five phrases printed on every countability. and President of C.A.C. Industries, Inc. 1. Effectively communicating single safety vest as a way of driving He has over 20 years’ experience in the core values and core positive accountability. It serves as a 3. Ensuring everyone in the construction industry. Michael is dedi- purpose constant reminder to the team – and company is aligned and cated to the personal growth and success Our company had been in busi- makes it public to anyone passing meeting goals of his employees, and his philosophy is ness for 25 years before we brought our workers on the street – who we If I’ve learned anything, it’s that simple: Lead by example, be a courageous Petra Coach and the Rockefeller are, how we work and what we stand it’s very hard to steer a ship if nobody risk taker, embrace conflict and show good Habits into the mix. We already had for. knows where we’re going. It takes the judgment.

42 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com THE INEXORABLE RISE OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

It’s safe to say the alternative energy market is facing some pretty severe headwinds. Yet, there are indications it is on the rise despite them. After all, solar panels and wind turbines were novelties in 2008, and now they are commonplace. Alternative energy technology – heat pumps, solar panels and the like – is improving while the price of that technology is dropping. Meanwhile demand remains high in certain market and geographic segments (the state of California being a standout).

This eBook is far from a comprehensive guide, but we hope it serves as an illustrative sampling, a signpost for those who would like to go further, and hopefully an inspirationinspiration forfor otherother contractorscontractors lookinglooking toto addadd alternativealternative energy systems to their offerings DOWNLOAD THIS FREE EBOOK TODAY!

TO DOWNLOAD THIS EBOOK, GO TO: WWW.CONTRACTORMAG.COM Best Practices by Michael Tobias FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL OF NEW YORK ENGINEERS Air-Source Heat Pumps in Cold Weather

eat pumps are emerging as an do not exchange heat with outdoor a moderate temperature. This min- inate the defrost cycle completely, efficient solution for space air, they are relatively unaffected imizes the frequency of the defrost they can reduce its impact on the H heating and air condition- by freezing temperatures. However, cycle and the operating time of the heating output. ing, especially when used in variable they require excavations that can backup heating system, lowering to- To achieve the best results with refrigerant flow systems. They can be difficult to perform under exist- tal energy consumption. an air-source heat pump system, the match the most efficient air condi- ing buildings, especially those in first recommended step is an assess- tioning systems in cooling mode, crowded urban areas. Heat Pumps with Built-In ment of the local weather. This way, and can compete with the low cost Measures Against Cold an adequate system can be specified of combustion heating while using Specifying Air-Source Heat Weather from the start; which is simpler and only electricity. Pumps for Cold Weather Air-source heat pumps from lead- less expensive that upgrading an un- Compared with a conventional resis- When using air-source heat pumps ing manufacturers are typically rated suitable installation. tance heater, a heat pump achieves sav- with freezing temperatures, there are for outdoor temperatures as low as ings in the range of 40 to 80 percent, two main ways to compensate for -4°F. However, when the units are Complementary Measures depending on the specific model and the heating loss during defrost cy- enhanced with cold weather mea- to Enhance Heat Pump operating conditions. cles: sures, their operating range can ex- Efficiency While air-source heat pumps ex- • Adding a backup heating system, tend below -10°F or even -20°F. The Having an energy-efficient heat change heat directly with outdoor pump system reduces heating and air, ground-source heat pumps take cooling expenses. However, the advantage of the stable underground The frst recommended step is an building itself can also be designed temperature to achieve a higher to minimize cooling needs during efficiency. Considering the high assessment of the local weather. summer and heating needs during price and complex installations of This way, an adequate system can be winter. A building envelope with ad- a ground-source system, air-source equate insulation and airtightness heat pumps are the most common specifed from the start; which is simpler minimizes the need for heating and option. cooling, compared with a building The main limitation of air-source and less expensive than upgrading. with poor insulation and many air heat pumps is a significant drop in leaks. performance when outdoor tem- Ventilation controls also contrib- peratures reach the freezing range. typically a gas burner or electric re- following are some common design ute to heating and cooling efficiency, Design engineers must consider the sistance heater. features used by heat pump manu- by adjusting airflow according to the effect of local weather when speci- • Specifying a heat pump with facturers to mitigate the impact of needs of the building. When ven- fying a heat pump, and ensure the built-in measures against frost accu- the defrost cycle: tilation systems operate at full air- system is equipped with adequate mulation. • Some manufacturers include heat flow all the time, the air volume that measures for the lowest tempera- Backup heating systems for air- accumulators, which can continue must be conditioned is higher. On tures expected. source heat pumps are a simple solu- delivering heat when the heat pump the other hand, if ventilation is ad- tion, but they tend to increase the enters the defrost cycle. justed according to occupancy, the How Does the Extreme Cold system ownership cost. The design • There are also heat pump con- total air volume that must be condi- Affect Air-Source Heat considerations change depending on figurations where one of the hot tioned is lower. Pumps? the type of backup heating specified: refrigerant lines circulates through There is a wide range of heating The main challenge when using • An electric resistance heater runs the outdoor unit to help prevent and cooling configurations that an air-source heat pump with freez- with the same energy source as the freezing. The defrost cycle only acti- can be deployed in buildings. How- ing temperatures is controlling ice heat pump. However, it draws more vates when this heating effect is not ever, the lowest ownership cost is accumulation on the outdoor coils. current for a given heating load, re- enough. achieved when the installation is op- Since the unit is removing heat from quiring an increased wiring capacity. • When a heat pump system uses timized according to the building’s outdoor air that is already cold, hu- The overall system efficiency also multiple outdoor units, they can be needs. midity can easily collect and freeze drops, since resistance heating is programmed to enter the defrost cy- on the surface of its coils. much less efficient than heat pump cle in a sequence and not simulta- Michael Tobias is the founder and Although the heat pump defrost operation. neously. This way, the system never principal of New York Engineers, an cycle can melt ice on the outdoor • A gas burner achieves a much loses its full heating capacity due to Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Company in coils, the unit cannot deliver space lower operating cost than a resis- defrosting. America. He leads a team of 30+ me- heating while the cycle lasts. As out- tance heater. However, it requires a • Outdoor units can also be chanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire door temperatures drop, the heat gas supply and an exhaust system, equipped with housings that protect protection engineers from the company pump must enter the defrost cycle driving up the cost of the installa- the unit from direct snowfall. This headquarters in New York City; and has more frequently to compensate for tion. way, the unit must only deal with led over 1,000 projects in New York, ice formation, and this limits the When a heat pump system uses the ice that forms directly on the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, heat delivered to indoor spaces. backup heating, a recommended coils. Florida, Maryland and California, as Since ground-source heat pumps practice is setting the thermostat at While these measures do not elim- well as Singapore and Malaysia.

44 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com Best Practices

by Brent Meyers VICE PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL SALES FOR NVOICEPAY Why Your Contracting Company Needs a Payments Strategy

’ve written about the importance move money electronically. They ment complexity as construction. on their jobsites, which saves tons of a vendor payments strategy don’t help reduce the necessary At the same time, construction of time and really helps keep jobs I for companies in today’s busi- front-end work to get to the point also faces low profit margins and moving. ness climate. But the reality is it’s of payment. Ironically, introducing scarce IT resources, and sees fit to twice as imperative for construc- payment types like card and ACH spend most technology investment Positioning for the future tion companies to implement this solutions on their own can actually on field operations. Further, with Although construction lags other process because the industry’s pay- add more workflows and complexity many construction companies run industries in adopting technology ment challenges are bigger – and so to the process. by founding families, the tradition in general, it’s not far behind in is the opportunity. Payments are at That’s one reason construction of the owner signing every check terms of payment automation. Many the center of two critical areas of the companies are still mostly check- dies hard. companies are often slow to adopt construction business—vendor rela- based. They’re already managing electronic payments because they’re tionships and job progress. So get- lien releases, progress payments and Not just for consumers simply unaware of new automation ting strategic about how you pay can job-cost accounting on top of the Here’s the good news: just as they solutions. make a big impact. usual AP process. Adding more work- did with consumer payments, tech- For years, bank and card products What exactly is a payments strat- have been the only game in town, egy? In the check-centered world of even though they haven’t solved for the past, it meant managing float, Many companies are often slow to adopt all the complexity surrounding pay- capturing early-pay discounts, and/ ments. Things have changed, and or shifting some payments to credit electronic payments because they’re there’s a lot coming down the pike, card in order to get rebates. Today it unaware of new automation solutions. including innovations in accounts means using intelligent payments receivable, trade finance and dy- automation to get the most leverage namic discounting. from every payment you make. flows for electronic payments is the nology companies have stepped up As payments become automated last thing they need. to go beyond moving money elec- in the cloud, companies are gain- Beyond replacing checks tronically. Automated payment solu- ing enough visibility and speed in It starts with eliminating paper The vendor enablement tions enable you to make every type invoicing and payments to leverage checks—but it doesn’t end there. challenge of payment from a single interface. these advanced programs. Even if You have to think strategically about The other factor that’s kept busi- There’s just one workflow—deciding you’re still heavy into checks, you’re how you’re going to replace them. nesses from going electronic is the which invoices to pay and clicking not a long way from being able to First, you want to encourage as task of vendor enablement. All you the “pay” button. capitalize on new technology solu- many vendors as possible to take vir- need to pay any vendor by check is You don’t even have to know how tions. tual card payments. Designed specif- their name and address. But elec- a vendor wants to get paid. Solution So it’s time to start thinking strate- ically for AP, virtual cards offer the tronic payments require you to know providers now use cloud-based net- gically about payments—not just as convenience and rebates of credit who will accept a card or ACH—and works to handle vendor enablement paying bills or shifting from paper to cards along with an extra level of se- getting that information is a lot of and information management at electronic. Think about payments as curity. work. scale—and a lot of your vendors are an area where you can leverage tech- You can sign up any vendors that Besides that, in order to pay ven- probably already part of their net- nology to increase value and get out won’t accept a credit card for ACH dors who agree to accept ACH, you works. Plus, the cloud lets providers on the leading edge of back-office payments. After that, only holdouts need to collect, securely store and integrate their solutions into your innovation. that absolutely won’t take any form maintain their banking information. ERP or accounting system with just of electronic payment should get a Most AP departments don’t have the a few hours of IT time. These new Brent Meyers is the Vice President of paper check. resources to add comprehensive, on- fintech systems can help most busi- National Sales for Nvoicepay. His ex- Sounds easy, right? It’s not, for two going vendor enablement and data nesses reach 80 percent or more elec- tensive knowledge of the accounts pay- reasons—workflow and vendor en- security to their workload. tronic payments. It’s a project that able industry includes regulation com- ablement. Construction companies face even pays for itself quickly and frees up pliance and expense reporting solutions. bigger vendor-enablement chal- AP time for other initiatives. Brent has held positions in accounts Workflow changes can lenges. Every job is almost like a Early electronic-payment adopters payable, claims, and credit cards, both mean extra work mini-company, with different own- in construction have found that be- on the merchant and issuing side. He is For years, businesses have tried to ers and different business entities, ing able to pay vendors on time con- an accredited Payables Solutions Con- eliminate paper checks, with only localized vendors, and an everchang- sistently with full remittance data sultant through The Accounts Payable moderate success. Simply adding a ing roster of local and specialty sub- helps them attract top subcontrac- Network and a Certified Purchasing card product or bank-provided ACH contractors. I’ve sold AP solutions tors to bid on their jobs. They can Card Professional through the National hasn’t gotten them across the fin- for over a decade, and I’ve never also enable field supervisors to ap- Association of Purchasing Card Profes- ish line because those solutions only seen an industry with as much pay- prove payments in the cloud while sionals.

➤ www.contractormag.com MAY 2019 • 45 Industry News

USGBC Releases 2018 Sustainability Report

DALLAS, TX – Informa and the U.S. comprehensive report details the elevated our tracking processes in overall print quantity and leftover pa- Green Building Council (USGBC) sustainability initiatives im- while capturing our waste per at the conclusion of the show. announced the release of the 2018 plemented for the 2018 reduction efforts.” Sustainable Sourcing: The Greenbuild Greenbuild Sustainability Report, event, through a review The report shares the team consistently evaluates the materials highlighting valuable metrics and key of all objectives, goals progress of seven sus- used on-site to reduce the show’s overall benchmarks regarding the impact on and best practices. tainability objectives impact on the environment. Greenbuild sustainable sourcing, community in- Case studies provide at Greenbuild, in- was able to remove plastic straws from volvement, and carbon footprint re- detailed overviews of cluding the following all concession areas throughout the con- duction at the 2018 Greenbuild Inter- sustainability strategies highlights: vention center. national Conference and Expo, held and initiatives including • Waste Manage- • Performance Tracking: USGBC last November at McCormick Place in waste diversion, attendee ment: Informa, USGBC, and Informa were thrilled to have Chicago. The event achieved an overall and stakeholder engage- McCormick Place, Freeman, Greenbuild 2018 pursue, for the second 86% waste diversion rate. ment, sourcing and donation of and local vendors worked to- time, the TRUE (Total Resource Use and [Editor’s note: CONTRACTOR Magazine materials, performance tracking improve- gether to optimize waste management Efficiency) zero waste event certification and contractormag.com are owned by In- ments, and community engagement. strategies resulting in an overall 86% and once again certified at the Platinum forma, LLC.] Highlights include the elimination of sin- waste diversion rate. level. Through this effort, Greenbuild “We’re thrilled to have made such great gle-use plastics, 28,000 pledges cast by at- • Stakeholder Engagement: achieved a 93% TRUE waste diversion. strides for event sustainability,” said Sher- tendees, and more than 20,000 pounds of Greenbuild is unique in that sustainabil- • Greenhouse Gas Emissions: ida Sessa, Greenbuild brand director, In- carbon offset. The report can be accessed ity practices permeate the entire event; Meat, cheese and egg production are forma. “We had a lot of ‘firsts’ in 2018 and online at greenbuildexpo.com. it’s produced in a genuinely sustain- the largest carbon footprint culprits in tried new approaches that worked well. “Greenbuild continuously seeks to able manner. In 2018, attendees were Greenbuild’s menu planning. This year, Our hope is that these achievements will set the standard for event sustainability. prompted to think about sustainability for the first time, catered meals featured be adopted through the events industry. This is only possible through the sup- prior to arriving on-site. They could com- plated lunches that were 100% vegan Greenbuild’s education is about sustain- port of incredible partners and vendors mit to specific pledges, including bring- – totaling 3,500 meals. This initiative ability in the built environment, but the as well as our Greenbuild Host Commit- ing a reusable water bottle or selecting reduced Greenbuild’s carbon footprint way the event is produced leads to these tee,” said Kim Heavner, vice president, local or organic food while onsite in Chi- by more than 9.35 metric tons of carbon sustainability wins. We’re extraordinarily conference and events at USGBC. “For cago. For the first time, attendees were dioxide equivalent (MTCO2 Eq). grateful to our vendors and partners for the second year, we incorporated the also asked to reserve a copy of the printed • Community Impact: The 2018 helping us to cross these milestones.” The TRUE Zero Waste Rating System, and expo guide, which resulted in a reduction Greenbuild Legacy Project, led by Il- linois Green Alliance, the Greenbuild 2018 Host Committee chose to support TDIndustries Hires Steve Cunningham the Science Giants Program at Project Exploration, an education organization DALLAS, TX – TDIndustries (TD) has dustrial/organizational psychology from dedicated to making science accessible hired Steve F. Cunningham as its new the University of Nebraska at Omaha. to youth from underrepresented com- Chief People Officer. He is on the board of directors for Frisco munities. Students built a garden bed In his new role at TD, Cunningham Family Services Center and a member of and harvest for Inspiration Kitchens, a will support the growth of a company the Society of Human Resources Man- neighborhood restaurant that employs that has grown to 2,600 Partners (em- agement. and serves homeless and previously in- ployee-owners). His duties will include “We are excited to welcome Steve to carcerated community members. talent acquisition, employment com- the senior leadership team at TD,” said • Hospitality Industry: An edu- pensation, benefits, training, succes- CEO Harold MacDowell. “He is an exam- cational session on event sustainability sion planning, and safety. Hiring and ple of a humble guide and a mature and was offered to event organizers, venues developing a diverse workforce of skilled unassuming leader who builds strong and vendors. The session featured the tradesmen and tradeswomen will be a relationships, gains trust, and produces Greenbuild sustainability team and part- top priority for TD’s People department worked to create a unified organization. results. Steve’s expertise in talent man- ners sharing how Greenbuild incorpo- under Cunningham’s leadership. He was responsible for the introduction agement and his progressive People rates sustainability throughout the event Cunningham comes to TD with a di- and execution of programs and policies strategies will be vital in our continued and offered actions and information on verse background from more than 20 that benefited the company and its more commitment to grow our Partners and how to include greener practices into years of executive human resources ex- than 9,000 employees. to the success of making our 2025 Vision any event management strategy. perience. He has led numerous human Prior to Essilor, Cunningham spent a reality.” Greenbuild continues to prioritize sus- resources, benefits, talent acquisition/ time in HR leadership roles with Fri- Since 1946, TD has provided innova- tainability and demonstrate leadership development, and retention strategies to-Lay, BCE West, and the Circle K Cor- tive engineering, construction and fa- when it comes to greening the confer- with Essilor of America, a leading optical poration. cilities services that optimize the per- ence and events industry. This year’s products developer and manufacturer. Cunningham holds a Bachelor of formance of world-class mechanical conference will take place November 20- During his time as Senior Vice Presi- Science in psychology from Creighton systems. Learn more at www.TDIndus- 22 in Atlanta. Registration will open in dent of Human Resources, Cunningham University and a master’s degree in in- tries.com. the summer.

46 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com Industry News

ISH China and CIHE Opens Next Week

ISH China & CIHE is ready to open its rami, Lemember, Linuo-Paradigma, doors next week at the New China In- Nasen, Noritz, OMELEX, OUTES, Par- ternational Exhibition Center in Bei- agon, Phnix, Powerworld, Radiant, jing, running from 6 – 8 May. Ravenplus, RBI, Resideo, Rheem, Rin- Visitors to the fair can expect to see nai, Royalstar, Sanica, SIME, Smnwa- the latest products and technologies ter, SMS, Squirrel, Stiebel Eltron, TCL, from leading overseas brands, while Tesso, Thenow, Tsinghua Tongfang, many domestic suppliers, driven by Unbeatable, Unmak, Varki, Värmebar- eco-friendly policies in China, will onen, Vicot, Warmhaus, Watts, We- showcase their latest innovations de- stone, York and Zehnder. signed with environmental protection in mind. The full product spectrum Concurrent Events on offer at ISH China & CIHE includes In response to a series of national boilers & wall-hung boilers, burners, policies and initiatives tackling air water heaters, electric heaters, water pollution, the fair will host the Clean pumps, heat pumps, radiators, valves, • German Pavilion presenting ad- Showcasing their latest products Heating Development Summit, invit- pipes & fittings, control systems, cool- vanced HVAC solutions in hall E2 in the Water Pump Area in hall W1 ing industry experts from around the ing & heating systems, as well as prod- are DAB, Dafu, Greenpro, Grundfos, world to explore the future of clean ucts for floor heating, air-condition- Leading International and Hydroo, LEO, Minamoto, Pentax, energy heating. This summit is part of ing, fresh air, air purification, water Chinese Brands Morgan, Topsflo, WDM, Xiling and the China International HVAC Con- purification, intelligent households, In the Overseas Area, the likes of Xylen. While in the Clean Energy Dis- gress (iHVAC), which will also feature renewable energy and more. Ametek, Bode, Boilermag, Bowers trict Heating Area in hall W3, Jinghai, six forums: Eclipse, Caleffi, Cewal, Cofi, Condevo, Lcarbo, Ripeness, Tiger-control, Plou- • Technical Forum of Electric Heat- Highlights at a Glance Cordivari, Giulinai, Groppalli, Heat- meter and Tianshi Future feature. ing Development in Northern China • New Floor Cooling & Heating Sys- miser, Kane, KMC, Madas, Nordgas, Some of the leading domestic and • Solar Heating Forum tem Display Area in hall E4 which will Pedorollo, Polidoro, Pres Block, Ser- international brands also participat- • Fresh Air Systems include a live demonstration room meta, Shinwoo Valve, Solin, Spiro- ing include A.O Smith, AIC, Aiike, • Home Comfort Systems and HVAC • Debut Clean Energy District Heat- tech, Tubedeluca, Unidelta, Varem, Aikeduo, Airpower, Alarko, Anze, Aris- & BIM Technology Forum ing Area in hall W3 showcasing dis- Vexve, Wellhausen and Zero feature in ton, Avonflow, Bekaert, BLLC, Blue- • Innovative and Smart Heating trict heating and intelligent heating halls E1 and W2. German exhibitors pure, Centrotherm, Chant, Chong- Technologies Forum solutions participating in their country pavilion guang, Cordivari, Danfoss, Defu, • Air Source Heat Pump Heating • Water Pump Zone featuring re- in hall E2 include Aquatherm, Brugg, Devotion, Ebm-papst, Elco, Gassero, Technologies nowned worldwide water pump ex- Get Air, Halmburger, Hedda, in- Gree, Gude, Haier, Hailin, Hansa, In addition, events for floor cooling hibitors in hall W1 VENTer, Jurgen Schlosser, Karl Dungs, Haydn, Herush, Homebase, Honey- & heating systems and clean energy • Overseas Area in halls E1 and W2 Lamtec, Lunos, ORE, Smart Heat, S+S well, Hurge, Ideal, Industrial Com- heating will also take place. Details promoting global HVAC technologies and TECE. bustion, KD Navien, Kinghonor, Kitu- of all concurrent events can be found here: https://ishc-cihe.hk.messefrankfurt.com/beijing/en/programme-events. ICC-ES Lists PPE and PE Pipes for New Uses in ASTM F3371 html. ISH China & CIHE is organised by BREA, CA — The ICC Evaluation Ser- at the forefront of industry needs and Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd vice (ICC-ES) is now listing non-pres- support innovation by quickly offering and CIEC GL events (Beijing) Interna- sure polypropylene or polyethylene certifications to new standards such as tional Exhibition Co Ltd. It is headed pipes and fittings for use in drainage, ASTM F3371.” by the biennial ISH event in Frankfurt, waste and vent applications to the new The ICC-ES PMG Products Listing Germany, the world’s leading trade Standard Specification for Polyolefin Program provides manufacturers a way fair for HVAC + Water which will next Pipe and Fittings for Drainage, Waste, to indicate to code officials, designers take place from 22 – 26 March 2021. and Vent Applications (ASTM F3371). and specifiers that products comply For more information, please visit Prior to the availability of this new with applicable codes and consensus www.ish.messefrankfurt.com. standard, such manufacturers needed these manufacturers a clearer path to standards used in the built environ- A further ISH event in China, ISH to comply with the Standard Specifi- market allowing them to be more com- ment. Manufacturers with ICC-ES list- Shanghai & CIHE, will be held from cation for Polyolefin Pipe and Fittings petitive with alternative materials and ings can go to jurisdictions through- 3 – 5 September 2019 at the Shanghai for Corrosive Waste Drainage Systems methods,” said Dawn La Fleur-Qual- out the U.S. and have confidence their New International Expo Centre. For (ASTM F1412). ley, ICC-ES PMG Program Director. products will be readily approved by more information about ISH China “Being able to be listed to this new “ICC-ES, the trusted source for plumb- code officials. & CIHE and ISH Shanghai & CIHE, standard specifically devoted to draining, mechanical and fuel gas product For more information visit the web please visit www.ishc-cihe.hk.messe- age, waste and vent applications gives evaluations and listings, strives to stay site of the ICC Evaluation Service. frankfurt.com.

➤ www.contractormag.com MAY 2019 • 47 Industry News

New Housing Market – Hard to Believe?

➤ Continued from page 18 lower in 2019 than they were for the same • generational preferences; and period in 2018; and, in the same type of • life-style effects. year-over-year comparison, permits are Housing vacancies and household down 5.4 percent. Though sales of new formations, in particular, deserve a little homes have recently ticked up, the trend more attention. over the past 15 months has shown no Housing vacancies: The pre-reces- growth in new home sales. Further, opti- sion overbuilding of housing that re- mism on the part of new-home builders sulted in homes never being occupied, has recently declined (albeit from high coupled with the foreclosure crisis that levels). Together, these factors indicate developed during the recession and lasted that growth in new-home construction well into the recovery, together created a may be taking a temporary “pause” (See very large surplus of vacant homes. Those Charts #5-#8). vacancies helped provide a supply of Again, hard to believe. homes needed to fill demand during the period of relatively depressed new-home What’s Housing Hold-up? Chart #2 - Rise of the housing deficit. building during the post-recession era. What is going on? Demand should As such, we have temporarily been able be high but, for nearly 10 years now, we to overcome — partially — the low level have not been building a “sustainable” of new-home building through the oc- number of new homes needed to meet cupation of previously vacant dwellings. that demand. Things don’t seem to add Housing vacancies are now almost two up. Some contributing factors to this ap- million units lower than during the reces- parent dichotomy that various market sionary peak, according to estimates from observers have put forth are: the U.S. Census Bureau (See Chart # 3). • Affordability: The number of me- Household formations: During the dian income families who can afford to recession and the early stages of the re- buy a house is at a ten-year low, accord- covery, household formations were low. ing to the National Association of Home It’s not that people were not reaching the Builders (NAHB). Only 57 percent of me- stage of life when home-ownership or dian income families can now truly af- rental typically takes place, not striking ford to purchase a home. Furthermore, out on their own, or not getting married. in many parts of the country, the price of Instead, Americans were not actually new homes is higher than in the pre-re- forming new households. Rather than Chart #3 - Change in vacancies. cession era, thus affecting affordability for embarking on ownership or rental of a all ranges of family income. home, many people were “house-shar- • Shortage of skilled labor: Like ing”: adult children living with parents, many industries, home builders are hav- siblings with siblings, parents with chil- ing problems in finding the number of dren, families with families, roommates workers needed to build their homes. The with roommates, and other possible ar- number of workers in the construction rangements. Thus, during that period of field is NOT yet back to pre-recession lev- low household formation, the demand els, according to data from the U.S. Bu- for housing was unusually low. reau of Labor Standards (BLS). Over the past few years, household for- • Cost of building materials: mations have returned to more “normal” Though cost increases of building mate- level. However, data shows that house- rials have moderated, a recent survey by hold formations among younger adults the National Association of Home Build- is still lagging, and some of those alterna- ers indicates that the cost of building ma- tive living accommodations are still prev- terials is the second-greatest concern now alent for that age group (see Chart #4). faced by builders (with labor the first). Nonetheless, between a decrease in va- • Mortgage rates concerns: Rates cant housing and an increase in house- Chart #4 - Household formations. have recently moderated, but they are up hold formations, one would think that from levels of two and three years ago and demand for new housing would be ro- struction! new-home construction and new-home are a limiting factor for some prospective bust, and housing starts would, at mini- But, it appears that we are not — at sales. For example, through the month home owners. Although mortgage rates mum, be back at normal. We should be least yet. In fact, some data shows that we of March, housing starts, on a year-to- remain low from a historical perspective, on the cusp of a boom in new-home con- are actually in the midst of a slowdown in date cumulative basis are about 9 percent any possible interest-rate increases could

48 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com Industry News

Chart #5. Chart #8.

is affecting the cash flow of many poten- homes. Further, most of the above con- tial home buyers. siderations are somewhere in a “state of • Not enough “starter” homes: In repair” that, as the mending process takes many parts of the country, there is an in- effect, will increasingly diminish their sufficient supply of starter homes for first- possible negative effect on the market. time buyers; thus, making it difficult for Okay, so it’s still an open question: those prospective buyers to find a house When will new housing starts be back to that fits their needs and their budgets. “normal”? • Lack of developed land: In some The 1.2499 million starts that we had area of the country, shovel-ready tracts in 2018 was simply NOT normal when of land or vacant lots are not readily viewed in the larger context of lon- available. Hence, builders and developers ger-term need for new housing; i.e., that must first acquire and prepare land and sustainable level of 1.5 million starts put in place the necessary infrastructure annually. When you sort out all of the before construction of homes can begin. “ifs, maybes, and buts” outlined above, • The rise of urbanization: The it appears that new-home building may, ongoing trend to urbanize, rather than indeed, be in a temporary pause, but NOT Chart #6. “suburbanize,” means that many exist- a severe or ongoing decline. We are not ing urban, nonresidential structures are about to burst a bubble again! being converted into housing. Also, con- Yes, there is a chance that starts in 2019 version of existing, single-family homes might actually be no greater than 2018, into duplexes (or more) is occurring. Such which, if so, would mark the first time in conversions supplement new-home con- the post-recession period that starts will struction and, in a sense, negate the need not have a year-over-year increase. How- for new-home building. ever, normal market forces dictate that we • Manufactured homes are tak- must eventually build more new homes ing up some of the slack in new — and, we hope, sooner than later. site-build home building: About Thus, it is highly likely that in three 96,500 manufactured homes were built of the next four years, we will — barring in 2018, a 60% increase since 2013, ac- a possible recession — re-attain the sus- cording to the Manufactured Housing In- tainable 1.5 million annual start level, stitute (MHI). Thus, manufactured homes and then even surpass that amount in were built at a level equal to about 10.5 subsequent years. percent of new stick-build single-family Hard to believe? No, it’s actually quite homes. (Manufactured homes are not ac- believable. Chart #7. counted for in new-home-start statistics, but are additive to the total available new Dale Stroud is a business advisor to Uponor, put them in a range that an entire gen- college educations; thus, limiting their housing.). Inc., a consulting role that he has held since eration of home buyers never previously ability to acquire a down payment for Fortunately, none of the above consid- recently retiring from Uponor after a 16+ experienced. a new-home purchase. According to erations, by itself, is an impediment to a year career. While full-time at Uponor, he • Student debt: Many younger, pro- Forbes, the cumulative student loan debt more robust housing market. Even when held various senior management roles in the spective home buyers are saddled with for 44 million borrowers now totals $1.5 taken collectively, they do not negate marketing and offering functions. He can be high levels of debt from financing their trillion. In addition, debt due to car loans the underlying need to build more new reached at [email protected].

➤ www.contractormag.com MAY 2019 • 49 Industry News

ICC Kicks Off Building Safety Month 2019

WASHINGTON, DC — Starting May leaders plan in advance for is much less damage and fewer 1, the International Code Council, to- events like hurricanes, floods, lives lost. With more public gether with corporations, government tornadoes, wildfires and earth- understanding and support for agencies, professional associations and quakes saves lives and miti- good codes, compliant design nonprofits, celebrates the 39th annual gates costly damages. and code enforcement, we can Building Safety Month. The inter- One of the most effective do even better.” national campaign raises awareness ways to prepare for disasters is Other strategies for increas- about building safety and the impor- adopting the most up-to-date ing the resilience of struc- tance of building codes in making our building codes, which are cru- tures include using durable communities safer and more resilient. cial for ensuring the resilience materials designed to with- This year, the Code Council will be ex- of our structures. Not only does stand extreme weather. Tara ploring the roles building codes play in building to code keep people safer, it is natural disaster. Mattina, Director of the Marketing our day-to-day lives, including disaster also a smart investment: a recent report “Building failures due to improper Communications Division of APA – mitigation, access to safe water, job from the National Institute for Building construction often end tragically, such The Engineered Wood Association, a opportunities in the building industry, Sciences found that municipalities that as lost lives and economic distress, es- Building Safety Month sponsor, com- and innovations in building safety. have adopted the 2018 International pecially when natural disasters like hur- mented, “We share the Code Council’s To kick off this year’s Building Safety Codes can expect to save $11 for every ricanes and earthquakes strike,” said commitment to building safety, and Month, the focus for week one is “Pre- $1 invested in bringing buildings and Jeff Ellis, Engineering Manager, Codes the APA works to educate code offi- paring for Disasters: Build Strong, physical structures up to code. In ad- & Compliance, Simpson Strong-Tie, a cials and designers on the integrity of Build Smart.” Natural disasters are dition, home and business owners can Building Safety Month sponsor. “But structural engineered wood products increasing in severity and frequency. take a number of common-sense steps to in places where more robust and mod- in creating durable, sustainable, resil- Helping individuals and community protect their properties in advance of a ern codes are properly followed, there ient communities.” The American Institute of Architects (AIA) also supports Building Safety Month and is highlighting the impor- Shapiro & Duncan Prefab Facility tance of resilient structures: “Today ➤ Continued from page 6 the built environment is subject to a tion—approximately 105%—and will number of shocks and stresses from help draw quarterly checks through climate change, environmental degra- SREC’s purchased on the utility market dation, age and other forces,” said AIA and monthly credits directly from the EVP/Chief Executive Officer Robert electric utility. Ivy, FAIA. “Designing safe and resilient In the current form, these panels feed buildings is more important than ever into a Solar Edge power inversion and before. The American Institute of Ar- monitoring system, which is directly chitects and its members are commit- connected to the grid at a new dual ted to ensuring the health, safety and direction electrical meter. The system welfare of people inhabiting buildings has a 25-year lifetime guaranty and around the world.” the initial capital investment will be ISO, a leading provider of informa- recouped in less than six years. “Tak- tion about risk to the property and ing this step made sense as a company casualty insurance industry, is also a capital investment with a tremendous sponsor of week one of Building Safety return, as well as doing the right thing Month. “The theme ‘Build Strong, for the planet by switching from coal Build Smart’ has a direct relationship to power to sun power. As a company, The 925 SunPower solar modules on a Panel Claw support system complete a 302 kW our efforts to provide insurers with in- we are looking to push the envelope, production capacity. formed decisions about risk,” said Dale to serve the community and leave the K. Thomure, ISO’s Manager of Com- world a better place. With a payback of ing planted,” said Drury. can also monitor our electrical produc- munity Hazard Mitigation. “Building approximately six years, this was a very Moreover, in the center hallway of tion as well,” said Drury. code enforcement is the first line of smart investment by the company as a the shop, a wall of big screen moni- The prefabrication facility is a shin- defense against damage from disasters, whole,” said Drury. tors shows in detail the assembly pro- ing example of the company’s com- and we are committed to working to- The system went live on December duction by task and individual track- mitment in future investments. “As gether for safer communities. 28, 2018 and is already making a posing progress and effectiveness. “Now we move forward, we will continue Learn more about Building Safety itive impact on the environment. “To we have a monitor showing the solar to invest in our people, our processes Month and how to get involved at date, our change in energy source has PV production, as well, and now the and our plant to ensure that we are al- www.buildingsafetymonth.org, and join saved 115,000 lbs. of CO2 emissions whole team not only gets to see where ways ready to take the next step,” said the conversation on social media using and is the equivalent of 3,000 trees be- we are in producing our assemblies, we Drury. #BuildingSafety365.

50 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com Green Products green choice

▼ THE ECO PLUS WC CARRIERS THE SM REV C GEOTHER- are available for use with Viega Visign MAL HEAT PUMP features fush plates, with a new control microprocessor, either manual or which can communicate with touchless trigger. The the new Bosch EasyStart app. reduced-fush (1.2 The Energy Star-rated model / 0.7 GPF), in-wall now comes with eight thermis- carriers are designed tors strategically placed within for greater water con- its cabinet to relay temperature servation and come readouts such as entering water, in 2'x4' and 2'x6' leaving water, return air, dis- sizes. They feature steel powder-coated charge air, discharge refriger- frame construction and can be mounted ation, freeze evaporate, freeze in wood or metal studs, directly onto the coaxial, and domestic water. wall or with mounting rails. The local wireless interface Viega module allows for remote install WWW.VIEGA.US/EVOLVE and monitoring within a 20-ft. unobstructed radius. With sound ▼ THE ELITE EL15XP1 SIN- levels as low as 52 dB, it offers GLE-STAGE HEAT PUMP is a high-ef- quiet operation while improving indoor air quality and comfort. ▲ THE BETELLO TWO-PIECE TOI- fciency, single-stage heat pump offering Bosch Thermotechnology LET is equipped with Revolution 360 up to 16 SEER and an HSPF rating of WWW.BOSCHHEATINGANDCOOLING.COM fushing technology powered by Aqua- 9.00. The Quantum Coil uses proprietary Piston, which cleans two times better aluminum alloy tube and fns for corro- than a conventional fush. An easy-to- sion resistance. clean, skirted trapway installs to the Lennox Industries ▼ SERIES 212 TWO-WAY COM- foor fange and attaches to the toilet. It WWW.LENNOX.COM POSITE VALVE is designed for water is certifed by the EPA’s WaterSense pro- purifcation, conditioning and distribu- gram. tion in commercial/industrial markets Kohler Co. with membrane-based reverse osmosis WWW.KOHLER.COM systems. It features a modular design. Asco Valve WWW.ASCOVALVE.COM

▲ THE UPDATED ATRIO BATH FAU- CET COLLECTION features minimalist geometry. The lavatory faucets feature a water-effcient fow rate of 1.2 GPM, are EPA WaterSense-certifed and compliant with CEC regulations in California. Grohe America ▼ THE POWERFLO VS 300 POOL WWW.GROHE.US PUMP is an above-ground, vari- ▼ THE QUICKTOP ZONE VALVE is able-speed pool pump designed for max- a replacement for normally-closed, syn- imum energy effciency and quiet opera- chronous motor zone valves. Ideal for tion. Listed under Energy Star 2.0 specs, closed-loop hydronic heating and cool- it provides up to 80 percent of energy ing systems, fan coil units and baseboard savings over single-speed pumps, paying systems, it features an easily removable for itself within two seasons of usage. actuator. The zone valve comes in ½", ▲ THE ME BY STARCK ONE-PIECE Hayward Industries ¾" and 1" sizes. TOILET is modifed to be ADA-compli- WWW.HAYWARD-POOL.COM Taco Comfort Solutions ant. Rimless fush technology ensures a WWW.TACOCOMFORT.COM powerful fow of water that rinses the ▲ ENERGY-EFFICIENT HAND entire inner surface. The weight of the DRYERS include an updated XLERA- toilet is reduced, resulting in self-con- TOR, the XLERATOReco and the Op- tained components that do not require tima Air. Each product is available in a attachment niches. It will be available variety of fnishes. in a toilet seat height of 17-3/8". Sloan Valve Co. Duravit USA WWW.SLOAN.COM WWW.DURAVIT.US

➤ www.contractormag.com MAY 2019 • 51 Products editors’ choice ▼ PROLINE STAINLESS-STEEL THE 5R-10 FORCE LINEAR SHOWER DRAIN features a MULTIPLIER SEC- fully sloped, 1" deep and 1" wide trough TIONAL CABLE of- where water exits through either a verti- fers a shorter, 5' cable cal or a side waste outlet, making it easy length, which reduces the to accommodate existing plumbing. risks of spraying walls, QuickDrain USA foors, carpets and cab- WWW.QUICKDRAINUSA.COM inets from exposed wet, spinning 15' cables. And General’s short sectional design fts perfectly on 6' drop cloths without hanging over. R-con- nectors also ft other brands of machines, cables, and attach- ments. The open-wound hollow cables snap ▼ THE SELF-RETRACTING LIFE- together in a second and can be disconnected quickly and easily with a LINES meet OSHA standards, exceed coupling key, further facilitating use in cramped quarters and on roofs. ANSI standards and will be CSA-cer- General Pipe Cleaners ▲ THE CO260 DATALOGGING IAQ tifed, include the GR11, GR6 and GR6 WWW.DRAINBRAIN.COM METER measures carbon monoxide, Tie-Back, all under the company’s Guard- carbon dioxide dew point, wet bulb, air ian Fall Protection brand. They feature temperature and relative humidity. The HPME webbing, which is lightweight meter offers an eight-hour time weighted and highly resistant to cuts and abrasion. ▼ THE MODEL 122 DUPLEX CON- average snapshot of CO2 readings. The Pure Safety Group TROL PANEL includes a pump selector auto power off can be disabled while da- WWW.PURESAFETYGROUP.COM switch, three-second lag pump delay to talogging up to 32,000 readings (in addi- prevent simultaneous pump activation, tion to 99 manually saved readings). alarm, built-in pump and foat diagnos- Extech tics, and easy feld programmability. WWW.EXTECH.COM/CO260 SJE Rhombus WWW.SJEINC.COM ▲ INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATIC BACK- WASH FILTERS are custom-manufactured to meet ASME-certifed, sea water, high-temperature and high-pressure industrial applications. The flters are complete with stainless-steel screens. ▼ THE GLI18V-1200CN 18V LED Tekleen Automatic Filters AREA LIGHT offers users full control WWW.TEKLEEN.COM over the cordless smart light using a mobile device. Pros can turn the light on and off remotely via Bluetooth, dim the light ▼ THE SK-15 DISPOSABLE CON- to the desired brightness, put it on a tim- CEALED-BLADE SAFETY KNIFE er and even check the battery — all from protects workers with an enclosed cut- the free Bosch Toolbox App. ting solution that doesn’t require blade Bosch Power Tools changing. When the blade gets dull, they WWW.BOSCHTOOLS.COM simply throw the knife away and replace ▲ 225 SERIES DUCTILE IRON-RE- it with a fresh one. Designed for ware- SISTANT VALVES are valves manu- house environments, the knife features factured to the latest AWWA C515-15 ▲ THE EVERLOC+ COMPRES- an ultra-sharp stainless-steel blade. standard and are UL-listed and FM-ap- SION-SLEEVE FITTING SYSTEM Olfa Corp. proved. Its NSF-61/NSF-372 certifca- now includes 26 fttings engineered for WWW.OLFA.COM tions as verifed by UL Water Quality. safe, long-term plumbing and hydron- The series comes in 3" to 12" and 3" to ic piping connections in residential, 24" models and sizes. Their fanges and multi-family and commercial projects. MJ bells are full thickness. Rehau Matco-Norca WWW.EVERLOCPLUS.COM WWW.MATCO-NORCA.COM

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➤ www.contractormag.com MAY 2019 • 53 Editorial by Steve Spaulding CONTENT DIRECTOR Staying Successful Means Taking Risks ’m a big James Bond fan. (Yes, I know, a highly specialized war. When Moore part of the reason for taking such a huge Which brings us to our Giants (which James Bond is neither a plumber nor makes a joke it sounds witty; when Con- risk: because they could. The James starts on pg. 20). Not one of the 100 Ia pipefitter. Just bear with me here nery makes a joke it sounds savage. Bond movies had already become one companies on our Book of Giants list got for a few paragraphs.) So why? Why deliberately change a of the most successful film franchises there by resting on their laurels. Time and Much like government, each gener- again, each of them over the course of its ation gets the James Bond it deserves, company history has gambled on new and for mine that James Bond was Roger Not one of the companies on technology (such as BIM), ventured into Moore, usually on late-night network TV. new types of work (such as service), in- He was suave, urbane, unflappable and our Book of Giants list got there vested money in new facilities (like prefab somehow constantly bemused by every- by resting on their laurels. shops), on new types of employees (like thing, be it a stunning blond, a death ray, software engineers). or a giant man with metal teeth. And yes, part of it was because they It wasn’t until I was older I saw the very successful formula that was making the world had ever seen. They were the could. Large, profitable companies have Sean Connery Bond, and it wasn’t until a lot of people lots of money? Why take prototype for the “event film,” the big the freedom to take those kinds of risks. much later it dawned on me what a huge such a huge risk? summer blockbusters that still domi- But just as much it was because they had risk the caretakers of the Bond film fran- Part of the reason was they had to. nate movie screens today. to. To quote Len Monfredo, Executive VP chise were taking in casting Roger Moore. Connery was fed-up playing the char- The producers knew that they could for our Contractor of the Year E. M. Dug- All the superficials may have been the acter. The first shot at a replacement afford to take the risk; that even with a gan, “If you’re not innovating, if you’re same—the tuxedos, the cars, the girls— (George Lazenby in On Her Majesty’s Se- new actor, even with big changes to the not changing, if you’re not keeping up but the character is a 180-degree turn. cret Service) tried to follow the formula— character, the next James Bond movie with the times to the point where you’re Connery is not suave. He’s charming, the look, the attitude—and ended up would still make them money. They actually setting the trends, you’re dying. but more often than not menacing and suffering by comparison. It seemed that were big enough, successful enough, You are a company that’s in demise.” sometimes downright brutal. He comes Connery was just too closely associated that they could afford to fail, and if need Innovation is always difficult, but no across not as a playboy, and certainly with the character. be try and fail again and again until matter what the size of your business— not as a dandy (which Moore could The solution? Radically change the they found a new formula that would and no matter what business you’re in—

sometimes be) but as a soldier fighting character. Which brings us to the other bring them new success. it’s necessary. ADVERTISER INDEX/READER SERVICE CENTER ✄ Cut here to fax back

Advertiser Page ...... Circle Advertiser Page ...... Circle

Bluebeam Software 5 ...... 202 Verizon Connect 37 ...... 222 Channellock 35 ...... 221 Vesta HWS IBC ...... 223 Delta Faucet 33 ...... 219 Xylem Inc. 30 ...... 216 ECR International BC ...... 224 CONTACT THE ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE DIRECTLY SALES OFFICES Gastite 31 ...... 217 For free information about the products and services featured in this Mike Hellmann Geico 12 ...... 207 Director of Sales issue, inquire on-line at: 978/289-0098 General Pipe Cleaners IFC ...... 201 contractormag.hotims.com [email protected] Lochinvar Corporation 17 ...... 210 For mail service, circle the appropriate number(s) above, fill out the Key John Ehlen Mr. Pex Systems Inc. 13 ...... 208 form below and fax the lower half of this page to 416/620-9790. Accounts 763/550-2971 Navien, Inc. 11 ...... 206 [email protected] Raypak 27 ...... 214 Name: ______South & Randle Jeter Title: ______Rheem 7,23 ...... 203,212 West 512/263-7280 Company Name: ______Ridgid 9 ...... 205 Accounts [email protected] Company Address:______Sage Software 15 ...... 209 Midwest & Brett Ryden City, State, Zip: ______Shortridge Instruments Inc. 32,34 . . . . . 218,220 East 312/840-8461 Phone: ( ) ______Fax: ( )______Accounts [email protected] SupplyHouse.com 8 ...... 204 Email: ______Taco 25 ...... 213 Northeast & Brian Sack site URL:______East 732/629-1949 The Home Depot 19 ...... 211 Accounts [email protected] Uponor, Inc. 29 ...... 215 Account Mgr. & Eric Hughey CONTRACTOR (ISSN 0897-7135) Classifieds 913/967-7347 Canadian GST #R1264431964, Canadian Dist. Sales Agreement #40026880. Volume 64, Number 5 is published monthly by Informa Media Inc, 9800 Metcalf [email protected] Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212-2216. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, MO and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send address changes to CONTRACTOR, PO Box 2100, Skokie, IL 60076-7800 or e-mail to [email protected]. CONTRACTOR copyright 2007 by Informa Media Inc. Rates for non- List Rental Justin Lyman qualified subscriptions: USA, $75 1 year, $120 2 year $10 single copy; Canada, $110 1 year, $170 2 year, $15 single copy (add 7% GST or 15% HST if applicable); 913/967-1377 International, $120 1 year, $190 2 year, $20 single copy. CONTRACTOR is a trademark of Informa Media Inc., used under license. [email protected] Printed in the USA

54 • MAY 2019 ➤ www.contractormag.com For information circle 223 THE UNIVERSAL CONTROL YOUR INSTALLERS WILL LOVE

Introducing the ¨ Universal Zone Control

...the only control you need to make combi installation simple.

• Programmable with Digital Display • Three separate programmable XX end switches to interface system zones with boilers that allow multiple temperature inputs. The Universal Solution • Dedicated 115 V ac terminal to power boiler loop pump in a for Controlling Your primary secondary piping system. Hydronic System. • Thermostat friendly - control can power Digital and Wi-Fi type thermostats. • Service friendly - Control displays zone status, has an installer test feature and self diagnostics with text error messages

One Control for • 3, 4 or 6; zone control expandable up to 15 zones Zone Valves, Zone Pumps, • Control pumps and zone valves within the same system or BOTH! • Programmable priority (ON/OFF) for either pumps or zone valves • Connects to all types of 24 volt zone valves (2, 3 or 4 wire)

¨ Learn more at us.argoindustries.com/UZ

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