Contractor - February 2024

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FEBRUARY 2024

SERVING PLUMBING, HYDRONIC & MECHANICAL SYSTEMS PROFESSIONALS PLUMBING | PIPING | HYDRONICS | RADIANT | BATH/KITCHEN | TECHNOLOGY | TOOLS | TRUCKS | GREEN | MANAGEMENT

Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Inches Higher in December Survey Aids Energy-Saving Goals SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR

By THOMAS RENNER

Many communities across the United States embrace the idea of fighting climate change and advancing sustainability initiatives, but Riverside, California does more than talk a good game. So do many of its businesses.

Phenix Technology is an industry-recognized manufacturer of high-quality safety products used by firefighters and first responders all around the world. The company prides itself on its products, but also ➤ Turn to Hybrid, page 12

Phenix Technology installed a Hybrid Heat Pump in its 14,000 square foot office building.

WASHINGTON, DC — Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 8.6 months in December from 8.5 months in November, according to an ABC member survey conducted Dec. 20 to Jan. 4.

The reading is down 0.6 months from December 2022.

The South, which remains the region with the lengthiest backlog, posted the largest monthly increase ➤ Turn to ABC, page 14

Construction Job Openings Rate and Quits Rate:

Ferguson Announces Three Acquisitions

November 2012 to November 2023

7.0%

WOKINGHAM, ENGLAND — Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG; LSE: FERG) has signed definitive purchase agreements to acquire Yorkwest Plumbing Supply Inc. and Grove Supply, Inc., and closed on the acquisition of Harway Appliances. These acquisitions have aggregate annualized revenues of approximately $220 million.

​Yorkwest Plumbing

Supply Inc.

Yorkwest is a leading distributor of plumbing, municipal, hydronics, institutional, HVAC and industrial products i n t h e g r e a t e r To r o n t o a r e a that has been in business since 1990. Each of Yorkwest’s four ➤ Turn to Ferguson, page 8

Percent Change

SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR

6.0%

Job openings rate Quits rate

5.0% 4.0% 3.0% 2.0% 1.0% 0.0% 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

--Helping HelpingContractors ContractorsRun RunAABetter BetterBusiness BusinessSince Since1954 1954-2402CO_C1, 6-9, 12-15_Page 1.indd 1

2023

Source: U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

IN THIS ISSUE

LABEL

2022

FEATURE

20 Rescuing

a closed-loop geothermal system.

18

24

30

Schwartz on Linhardt on Feldman on MANAGEMENT HYDRONICS TECHNOLOGY Best of KBIS Finalists Announced

PRODUCTS

40

Scorpion’s LSA Message Leads Integration

6 49 finalists will compete in 7 categories.

Acquires Electro Industries 38 Laars Move will expand company’s space heating portfolio.

1/31/2024 11:39:20 AM

CUT THE CORD AND KEEP ON WORKING

Gen-Eye X-POD Plus

®

NEW Gen-Pack™ Battery Adapter.

(Battery not included)

Now you can inspect drain lines far from a power source.

The Gen-Pack battery adapter allows up to 12 hours of remote operation with limited access to power. The Gen-Pack is also sold separately.

But wait, there’s more. You can now record onto a flash drive or send the recording to your customers with the built-in Wi-Fi transmitter. Also, you can track just how far the camera has traveled down the line with the on-screen distance counter.

For more information, visit www.drainbrain.com/XPodPlus, or call the Drain Brains® at 800-245-6200

© 2022 General Wire Spring

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Industry News

DOL Announces Final Rule Classifying Employees vs. Independent Contractors SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR

6 Best of KBIS 2024 Judges select best-in-class products in 7 categories.

16 Forum: Technology and the Skilled Workforce

WASHINGTON – The US Department of Labor today announced a final rule to help employers and workers better understand when a worker qualifies as an employee and when they may be considered an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The rule provides guidance on proper classification and seeks to combat employee misclassification, a serious problem that impacts workers’ rights to minimum wage ➤ Turn to Story, page 36

UpSmith’s Wyatt Smith on recruiting and rewarding employees.

20 Feature: Rescuing a Geothermal System Brian Nelson tackles an overheating problem.

38 Laars Acquires Electro Industries Electro manufactures electric boilers, air-to-water heat pumps.

40 Software Showcase 42 Editorial 70 Years of Plumbing Innovation

REHAU Celebrates its 75th Anniversary SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR

LEESBURG, VA — In December, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the company’s founding, REHAU began celebrating 75 years of enhancing lives. With world-class engineering expertise, adaptability and a strong value-based foundation, REHAU has grown from a family-owned company into today’s family of companies that will continue to invest in sustainable growth. ➤ Turn to Story, page 37

Columnists 18 Management by Al Schwartz Suppliers & Wholesalers - Allies or Adversaries?

24 Hydronics by Pat Linhardt Mis-Installed Boiler Has This Writer Wearing His Walkin’ Shoes

30 Technology by Patti Feldman Optimizing Service, Expediting Bookings, and Managing Rep

32 Marketing by Matt Michel How to Evaluate Field Service Management Software

Dr. Veit Wagner and Jobst Wagner.

34 Best Practices by Kyle Spencer A Digital-First Mindset will Alleviate Retirement Woes

Second Annual Tee Off for the Trades Golf Tournament to be Held March 10th

Editorial Offices

SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR

The second annual Tee Off for the Trades golf tournament will be held March 10, 2024 at the Coyote Hills Golf Course in Fullerton, CA. Coyote Hills is renowned as one of Southern California’s best golf courses. Designed by Cal Olson and PGA Tour Legend Payne Stewart, the 250-acre Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and ➤ Turn to Story, page 10

EDITORIAL STAFF Group Editorial Director-Buildings & Construction Mike Eby, meby@endeavorb2b.com Editor-In-Chief Steve Spaulding, sspaulding@endeavorb2b.com Editor-At-Large John Mesenbrink, jmesenbrink@endeavorb2b.com Contributing Writer Kelly Faloon COLUMNISTS Al Schwartz, Management Pat Linhardt, Hydronics & Radiant Patti Feldman, Technology Matt Michel, Marketing Art Director, Susan Lakin Print Ad Services Manager, Deanna O’Byrne Production Manager, Sam Schulenberg Classified Production Designer, Terry Gann Audience Development Manager, James Marinaccio

CONTRACTOR INFOCUS

Construction Employment Growth: December 2022 vs. December 2023

Construction Nonresidential* Nonresidential Building Nonresidential STC Heavy & Civil Engineering Residential** Residential Building Residential STC

Features & Departments

3.4% 2.7% 5.0% 1.2% 0.2% 1.6%

2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 12 Month % change *Includes nonresidential building, nonresidential STC, and heavy and civil engineering **Includes residential building and residential STC Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Endeavor Business Media, LLC CEO, Chris Ferrell President, June Griffin COO, Patrick Rains CRO, Reggie Lawrence Chief Digital Officer: Jacquie Niemiec Chief Administrative and Legal Officer, Tray Kane EVP Buildings, DI & Lighting: Lester Craft EVP Endeavor Business Intelligence: Paul Mattioli VP, Buildings & Construction, Mike Hellmann VP, Production Operations, Curt Pordes

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VOLUME 69, NUMBER 2 CONTRACTOR (USPS Permit 131-320, ISSN 0897-7135 print, ISSN 2771-6465 online) is published monthly by Endeavor Business Media, LLC. 201 N Main St 5th Floor, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538.

Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI, and additional mailing offices.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopies, recordings, or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the publisher.

Endeavor Business Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person or company for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident, or any other cause whatsoever. The views and opinions in the articles herein are not to be taken as official expressions of the publishers, unless so stated. The publishers do not warrant either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the articles herein, nor do they so warrant any views or opinions by the authors of said articles.

FEBRUARY 2024 • 3

1/30/2024 3:37:18 PM

Industry News In Brief Malco Tools has announced that Marc Kermisch, chief digital and information officer at CNH Industrial, has joined its board of directors.

Kermisch brings over 25 years of leadership expertise and experience to the role.

Business Development Resources (BDR) welcomed 400 business leaders at SPARK 2024, its training and networking event. The third annual SPARK event was held Jan. 9-12 in Savannah, GA, and gave contractors and other home service professionals opportunities to connect with industry leaders, enhance their skills, and discover new ways to energize their businesses.

Dallas-basd startup UpSmith has debuted Boost, a software platform for growing skilled trades companies.

Boost is UpSmith’s transparent, and seamless rewards program. With Boost, employers can now motivate their technicians to complete specific actions, attain high-demand certifications, measure progress against goals, and reward highperforming employees.

Mulcahy Company, the largest hydronics manufacturer’s representative in the Upper Midwest, has announced the opening of an additional service office and inventory storage facility in Grimes, Iowa.

Expanded operations in Iowa will further Mulcahy’s mission to deliver superior inventory, field service, and customer service.

Marcone, a leading North American distributor of HVAC, plumbing and pool and spa repair parts and equipment, announced the addition of Curtis Lenoard to its executive team. As Vice President of Supply Chain, Lenoard will be instrumental in shaping the future of Marcone, which has grown to more than $2 billion in sales with 200 locations and 2,000 employees since 2021.

Kemco Systems, a company specializing in wastewater and industrial water reuse system monitoring, has hired Keith Mundt as Regional Sales Manager. With more than 30 years of industry project management experience, Mundt has developed a comprehensive technical background in water delivery, wastewater treatment systems and coordinating with municipal water districts and public utilities.

4 • FEBRUARY 2024

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Heat pumps have been in the news a lot lately. Due to their high efficiency, legislators have been promoting their adoption in the push to decarbonize. The technology, however, has been around since 1856, and since 1954 has been featured regularly in CONTRACTOR.

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1/29/2024 10:54:41 AM

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Industry News

Best of KBIS 2024 Finalists Announced

L

AS VEGAS, NV — The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) has announced 49 finalists for Best of KBIS, its annual premier product awards program. Sponsored by Luxe Interiors + Design, the contest drew a record number of applications, making it the most competitive Best of KBIS Awards to date.

Finalists were hand-selected by five leading interior designers: Nar Bustamante, Founder/Principal Designer, Nar Design Group; Swati Goorha, Principal, Swati Goorha Designs; Arianne Bellizaire, Owner/ Principal Designer, Arianne Bellizaire Interiors; Lisa Peck, CEO/Principal Designer, LiLu Interiors; and Elizabeth Scruggs, General Contractor and Principal Designer, Superior Construction and Design.

This year, Best of KBIS debuted a new format, inviting submissions across seven different categories. These new categories were designed to reflect the evolving landscape of the kitchen and bath industry, as eco-conscious products continue to lead innovation, wellness considerations move to the forefront, and form and function remain pillars for the architecture and design community.

Below are the finalists, listed by brand. Awards are issued to individual products, and brands are eligible to receive more than one award in each category if multiple products were submitted.

Game-Changing Innovation • EMPAVA • Forza • FreePower • Novy • Qoldfusion • SMEG • Jennair®

Style Statement: Bathroom • BOCCHI • Brondell Inc. • Fantini USA, Inc. • House of Rohl (3) • Infinity Drain + Gensler • Tenzo Fine Plomberie

Sustainable Standout 6 • FEBRUARY 2024

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Designer-judges select best-in-class products in seven categories.

• GE Appliances • Kohler (2) • LG • RainStick Shower • RH Peterson Co. • Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Most Functional Find • Blum • HamatUSA • Link Cutting Boards • Rev-A-Shelf • Ruvati • Summit Appliance • Zip Water

Wellness Trailblazer • Bemis Manufacturing Company • Daltile • FOTILE (2) • GE Appliances • Kohler

Best in Show

Style Statement: Kitchen • Bertazzoni • Blum

• FreePower • GE Appliances • SMEG + Dolce & • Gabbana • Viking Range Corp • Zomodo

• Blum USA • Cubic Outdoor Living • FreePower • GE Appliances

• PlasmaMade • Sugatsune America • TOTO Chosen products will remain confidential until the first day of the show.

Once KBIS opens, the five judges will walk the showfloor to experience each finalist for an in-person judging. Then, on Wednesday, February 28 at 4:00 pm, the top three products in each category will be announced on the KBIS NEXTStage in South Hall | SL10040, with Gold and Silver awarded to each category plus a single Best in Show winner, solidifying the true best of the 2024 show. A Best of KBIS Happy Hour, hosted by Sarah Shelton, Market Editor, Luxe Interiors + Design, will take place immediately following the awards ceremony at 5:00 pm.

For more information about Best of KBIS, please visit kbis.com/show/ best-of-kbis.

➤ www.contractormag.com

1/25/2024 4:32:05 PM

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12/20/23 12:51 1/19/2024 10:44:08 AMPM

Industry News

Ferguson Announces Three Acquisitions ➤ Continued from page 1 locations includes a kitchen and bath showroom branded as Atlantis Bath Centre. Yorkwest’s business operations will be integrated into Ferguson’s subsidiary in Canada, Wolseley Canada.

Grove Supply, Inc.

Founded in 1948 and headquartered north of Philadelphia, PA, Grove Supply is a plumbing and HVAC distributor that serving a diverse clientelle in the residential trade, builder and remodel markets. Grove Supply has

17 locations across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and six of the locations include showrooms that operate as GSI Bath Showplace.

This acquisition expands Ferguson’s plumbing and HVAC presence in Metro Philadelphia and will allow

the company to better serve local dual-trade professionals.

Harway Appliances

Harway is a premier distributor of highend kitchen appliances for homeowners, custom home builders and designers in Austin, TX. This acquisition strengthens Ferguson’s showroom presence in one of the fastest-growing markets in the country and offers an opportunity for further expansion into the plumbing and lighting categories. It also grows Ferguson’s delivery and installation capabilities in Austin through Harway’s network of both in-house and third-party delivery and installation teams.

Continues to execute growth strategy through bolton geographic and capability acquisitions.

The acquisition of Harway Appliances closed on Jan. 8. The Yorkwest and Grove Supply acquisitions are expected to close in the next 90 days, subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory clearance of the Yorkwest acquisition.

“As we acquire new businesses, we place tremendous value on the expertise of the associates and the customer relationships they bring to the business,” said Ferguson CEO Kevin Murphy. “Our strategy remains twofold: prioritizing organic growth and consolidating fragmented markets through acquisitions that align with our culture and values.”

Ferguson has a track record of successful acquisitions and has completed more than 50 in the last five years. The large, fragmented markets in which Ferguson operates comprise 10,000+ small to medium ($10-300 million revenue) independent companies across Ferguson’s nine customer groups in North America.

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Industry News

Second Annual Tee Off for the Trades to be Held March 10th ➤ Continued from page 3 championship golf course has been recognized for excellence by Golf Digest, ESPN, Golf for Women, OC Weekly and more.

More than just a golf tournament, the event is the networking and

philanthropy event of the year for leaders in HVAC. It will give attendees the opportunity to connect with top executives, innovators, and peers from across the industry, with 100% of the proceeds being contributed to Women in HVACR and the EGIA

Foundation. Over the course of 18 holes, participants will enjoy: • Fun and challenging play • Rich industry networking • Food and drinks • Awesome prizes and giveaways • Breathtaking views of Los Angeles

The annual golf tournament will give attendees the opportunity to connect with top executives, innovators, and peers from across the industry.

Our Heating Season Forecast We can’t predict the weather. But we can help you prepare for it. Shop our full inventory of parts and stock up now before the season gets busy. After all, the only thing better than predicting the weather is not needing to.

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Plus, continue the networking possibilities at the post-tournament reception sponsored by Daikin, featuring free food, drinks, and the announcement of the tournament winners.

To u r n a m e n t s p o n s o r s i n c l u d e Daikin, Endeavor (CONTRACTOR/

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Contracting Business), Online Access, Contractor University, OPTIMUS Financing, Lemon Seed Marketing and Ferguson.

To learn more and register visit https://golf4trades.org.

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Women in HVACR improves the lives of its members by providing professional avenues to connect with other women in the HVACR industry. The organization offers networking opportunities, mentorships, education, and scholarships to help more women access rewarding careers in HVACR. For 2024, the association has put an emphasis on regional events to help expand its influence, build partnerships, and tap into the wealth of expertise the industry has to offer.

1/30/2024 10:32:59 AM

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1/12/24 9:42 1/23/2024 3:11:11 PMAM

Industry News

Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater Aids Energy-Saving Goals ➤ Continued from page 1 its lean manufacturing and its core values. “We believe that leaving world a better place than we found it is the ultimate goal and the core value that drives everything we do,’’ said Angel Sanchez, Phenix’s Chief Executive Officer.

No detail is too big or too small in the company’s environmental commitment and is one of the primary

conservation and efficiency; water conservation and quality; environmental health of citizens; and waste reduction and recycling.

“This didn’t happen by accident,’’ Riverside Mayor Ronald Loveridge said at the time. “Our Green Action Plan was not created to sit on a shelf for show. It’s a real-world guideline for our environmental future.”

The community’s focus aligns with Phenix, which offers weekly tours that showcase the company’s products but also its commitment sustainable business practices. The Hybrid Heat Pump is prominently displayed as visitors tour the business.

“We’re happy to talk about it as part of our business culture and how it is part of company’s overall objectives,’’ Sanchez said. “We have different aspects of continuous improvement and respect for people. A lot of the focus, especially in this area, is recognition that water is a precious resource and elimination of waste is important in how we conduct our business.”

integrated Wi-Fi and Comfort Link App that allows people to people to remotely monitor and control the water heater.

There is also a feature called I-Memory, which is a self-learning habit algorithm that will ensure the customer has hot water when they need it and save energy when they don’t.

“The ability to connect to Wi-Fi and monitor the system is a really nice

California manufacturer turns to heat pump technology to save energy, money, and help minimize carbon footprint. reasons the company selected an American Standard Water Heaters Hybrid Heat Pump for its 14,000 square foot office in Riverside. The 80-gallon heater is ENERGY STAR certified and uses up to 55 percent less energy than other units that meet the minimum federal standard.

feature for this project,’’ Provin said.

“And the automatic leak detection protects them in terms of property damage. We’ve never seen them in residential water heaters. It’s usually an after-market product that has to be added on. There are a lot of features that are very cool.”

Taking Advantage

Wave of the Future

Minimizing the company’s carbon footprint is one of the primary objectives for Sanchez, and he saw the Hybrid Heat Pump as a way to help save energy in the building.

“We didn’t have much of a problem with our existing system, but we thought this was a good opportunity for us to make a change that we felt would reduce our energy consumption,’’ Sanchez said. “It’s all part of our lean manufacturing process and contributing to our community’s goals.”

The Hybrid Heat Pump is available in 50-, 65- and 80-gallon capacities. The product includes a 10-year warranty, and a wide range of other benefits.

“We took out a 50-gallon tank and replaced it with an 80-gallon tank, so the recovery is a little bit slower,’’ said Josh Provin of General Installation. “While it is slower recovery, you gain efficiency.

There are some tradeoffs. But as long as you have the space to install a bigger unit, I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t go with the bigger unit. The efficiency is that much better.”

The units include built-in leak detection, five operating modes, and an

Phenix’s installation of the Hybrid Heat Pump is the start of a trend that is going to gain steam over the next few years.

In July, the Department of Energy proposed a new efficiency standard for home water heaters that requires 90 percent efficiency for tankless and 70 percent efficiency for tank gas-fired water heaters.

The proposal would take effect in 2029, and under the proposal the most commonly used electric water heaters would be required to use heat pump technology in place of electrical resistance. Gas-fired instantaneous water heaters would be required to use condensing technology.

Heat pump water heaters pull heat from surrounding air and transfers it at a higher temperature to heat water in a storage tank.

According to the Energy Department, the proposal would save consumers about $11.4 billion in energy and water costs annually. It would also reduce 501 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the rule’s 30-year lifetime.

12 • FEBRUARY 2024

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The 80-gallon water heaters is ENERGY STAR certified and uses up to 55 percent less energy than other units that meet the minimum federal standard.

“Today’s actions—together with our industry partners and stakeholders— improve outdated efficiency standards for common household appliances, which is essential to slashing utility bills for American families and cutting harmful carbon emissions,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said when the proposal was introduced.

Community Commitment Phenix is a proud member of the business community in Riverside, which was named the state’s first “Emerald City” in recognition for sustainable green initiatives and commitment to help the state achieve multiple state environmental policies.

Riverside’s commitment to sustainability started much earlier than most communities. It was designated an Emerald City in 2009 by the California Department of Conservation and was one of two cities in the pilot project that gauges sustainable land uses and development principles; energy

Growing Trend Installation of the American Standard Hybrid Heat Pump at Phenix is illustrative of a trend that figures to evolve rapidly over the next decade.

According to statistics from Precedence Research, the global heat pump market reached $86.4 billion in 2022.

The market size is expected to surge to $209.2 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.3 percent. North America is one of the regions expected to garner a large share of the increased revenue. Tax credits of up to $2,000 from the Inflation Reduction Act are also helping spur interest in heat pump technology.

“Heat pump water heaters are going to become more and more popular,’’ Provin said. “Especially in areas such as southern California, where you have temperatures in the 70-80 degree range, pulling heat out of the air to heat water makes a lot of sense. It’s a great product for the future.”

Thomas Renner writers on building, construction and other trade industry topics for publications throughout the United States.

➤ www.contractormag.com

1/30/2024 10:28:06 AM

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Industry News

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ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Inches Higher in December Survey

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California Plumber Wins $10,000 in Noritz’s “Retrofit Rewards” Promotion FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA — Tyler K. Pugh of All Coast Plumbing & Rooter (Tujunga, CA) is the winner of the $10,000 grand prize in Noritz America’s recently concluded Retrofit Rewards sweepstakes promotion. Pugh received the winning Scratch & Win Card after purchasing a Noritz NRCR Residential Condensing Tankless Water from wholesaler-distributor Hirsch Pipe & Supply at its branch operation in Santa Clarita, CA. Pugh owns All Coast Plumbing. Coming from a long line of plumbers, Tyler decided to obtain his license in 2017 before opening his own company in the same year.

Prior to becoming a licensed plumber, Pugh had over 20 years of experience working as a tankless water heating installer. While he recommends many Noritz products to his clients, his favorite model is the NRCR111, which coincidentally was the winning product.

“The NRCR is a favorite because of the size,” he

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CBI: Month of backlog

CCI Confidence reading

➤ Continued from page 1 appears to be on the rise, raising the probability of in December. Only the West, which historically re- a major conflagration that could further impact ports the lowest backlog of any region, experienced a supply chains and potentially cause steep increases in certain energy prices.” monthly decline.

Note: The reference months for the Construction BackABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales, profit margins and staffing levels increased log Indicator and Construction Confidence Index data in December. All three readings remain above the threshold ABC Construction Backlog Indicator & Construction Confidence Index, Dec. 2020 - Dec. 2023 of 50, indicating expectations 0 for growth over the next six CBI CCI sales CCI profit margins CCI staffing levels 100 9 90 months.

8 80 “Collectively, contractors 7 70 6 experienced an uptick in opti60 5 50 mism during the holiday sea4 40 son,” said ABC Chief Econo3 30 2 20 mist Anirban Basu. “Credit 1 10 conditions eased a bit during 0 the last days of 2023 as the Federal Reserve indicated that its next set of moves will be to ©Associated Builders and Contractors, Construction Backlog Indicator, Construction Confidence Index reduce borrowing costs. That may have rendered project financing a bit easier, series were revised on May 12, 2020 to better reflect the translating into both improved backlog and more survey period. CBI quantifies the previous month’s work optimism regarding sales, employment and profit under contract based on the latest financials available, while CCI measures contractors’ outlook for the next six margins for the for the first half of 2024.

“Still, there remains cause for concern,” said months. View the methodology for both indicators.

Visit abc.org/economics for the Construction BackBasu. “Recent data indicate that wage pressures persist, which makes it more likely that interest log Indicator and Construction Confidence Index, rates, and therefore project financing costs, will plus analysis of spending, employment, job openings remain higher for longer. Geopolitical instability and the Producer Price Index.

Tyler Rygh (far right) of All Coast Plumbing & Rooter accepts $10,000 grand prize in Noritz’s Retrofit Rewards promotion from Noritz SoCal Territory manager Dylan Stieler (far left). explains. “I do a lot of remodeling and addition work.

If I’m working on a project where the homeowner wants to add a bathroom, I know the Noritz models can handle the additional volume well,” Tyler says.

For more information on “Retrofit Rewards” as well as the full line of Noritz tankless water heating products, visit www.noritz.com.

➤ www.contractormag.com 2/14/23 12:43 PM

1/26/2024 3:59:42 PM

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Forum

Can Technology Address the Skilled Workforce Crisis?

By WYATT SMITH, SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR

I

n an ideal world, there would be a pool of experienced technicians to choose from. Unfortunately, as everyone in the industry knows, the pool has dwindled steadily for the past 40 years (since 1980)—and it continues to decline. Recently, Black and Decker created an index revealing that while 85% of young people think that skilled trades work is a good quality career option in general, less than half (49%) of youth have ever considered a skilled trades career. In fact, even if every existing skilled worker in America was employed today, 35% of job openings in the durable goods manufacturing sector would remain unfilled.

To combat these challenges, many companies create connections with transition programs, trade schools or vocational high schools, post on multiple job boards, and even offer referral programs. However, in doing this they are tapping the same channels that are seeing fewer people interested in the skilled trades. But what if you looked for aptitude rather than just experience?

Hidden Workers Thinking of sourcing more like advertising, technology can be used to source and attract talent from untapped candidate pools like immigrants, veterans, and gig economy workers, all referred to as “hidden workers” by researchers at Harvard Business School’s Managing the Future of Work Project. More than 27 million of these people exist, united by a common desire to “unstick” their lives by moving from warehouse, retail, or other “unskilled” jobs into more stable careers with upward mobility.

There are several types of screening technology, two of which have the potential to significantly help skilled services companies find the right candidates.

The first kind of screening technology is an online based skills assessment. In addition to looking at a candidate’s experience, which may or may not have direct experience in the

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Before technology can support you, there needs to be a fundamental shift in hiring practices for skilled workers. skilled trades, skills assessments can be used to identify a range of applicable knowledge and skills. For example, you can use these assessments to understand someone’s math, reasoning, and safety procedure knowledge, as well as their resilience, dependability and coachability. All before they interview with you.

The second kind of screening technology focuses on video resumes. Videos are much richer forms of communication, helping hiring teams find the right candidate based on culture. Interviews—phone screens, first, second and final interviews—require a large amount of time and attention from your team. By using recorded video before the interview process, your team can get a feeling for who someone is before deciding to interview them. Essentially, you streamline your interviewing process by “meeting someone before you meet them.”

Our approach at UpSmith is to develop systems that help companies

reward value-creating behaviors from their teams, helping them grow revenue, improve output, and lower costs.

Our technology products also help retain talent in a performance culture through improving morale by celebrating performance and providing coaching to drive accountability and achievement.

The Boost Approach Skilled workers—especially today’s skilled workers—want acknowledgement “in the moment,” so many of the mechanisms in our tool, Boost, are text-based. Text happens instantly. So does motivation.

And workers, no matter what work they do, want rewards that go beyond the paycheck. Boost, for example, helps employers recognize high performers by awarding them points redeemable for prizes. A points system can also help foster the kind of positive, healthy competition that helps drive teams to success.

So, celebrating the correct behaviors—like upselling a customer on a new piece of equipment, or simply getting a customer to write a positive review—then rewarding those behaviors in measurable, tangible ways. But the final piece of the puzzle is to be both fair and consistent when celebrating and rewarding.

Nothing will sour an employee faster than to see the work they do ignored when the same work from someone else is praised.

The Boost system (through the UpSmith team) handles prize fulfillment automatically so that managers can focus on business, not logistics.

That focus means tracking the data, making sure that as behaviors improve so does revenue. By integrating Boost with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, such as ServiceTitan, users can quickly and consistently measure employee performance and progress towards their goals. The result? Happier, more engaged employees and a culture of performance that drives retention and continuous improvement.

There are going to be business owners who look at this approach and see it as somehow “coddling” or “pampering” employees. Business owners who feel that a fair paycheck should be all the reward an employee needs. On the contrary, praise and reward are the basic tools for building and motivating a high-performing team, and used correctly, intelligently, can lead to better business outcomes.

Ask yourself, if you were starting out today in the skilled trades, what kind of company would you want to work for?

Wyatt Smith is the Founder & CEO of UpSmith, a technology venture on a mission to solve America’s skilled labor crisis. Visit UpSmith.com/contact-us to schedule a demo of Boost and learn how our technology can help you recruit, reward, and retain skilled workers—all while boosting your bottom line.

➤ www.contractormag.com

1/30/2024 2:19:04 PM

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6/20/23 11:56 1/25/2024 4:56:57 PMAM

Industry News

by Al Schwartz PLUMBING CONTRACTOR

Suppliers & Wholesalers Allies or Adversaries?

F

or many reasons, my opinions and anecdotes hail from a lifetime (65 years spinning wrenches in the trenches) of experience on the “buyer” side of the counter. Since this is the 70th year of CONTRACTOR Magazine’s existence, our “lifetimes” overlap more than a little. So, when I relate anecdotes or tales from the field, they come from actual experiences, not a story retold around the water cooler.

Right or wrong doesn’t factor into my stories, just the factual accounting as I recall it. Of course, my interpretation of “right and wrong” is subjective... it has to be. Admittedly, I could be fuzzy on some of my recollections, but I strive to present things related in as true a form as possible. So let me apologize in advance for any errors I might make in relating an anecdote.

Symbiosis (symbiotic): (2) a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship between two people or groups.

How do you think of your wholesaler or supply house? Is it a place where you pick up a few parts, and grab a doughnut or a soft drink and shoot the breeze with your fellow craftsman? Is it where you get quotes on fixtures and trim when bidding a job? Is it the place you “love to hate” when prices go up and you need that material right now? Or is it all of the above and more?

The Changing Landscape Both you and your supplier/wholesale house are in business to make a profit by selling something. In your case it is the labor, material and expertise to install and/or maintain plumbing or mechanical systems. In your supplier’s case it is the material, tools and equipment needed for those systems.

You are the client your supplier is trying to woo, just as you pursue work from general contractors or the public.

Toward that end, the supplier/wholesaler usually assigns a sales representative to your account. The rep’s job is to get you to buy your materials from his company. He does this by keeping open lines of communication and by trying to give you competitive pricing on your

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If you look at your suppliers as adversaries or have the opinion that they are all trying to take advantage of you, you are missing the big picture. material needs. If he is a good salesman, he’ll try to keep you informed as to upcoming projects, changes in the industry, whether something is a new product, or possibly changes in local code... and maybe a few unfounded rumors along the way.

Ally or Adversary?

If you look at your suppliers as adversaries or have the opinion that they are all trying to take advantage of you, you are missing the big picture. Everyone is trying to stay in business and make a profit, especially in today’s climate.

No one is going to stay in business very long in these economic times by gouging his customers; whether it’s you or your suppliers or sub-subcontractors.

When preparing estimates for projects, or establishing product pricing to retail, it is common practice to get multiple bids from different suppliers and then selecting the lowest bids. While this method is common it is sometimes not the most effective way to get the best deals.

In the first place, many suppliers use loss leaders to give ultra-low pricing on some common products, while raising the pricing on peripheral materials to cover the shortfall.

In the second place, if you are constantly looking for the lowest price on any given item(s), your suppliers will take note of your loyalty quotient (or lack thereof) and price you accordingly.

If all you are using your supply house for is low pricing, you are missing the boat by a mile.

Be a Team Wholesalers have a great depth if industry knowledge, not only on materials but on technical data and upcoming trends or changes that could give you the edge you need to be successful on a project or two. With the “best pricing” on your materials, you are more apt to get that tight bid than if your supplier simply gives you pricing “off the street.” If the suppler trusts your integrity, you are more likely to get that “best pricing.”

If you’ve been in the contracting business for a few years, you know how galling it can be for a general contractor to always go with the low bid, even if that low bidder can’t do the job for the price quoted and stay in business.

How do you feel when a general with whom you have had successful projects comes to you and negotiates a job with your company? You feel pretty good

I’ll bet. Your suppliers feel the same way.

Aren’t you apt to do a few “extras” for the general that negotiates a project with you because he wants you on his job, as opposed to the low bidder? Don’t you look more favorably on that general contractor? Put yourself on your wholesaler’s shoes. Working with your supplier on a project as a valued partner brings large dividends to both of you.

Instead of playing one supply house off another to save a few pennies on a copper 90°, try a different approach. If you do a detailed takeoff for a project (which you absolutely should), how about presenting that takeoff to your supply house sales rep and ask him to price it for you, line by line. In exchange for his efforts, and as an incentive to get the best pricing, give that supplier the material sales for the entire project if you win the bid based upon his pricing of your takeoff. By making that offer you are telling that rep, and by extension that supply house, that you value them as a team member and that their efforts will be rewarded should you be the successful bidder.

This method only works if both parties are honest and above board. If the sales rep peddles your takeoff to one or more of your competitors it will obviously be the last time you’d be likely to trust that person. Likewise, if you shop the rep’s numbers to other suppliers in order to force a lower price, you aren’t being too honest either. It all comes down to integrity and taking a calculated risk for a greater reward. Heck, you’re in the contracting business, aren’t you? What greater risk is there today?

The Brooklyn, NY-born author is a retired third generation master plumber.

He founded Sunflower Plumbing & Heating in Shirley, N.Y., in 1975 and A Professional Commercial Plumbing Inc. in Phoenix in 1980. He holds residential, commercial, industrial and solar plumbing licenses and is certified in welding, clean rooms, polypropylene gas fusion and medical gas piping. He can be reached at omeletman01@gmail.com.

➤ www.contractormag.com

1/17/2024 9:50:50 AM

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12/27/22 10:21 1/12/2024 1:40:21 PMAM

Rescuing a Closed-Loop Geothermal System When a geothermal system has problems with overheating, Nelson Mechanical Design installs the solution.

By Brian Nelson, co-owner of Nelson Mechanical

Parts and Equipment • Fluid cooler — Heatcraft • Companion flanges and black iron fittings — Anvil • Balancing valves — Victaulic • Circulators — Grundfos • Press fittings — Viega • Circulator access valves — Webstone • Fluid cooler controls — Honeywell

Brian Nelson with 25-ton fluid cooler.

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M

Rescuing a Closed-Loop Geothermal System

ARTHA’S VINEYARD, MA — This geothermal rescue was for a closed loop geothermal system that was seriously overheating during the cooling season. This system had ten vertical loops that served 11 heat pumps in three houses. Loop temps climbed and climbed during the summer until

the heat pumps tripped on high pressure faults—the loop had hit 110° F. Our task was to increase the cooling capacity and restore cooling to the three houses connected to this system.

As an experiment, we flushed out the hot geo water with cold well water at 50° F and we were able to get another week of operation before loop temps hit 110° F again.

Clearly, the ground temps were very high and could not absorb any more heat from the geothermal system.

Changing Times A geothermal system’s long-term success is dependent on a balance between heat extraction and heat rejection. The three houses used boilers to heat their radiant floors in the winter, so heat was never extracted from the geothermal field during the winter. This increased the possibility of heat saturation of the geothermal field over the years of operation.

Additionally, the original geothermal system was designed for a cooling setpoint of 76° F. This meant that the size of the geothermal field was fairly modest. This was not unusual on the Vineyard for that era when there was an expectation that homeowners would appreciate the ocean breeze for cooling.

However, the younger generation that now used the houses wanted much lower cooling setpoints… we regularly saw occupants setting thermostat setpoints between Bobcat used to rotate legless fluid cooler.

65° F and 72° F. Cooling the houses to 72° F or 70° F was a struggle for both the outside geothermal field and the aging R22 geothermal heat pumps.

During the previous summer, we had seen the heat pumps go off on high pressure faults because the geothermal water temperature was too high at 105° F. Clearly, average ground temps were rising, and we were going in the wrong direction.

environment, we specified solid copper fins (might as well have been solid gold—this added another $20,000 to the cost of the unit).

Installation Our next task was to integrate this fluid cooler with the existing geothermal system. We were able to locate the unit behind the Carriage House (regular folks call that a garage). We were able to connect the fluid cooler via closely spaced tees to the main geothermal loop that connected the Main House and the Carriage House.

Inside the Main House, we had to rework the geothermal piping near the loop circulators to accommodate the added flow necessary for the remotely located fluid cooler. The loop circulators would send flow to both the main house heat pumps and the fluid cooler balanced with Victaulic balancing valves.

Though it was a tight footprint we were able to mount both balancing valves for easy access and service; the balancing valve on the left was for the main house heat pumps and the balancing valve on the right was for the new fluid cooler. (55 gpm and 40 gpm respectively). We also installed a booster circulator on the fluid cooler loop to assist with the 40 gpm flow.

Once we received the fluid cooler, we opened it up for inspection—no damage to the fins was found. This fluid cooler weighed 1,300 pounds dry.

We installed 1-1/2” HDPE well pipe supply and return lines from the back of the Carriage House to the remote location of the fluid cooler. We ran copper lines through the side wall of the mech room and transitioned to the well pipe below grade.

Plan of Action There were two directions to take to resolve this situation (besides telling the kids to leave the thermostats set to 76°!)—add more closed loop geothermal wells or install a fluid cooler. Both directions would be effective in dropping the temperature of the geothermal loop water, but a fluid cooler turned out to be less invasive, easier to site, and ultimately less expensive.

We chose a dry cooler because there would be less annual maintenance. We sized it at 25 tons so that it could handle the entire cooling load of all three houses in the event that the vertical geothermal loops were to develop a leak.

The fluid cooler we selected had three cooling fans with variable speed drives that could modulate based on loop water temperature. Because of the coastal

Lifting the fluid cooler over the ancient stone wall.

➤ www.contractormag.com

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Rescuing a Closed-Loop Geothermal System blocks and we unstrapped the long wooden timber.

We carefully measured the fluid cooler and determined that there was no deflection in the body and the top and sides were level and plumb—no damage to braze joints or seams.

Enough room was left between the wall and the cooler to permit planting of shrubs and trees to further hide the unit from the driveway.

We assembled a framework of strut to support the supply and return connections at the fluid cooler, then we made the final connections to the 1-1/2” plastic poly supply and return pipes that came from the Carriage House. We completed the re-piping of the Carriage House mechanical room to accommodate the supply and return pipes from the fluid cooler and connect to the outside geothermal loop.

We adjusted the three cooling fans in a thermal cascade—each fan would turn on if the water was 2 degrees hotter than its setpoint. We found that the system was able to run using only two fans for most of the summer due to our generous sizing of the fluid cooler.

We tested operation and landed at a geothermal loop temp of 90° F with all eleven heat pumps in the three houses at a cooling setpoint of 65° F. No more cooling complaints!

Fluid cooler supply return with circulator and heat pump supply return in the carriage house mechanical room.

Fluid cooler supply and return connections made the HDPE pipes.

The fluid cooler was about 80 feet from the back of the Carriage House, so we had to size the fluid cooler circulator pump for the friction loss of the pipe and the fluid cooler.

Final Steps To prepare the fluid cooler for the move to its final location, we removed the adjustable legs and three fans, motors, and fan guards. We then used a Bobcat to carefully lower the fluid cooler into its upright position.

To provide the necessary rigidity during the transport to its final location, we placed a 16-foot-long timber across the top of the fluid cooler and assembled ratchet straps to the timber.

We carefully lifted the fluid cooler and adjusted the ratchet straps to ensure that the unit was not sagging or bowing. The fluid cooler itself was almost all copper inside and any tweaking of the alignment of the body would result in a permanent deflection. This we very much wanted to avoid as it would lead to broken braze joints and fan clearance issues.

Our Bobcat operator carefully crept forward with the fluid cooler trying to minimize swinging and jerking of the fluid cooler / timber assembly.

While the fluid cooler was being rigged and slowly transported, the NMD team was carefully leveling the concrete blocks that the fluid cooler would sit on. A lot of measurements were made to ensure that the installation of the fluid cooler could be done in one move.

The move slowed as the Bobcat, fluid cooler, and timber approached the ancient stone wall. We weren’t allowed to move any stones—they had been placed there back in the 1700s!

The critical part of the move was approaching as we started to lift the fluid cooler above the stone wall.

We made extensive measurements of the reach of the Bobcat’s forks at different elevations to make sure we would clear the stone wall and have room to reattach and adjust the support legs.

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Main house mechanical room with balancing valves, fluid cooler loop and main house loop.

The fluid cooler cleared the wall, and we lined it up with the landing pad and reattached the legs.

Once the legs were bolted at the correct height, we lowered the fluid cooler onto the concrete

Brian Nelson is a Master Plumber and co-owner of Nelson Mechanical Design. Since 2004, NMD has been a “green” mechanical contractor specializing in energy- and water-efficient systems and serving the heating and cooling needs of the residents of Martha’s Vineyard.

25-ton fluid cooler reassembled behind the stone walls.

➤ www.contractormag.com

1/30/2024 1:58:53 PM

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2/9/23 12:29 1/12/2024 2:04:45 PMPM

Hydronics & Radiant Presented in partnership with Radiant Professionals Alliance

by Patrick Linhardt

HYDRONICS MANAGER AT CORKEN STEEL PRODUCTS CO.

Mis-Installed Boiler Has This Writer Wearing His Walkin’ Shoes

T

he title, it just occurred to me, makes it sound like it may be my last column. The reference however, is to the Allman Brothers Band’s song, Dreams. Gregg Allman was writing some blues about getting out of bed, getting back in the rat race, and dreams he’ll never see. Kinda sounds like me daydreaming about retirement. I turn the clock to 68 this month, but no end date on my schedule, yet.

The service manager for a local heating contractor called recently to see if I could meet him at a steam job they were just starting to take care of. The building had recently been sold and the new owner was in the middle of renovations. From the brief description that the service manager gave me, I knew I would need my walkin’ shoes to evaluate the whole system.

When I got there, I noticed it was across the street from a hobby shop that I used to walk to when I was a kid. It was over two miles one way, just to buy a “Matchbox” toy truck with money given to me by my great uncles. I’m not sure today’s parent would allow that kind of walkabout.

Trouble at First Sight We went down the stairs and took a turn into the boiler room. Right away I knew that we would be walkin’ around the whole basement to see what I could see else that was wrong. It was obvious from the near boiler piping that whoever installed this boiler wasn’t following the instructions supplied with this boiler or any other boiler.

The first rule of steam boiler near boiler piping is the installation of proper supply riser(s) that go to a header. The supply main(s) are then piped off the top of the header. The header is pitched towards one end to let the condensate drain back to the boiler through the equalizer pipe connecting the header to the Hartford Loop. This job didn’t have any of that normality.

There were two supply risers, one on each side. But instead of connecting

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This picture shows what we found when we eventually got to the end of the supply main we were following.

A condensate return unit consists of a small tank, a pump and a float switch.

The tank fills up with the condensate returning from the system. The float switch turns on the pump when the water level gets high enough and turns off the pump when the water level gets low enough. We don’t use them in the boiler room of a low pressure steam boiler to return the condensate directly to the boiler when it can be returned by gravity.

A boiler feed unit is used on larger jobs to help control the boiler waterline.

It consists of a large tank, a pump, and a float valve. The pump is controlled from the waterline control, while the float valve occasionally adds water to the tank. Two different units to handle condensate for two different purposes.

Not only was the wrong unit installed, there was a steam trap on the inlet side of it. That is another red flag for

It was obvious from the near boiler piping that whoever installed this boiler wasn’t following the instructions supplied with this boiler or any other boiler. to a header, they were piped directly to the original steam supply mains.

One main distributed steam to one side of the building, while the other main went to the opposite side. Completely against all the rules laid down by the generations of steam men. And that was at first glance.

Return Side Problems Once I digested that problem, I looked at the return side. Once again, there was something you don’t see every day.

It was a condensate return unit, which isn’t that unusual for larger steam systems to return condensate from the far reaches of the building back to the boiler room. But at this smallish job, it was in the boiler room right next to the boiler.

me. The return pipe from the system at that point should only be carrying condensate and possibly air, but not steam.

Sometimes it can be there on a one-pipe system, so it was time to start looking outside the boiler room. It didn’t take long to see the evidence of a two pipe system, the dry return.

Next stop was at an air handler with a steam coil in the duct work providing heat to a zone on the first floor. On the return side of the coil was a steam trap, which discharged into the wet return heading back to the boiler room and that trap in front of the condensate unit. An important rule of steam traps is that there can’t be two traps in series. It’s okay if they are in parallel, but you can’t install a trap after the first trap. Traps work on the principal of a

differential pressure and the second trap messes around with that.

At the End of the Main The picture shows what we found when we eventually got to the end of the supply main we were following. Now I see my fair share of cobwebs in my explorations, but I think it is the first time that I’ve seen ball valves before steam air vents. I’m a big fan of valves, but more on hot water systems than steam systems.

What the hell, if you want to replace the main vent on a steam system, just turn the boiler off. There shouldn’t be any water where those vents are located.

But take a closer look at the vents.

One is nice and clean, while the other is coated with rust. I’m speculating, but I guess the valves were installed to keep water from coming out. There is a float inside those vents to prevent that from happening, but obviously that wasn’t working. Instead of replacing a failed vent, someone installed a valve before the vent and closed it to keep the water from coming out.

However, that also keeps the air from releasing from the system to allow the steam to circulate and doesn’t address the real problem. Why is water trying to get out of the system at that point?

Is the wet return clogged after all these years, or is it the “double trap” effect?

The extra trap ahead of the condensate unit definitely should be removed and there’s probably crap in the wet return.

The walk around gave the service manager plenty to discuss with the building owner who may want to consider spending money to repair the heating system instead of spending money on renovating apartments.

Patrick Linhardt is a thirty-nine-year veteran of the wholesale side of the hydronic industry who has been designing and troubleshooting steam and hot water heating systems, pumps and controls on an almost daily basis. An educator and author, he is currently Hydronic Manager at the Corken Steel Products Co.

➤ www.contractormag.com

1/26/2024 3:38:20 PM

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11/13/23 9:40 1/12/2024 1:42:23 PMAM

Hydronics & Radiant Presented in partnership with Radiant Professionals Alliance

by Timothy Lovell

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER IN THE BUILDING SOLUTIONS DIVISION OF GLOBAL POLYMER MANUFACTURER REHAU.

Radiant System Meets 193 Zone Challenge

A

t 280,000 sq ft (26,013 sq m), Edward Little High School in Auburn, Maine is one of the largest high schools in the state.

Thanks to architecture and engineering company Harriman Associates, a neighbor in Auburn as well as one of the most experienced firms of its kind in the country, the school is also one of the most comfortable and efficiently heated, with geothermal-powered radiant floor heating provided throughout the building.

“Radiant heat is a very comfortable, very satisfying heat as compared to a forced air convection system, heating people and objects directly as opposed to blowing hot air on them,” explained Harriman principal and mechanical engineer David Story, PE, LEED AP. “It’s a lot like feeling the warmth of the sun. It’s more natural and I think people tend to feel better with it.”

In addition to the comfort aspect, the radiant heating system designed for Edward Little allows the use of much lower temperature water—about 130°F (54°C) as opposed to the 180°F (82°C) demanded by a traditional hydronic heating system using baseboards or radiators, for example. As an efficiency bonus, Harriman has designed the system to heat the water primarily through cost-effective geothermal energy.

“Radiant heating delivers this very high-quality heat at lower energy costs,” noted Story. “I think the technology is especially appropriate in a learning environment where maintaining comfort is especially important, and in a situation where spending is always under scrutiny.”

At Edward Little, Harriman selected REHAU to supply the 110,000 ft (32,528 m) of 1/2 in. RAUPEX O2 barrier crosslinked polyethylene (PEXa) pipe in the radiant system design.

“We have specified radiant heating for years, it’s a specialty of ours, and we’ve worked with REHAU to deliver quality radiant installations from the beginning,” said Story. “They give us a good quality product backed by great service and responsiveness. They are

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Students in the hallway at Edward Little HS. definitely our number one preferred radiant supplier.”

Design Challenge: 193 Zones Designing a radiant system requires meticulously mapping out the size and shape of the under-floor piping system loops for each zone, as well as quantifying such metrics as relative water flow, temperatures, pump sizes, pressure, locations of manifolds and more.

Sometimes it is relatively simple— a very large open space such as a hangar,

The system at Edward Little High School features 110,000 ft (32,528 m) of 1/2 in.

REHAU RAUPEX® O2 barrier crosslinked polyethylene (PEXa) pipe.

floor covering or carpet. Further, since it was a new building, the details on each room kept changing.

Fortunately, REHAU provides expert radiant planning and design services as a value-add in support of their high-quality piping systems.

“REHAU sells the complete radiant heating system, but they are also the experts in piping design. And they provide us with this in-house engineering design knowledge that’s very valuable,” said Story. “We were very impressed by the radiant design work done for all the rooms. Our expectations frankly are very high and REHAU lived up to them in every way.”

Part of REHAU’s design success involved remaining flexible as room changes were invariably made throughout the process and managing all the back and forth—which often, as in this case, may be ongoing for years after the initial pipe selection is made.

“Having a reliable, responsive partner like this is probably among the most valuable things to us on any project,” said Story.

warehouse or repair facility might literally be one zone. Not so for the Edward Little School—the architects divided the building into 193 individual heating zones, including disparate spaces such as classrooms, bathrooms, gymnasiums, kitchens, locker rooms and more. The optimal heating needs for each zone would be impacted by numerous variables, including the size and shape of the room; height of the ceiling; equipment, furnishings and built-in cabinetry and the choice of

Meeting High Expectations

The system at Edward Little High School features 101 PRO-BALANCE® manifolds, which were joined to RAUPEX® O2 barrier pipe with 445 EVERLOC+® R-20 connectors.

With many different rooms, many relatively small, tight under-floor loops are the norm, and Story notes that relative bend radius becomes an especially important feature of the selected pipe.

“The piping is laid in serpentine circuits under the floor, and poor-quality piping has a wide bend radius around all those U-turns—maybe as much as 1-2 feet. That not only wastes space, but it’s a recipe for kinks that can create leaks,” Story said. “Contractors tell me REHAU pipe is tight and neat, fast to install and it can do the tightest U-turns even when it’s cold.”

Story also notes that the robustness of REHAU RAUPEX O2 barrier pipe is something that keeps him and his team specifying it time and time again.

“Before it gets put in the slab, when it’s laying around the construction site, pipe can be under constant attack— stepped on by heavy boots, getting run ➤ Turn to Raupex®, page 28

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1/30/2024 3:11:27 PM

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1/5/24 10:58 1/12/2024 1:46:18 PMAM

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➤ Continued from page 26 over by forklifts and more,” he noted.

“Poor quality piping will squish or puncture more easily, but REHAU pipe stands up to these realities. We don’t hear about damaged pipe and leaks with REHAU.” Similarly, he notes that he gets an added feeling of confidence from REHAU’s UV-resistant layer on RAUPEX pipe.

“Before installation, pipe is very susceptible to UV rays that can invisibly degrade it and you’d never know it,” he said. “UV protection is a great feature.”

Finally, Story says, he is glad that REHAU provides all the materials needed for a total installation, not just the pipe, but fittings, connectors, manifolds, controls and accessories as well. The project’s contractors installed 101 PRO-BALANCE manifolds, which were joined to RAUPEX pipe with 445 EVERLOC+ R-20 connectors.

“It’s not just pipe, it’s a complete system with everything needed, all

don’t hear about anything missing or have to deal with finger-pointing between the connector guy and the pipe guy if there’s an issue. It’s all from REHAU and it’s all high quality and reliable for the long term.”

Geothermal Efficiency

The Edward Little High School was divided into 193 heating zones, including classrooms, bathrooms, gymnasiums, locker rooms and more.

System delivers comfortable and efficient radiant heating for new school building. products are the same consistent high quality and designed to work together,” he said. “REHAU is a single

source for everything, so everything arrives on site in tandem. They are very thorough and consistent. We

A. O. Smith Announces Succession Plan as North America Water Heating Senior Leader Retires MILWAUKEE, WI – A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE: AOS), a leader in water heating and water treatment, announced today that Dave Warren, Senior Vice President, President and General Manager of North America Water Heating (NAWH), will retire April 1. Steve O’Brien, Senior Vice President, President and General Manager of Lochinvar, has been named Warren’s successor. Darrell Schuh, Vice President and General Manager of water systems and APCOM, will replace O’Brien.

Dave Warren: Warren was named president and general manager of the North A m e r i c a Wa t e r Heating business unit in July 2017.

In this role, Warren has profit and loss responsibility for the 10 brands that make up the operation and oversees the unit’s 4,860 employees at facilities in the US, Canada and Mexico. Warren has held many roles since joining A. O. Smith as a sales coordinator in 1989, including serving as vice president of

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A. O. Smith’s International businesses.

“In each step of Dave’s career, he brought high energy, great leadership and strategic vision, and consistently grew the business,” said Kevin Wheeler, Chairman, President and CEO. “We thank Dave for his dedication to A. O. Smith, his leadership and steadfast commitment to the values and principles of our organization over his long tenure. With Dave stepping down and Steve and Darrell moving into their new roles, we have a solid succession plan in place, which allows for internal promotions of our talented leaders and a strategy to transition them to their new roles to ensure leadership and business continuity.”

Steve O’Brien: O’Brien previously worked for A. O. Smith Electrical Products Company for 14 years before the company was sold to Regal Beloit Corporation.

He later joined Mitsubishi Electric TRANE HVAC as senior vice president where he gained extensive knowledge

in the HVAC industry. He rejoined A. O. Smith in April of 2022 as the president of Lochinvar.

“Steve’s experience in running multiple P&Ls throughout his career and his proven leadership abilities uniquely qualify him to serve in this role,” said Wheeler.

Darrell Schuh: Schuh joined A. O. Smith in 1991 and prior to his current role, spent 12 years as vice president of product engineering in Ashland City, Tennessee, and director of product engineering for the commercial water heating group located in McBee, South Carolina. In 2006, Darrell transferred to the water heating business unit from A. O. Smith Electrical Products division.

“Darrell’s extensive background in engineering and business leadership will strengthen our Lochinvar business and presence in the market,” Wheeler said. “I am confident these transitions will be seamless and move the company forward.”

The radiant heating system is supported by Taco circulator pumps in the main mechanical room that contribute to the geothermal system as well.

The first set of pumps circulates water between Tandem geothermal water-source heat pumps and the geothermal well field, which is the primary heating and cooling source for the whole school (Viessman gas-fired condensing boilers are used as a backup energy source for the geothermal system). The second set of Taco pumps circulates warm water generated by the heat pumps within the building to the radiant heating system and indoor air handlers. The final set of pumps circulates chilled water produced by the heat pumps, allowing the indoor air handlers to deliver air conditioning.

Located in smaller mechanical rooms throughout the school, the indoor air handlers provide air conditioning and cooled air for ventilation during the summer and warmed air for ventilation in the winter.

Story reports that his team frequently has radiant heating projects underway, and, for his money, REHAU is their go-to supplier for radiant heating products.

“When we design a building, we basically own all the issues of the building for the life of the building—that’s our reputation,” he said. “That’s why we look for partners like REHAU. They meet our high expectations, give us good support and help us look good.

We succeed together.”

Timothy Lovell is a business development manager in the building solutions division of the global polymer manufacturer REHAU. He has more than 10 years of experience in sales, marketing and operations management in the construction sector. He joined REHAU in 2016, supporting New England and New York contractors and engineers with plumbing, radiant heating and underground pre-insulated pipe expertise across commercial and residential projects.

He can be reached at Timothy.Lovell@ rehau.com.

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1/24/2024 4:23:31 PM

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Technology

by Patti Feldman COMPUTER AUTHORITY

Optimizing Field Service, Expediting Bookings, and Managing Company Rep

M

aster Mechanic is an A.I. system for the HVAC industry designed to help service technicians diagnose and solve most problems in the field by having the technician describe the problem in normal language and Master Mechanic returning an easy-to-follow response.

The system was trained on 50,000 problem-solution interactions between a technician in the field with a problem and an experienced tech with a practical solution, with both sets of input drawn from Bluon’s database of historical tech support calls. According to Master Mechanic, the system understands a wide range of specific HVAC issues in virtually every system type and provides practical, step by step, easy to apply diagnostic and problem-solving suggestions for technicians.

The solution, also fluent in Spanish, has access to Bluon’s brand-agnostic database of HVAC equipment, parts, and manuals to help find information needed for finishing jobs quickly.

Master Mechanic (in late-stage beta through 2023 and available on Bluon’s Mobile App and at www.bluon. ai) will be available in 2024, in an unlimited capacity, only to Bluon for Business subscribers.

Pricing: Bluon for Business fee per tech/month (see www.bluon.com/ contractors)

ServiceNow ServiceNow Field Service Management (www.servicenow.com/products/field-service-management.html), built on the ServiceNow platform, utilizes automation, AI and generative AI capabilities and features a natural language interface. It offers a range of capabilities to expedite field service for customers, including for the field service contractor: Contractor Management, Crew Operations, automated Scheduling and Dispatch, Self-Service, Parts and Inventory, and Work Order Debrief.

The “smart” automated scheduling and dispatch capabilities use AI to help ensure the right technicians, in terms

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The Master Mechanic home screen.

in transit. The customer is notified by SMS that the technician is on the way and can track the journey on a map.

Upon arrival at the jobsite, the technician determines the problem, checks the truck for any needed part, determines the cost of the work (factoring in any discounts), and if the customer agrees to proceed, performs the work.

Upon completion of the job, the technician captures the customer’s signature on a mobile device and uses ServiceNow’s GenAI capabilities to quickly summarize the project.

Reviews of the Master Mechanic field service A.I., ServiceNow field management software, the Setmore booking platform, and the Rize reputation management solution. of skills, location, and availability, are sent to a project armed with the appropriate tools and resources, potentially decreasing travel time and costs and increasing first-time fix rates.

Technicians, using the ServiceNow Mobile App, have access to job details, customer information, collaboration tools, and contextual knowledge from a central platform, increasing asset uptime and improving compliance and reducing risk of contract breech.

How it works for HVAC customers, according to ServiceNow: A commercial or residential customer calls its HVAC service provider with the problem—e.g. rooms are not cooling.

The provider agent sees the resident has a “priority plan” requiring a twohour response and submits a Work Order Task in ServiceNow. That triggers an automatic scheduling to deploy an HVAC technician who, via mobile, receives notification of the job problem and potential parts needed to complete the task.

The technician is automatically given the best route to the jobsite and the dispatcher can see the technician is

Pricing: customers (HVAC service providers or manufacturers) pay for contractor licenses as per one of three user-based or transaction-based models.

Setmore Setmore (www.setmore.com) enables your business to add a “Book Now” button to your website, empowering you to accept online bookings from site-visiting customers. Additionally, it provides your team with 24/7 access to a mobile, real-time view of your schedule from any Android or iOS device.

You can customize your online Booking Page with logo and branding and display your services and service appointment availability.

Customers can book a service at their convenience and repeat customers can set up recurring appointments at their preferred frequency. You can implement the ability for customers to book from Facebook and Instagram.

The app enables automatic email or text reminders to customers before each appointment and sends instant notifications on new, rescheduled, or cancelled bookings.

You can connect your Booking Page to Square, Stripe, and Paypal payment solutions for accepting secure customer payments online.

Companies with multiple team members can create staff profiles to let those employees manage their own calendars and book their own clients. You can grant individual team members varied access levels, with managers able to see a full view of schedules 24/7.

Pricing: Free; up to 4 users per month. Pro 1-2 users, fee per user monthly; Team: unlimited users, fee/ user/month.

Rize Rize Reviews Repuation Management Software (www.rizereviews. com, 866/908-4948), suitable for small to mid-sized companies, enables monitoring and reacting to your online business reputation across digital platforms, third party publishers, and social media conversations.

How it works: You create and manage your customer database through a flexible (updatable) data management platform. Rize Reviews can place a website review widget on all your web pages to enable easy collection, storage, and display of customer feedback.

Rize Reviews also offers Online Reputation Repair Services that tackle negative reviews professionally with quick reputation repair online by dealing with them in a professional and strategic manner and, optionally, by reaching out personally to a customer with the aim of righting a situation and then encouraging that customer to write a new positive review. Rize Review, at additional cost, also offers personalized email and SMS campaigns to generate new reviews.

Pricing: monthly fee, free demo also available.

Patti Feldman writes articles and web content for trade magazines and manufacturers of building products. She can be reached at productpad@yahoo.com.

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Marketing

by Matt Michel MARKETING AUTHORITY

How to Evaluate Field Service Management Software

C

hanging field service management (FSM) software is one of the more challenging tasks a contractor will take. Done right, it can lead to better performance and fewer management headaches. Done wrong, it’s a train wreck. Here is the way to do it right.

Make a Checklist of Needs When changing from one package to a new one, it is tempting to just look for software that overcomes the most irritating shortfalls of the current package. Unless you identify everything that’s important to you, you might end up trading one set of irritants for another. Make a list of the must-haves and nice-to-haves.

Review the Software Processes You must adjust your internal processes to match the software’s processes.

Otherwise, the implementation will fail because you will spend your time fighting the software. Be very clear on how the software handles job flow and other tasks. The FSM provider should be able to present you with the process documentation. If the processes differ from your own, can you adjust to do things the way the software requires?

Look Beyond the Eye Candy FSM packages have a lot of graphical razzle dazzle these days. No matter how slick the demos look, find out how easy it is to get to the information you want and need. Does the software make it easy to get your key performance indicators?

Will the Software Scale?

What is adequate for a 5-truck company may not be sufficient for a 10-truck business. Can the software support your future growth? Artificial intelligence is the new buzz word in the FSM world. Does the FSM incorporate AI or are the plans to incorporate AI in the future? What third party software solutions does the FSM integrate with? For example, if the FSM

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Time spent upfront to understand exactly what you are buying and how the software operates will reduce your costs, implementation time, and frustration. lacks a chatbot for your website, will it work with others on the market?

If the program lacks an accounting package, what third party packages are compatible with it?

Focus on Total Cost of Ownership As you scale, an affordable software package can quickly escalate in price.

Make sure you know the licensing cost per seat, per truck, etc. Make sure you know what hardware is required, including tablets, mobile service, etc.

Determine the cost of maintenance.

How long the current version will be supported? Will new releases be required or optional? How much will the releases cost? Will you need additional, third-party software to cover any gaps or deficiencies in the FSM package?

Does the FSM provider offer training?

How much does it cost and where does it take place? Factor in the cost of sending people to training, including travel. Does the software provider send people to you for training or implementation? How much will that cost?

Are there outside consultants who help get you up and running?

Negotiate Many FSM providers will cut deals.

Good negotiators have been known to pay half the price of similar companies who never thought to ask for a discount. Like car dealers, the willingness of the FSM sales team to deal might increase at the end of a month or quarter.

Consider the Provider’s Financial Strength You do not want to make the investment in a new FSM package only to

have them go out of business or see a change in ownership. It is hard to assess a software company’s financial strength, but it is worth asking about it. If it appears shaky, it is a huge red flag.

Check References Software companies will provide references. Typically, they will only provide you with people who will be cheerleaders. Still, they are worth checking. It is also worth identifying users on your own through online forums. See if you can find a company that’s similar in size to yours and that is willing to let you visit for half a day.

Ask about pricing, support, problems, and responsiveness.

Implementing a new FSM system is a huge undertaking. Time spent upfront to understand exactly what you are buying and how the software operates will reduce your costs, implementation time, and frustration.

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8/16/23 3:42 1/18/2024 9:02:07 AMPM

Best Practices

by Kyle Spencer

DIRECTOR AND PRODUCT OWNER OF NFPA LINK®

How a Digital-First Mindset will Alleviate Retirement Woes for Workers

T

he labor shortage continues to loom over the skilled trades industry. Not only are employers concerned about a shortage of qualified workers coming into the field, but by increased retirement rates among veteran employees. The industry’s average age of retirement is 61, and more than one in five construction workers are currently older than 55. Approximately a quarter of workers will retire in the next decade.

Organizations should prepare their non-retirement age employees for a shortage that could demand more from them in the long-term. How? By equipping them with a digital-first mindset to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

Establishing Digital Literacy In order to capture generational knowledge before a quarter of skilled workers call it quits, organizational leaders should quickly and efficiently roll out digital tools. Luckily, most workers (70%) are interested in trying new, diverse tools on the jobsite, and almost half agree that overall technology integration will be a critical skill. In short, workers are on board with digital tools.

The first step to establishing a baseline of digital literacy within the organization is to identify the needs of the organization and determine which tools will be most critical. When introducing digital tools, finding applications that are both user friendly and meet demand is critical. For example, if the organization needs to improve collaboration abilities, making sure the tool has real-time collaborative features where all members of a team can discuss processes, updates, or next steps, is key. Or, if there’s a need for additional training and certifications across dispersed teams, a digital training tool where employees can learn at their own pace and on their own time will provide more value than in-person training sessions.

Organizations should consider providing training opportunities for workers to learn about the new technology and the benefits it will yield in their

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To capture generational knowledge before a quarter of skilled workers call it quits, leaders should quickly and efficiently roll out digital tools. day-to-day work. By prioritizing technology implementation and training, organizations can set their workforce up for success from day one.

Ensuring Knowledge Transfers Critical to ensuring the longevity and success of an organization—and thus, the job security of its workers—is a seamless knowledge transfer from future retirees to the remainder of the workforce. A recent survey found that 42% of skilled workers cited lack of knowledge sharing and collaboration as their top challenge, meaning critical insights from retirees aren’t being passed down to existing workers.

Digital tools provide employees with portable, easily accessible resources that they can carry with them, whether in the office or on-site at a job. This creates a single repository of expertise for young or new employees to use when training, onboarding and seeking professional development. As a result, anyone from contractors to facility managers can access these resources, whether they be notes, diagrams, or additional supplemental resources, at any time.

Veteran workers hold all kinds of knowledge only gained from years of hands-on experience. By enabling these workers to capture their findings, notes and other relevant code information in one digital setting, digital tools ensure younger workers are better equipped to handle the challenges brought forth by a leaner workforce. By codifying knowledge in digital environments, workers can access key insights long after the generations before have retired and simultaneously record their own knowledge for the generations to come. Creating digital trails creates more resilient organizations, democratizing expertise so new employees can get up to speed quicker.

Doing More with Less Leaner workforces brought on by mass retirement can often mean additional work for remaining employees—and fewer experienced workers to collaborate with should they have questions or need guidance. While this may seem daunting at first, digital tools can serve as a steppingstone for workers to accelerate their growth in their respective

field. When workers have access to information at their fingertips, they are more likely to seek out answers on their own when questions arise. Workers can easily find the answers to their own questions without needing to rely on coworkers or even a physical codebook.

As they feel more empowered to find solutions, workers will experience greater learning and can make informed decisions about the project they are working on, thus showing superiors their ability to problem solve in challenging situations.

While digital platforms may not entirely make up for much-needed personnel on jobsites, they can supplement activities and streamline workflows for more efficient project management. For example, anyone involved in a project—from management to a contractor—can collaborate via digital platforms. This ensures that all members of the team are in the know from day one of a project through completion and are aligned on process and goals every step of the way. When all members of a team are able to collaborate seamlessly, they are better positioned to complete projects in a timely manner.

Technology in Practice Retirement is inevitable, so the sooner organizations can implement a succession plan, the better prepared they—and their workforces—will be to manage operations in the absence of veteran workers. As the hiring and labor landscape changes, there’s no better time for organizations to adopt technologies that will help streamline work and alleviate the extra load left behind by retirees.

For over three years, Kyle Spencer has been working alongside his peers at NFPA to develop NFPA LiNK®, providing digital access to codes and standards. Now serving as the Director and Product Owner of NFPA LiNK®, he oversees the strategic direction for the application and helps support ongoing development and content creation efforts.

➤ www.contractormag.com

1/17/2024 9:38:46 AM

Industry News

Plumbing Manufacturers International Names Six Top Executives to Strategic Advisory Council McLEAN, VA — Six top executives from Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) member companies have been named to the association’s Strategic Advisory Council, PMI announced.

The executives are Andres Caballero, President, Uponor North America; Jill Ehnes, President, Delta Faucet Co.; Shawn Oldenhoff, Senior Vice President, Category Management, Kitchen and Bath North America, Kohler Co.; Bill Strang, President of Corporate Strategy, Ecommerce and Customer Care, TOTO USA; Council Chair Todd Teter, President, House of Rohl and WINN EMEAA at Fortune Brands Innovations; and Claude Theisen, President and CEO, T&S Brass and Bronzeworks.

The council’s purpose is threefold:

1. To provide strategic counsel to the PMI Board of Directors on key issues impacting the industry, as PMI works to ensure future generations have reliable access to safe, clean water.

2. To serve as mentors to PMI board members and professional staff.

3. To activate and engage in PMI’s Washington and California Legislative Forums in support of PMI’s advocacy efforts to influence policy on important issues for the industry and PMI member companies.

“My fellow members of the PMI Strategic Advisory Council bring an extraordinary level of experience and insight to guide the success and strategic work of the association,” Teter said.

“I’m honored and fortunate to have the opportunity to work with this talented and respected group of executive leaders so willing to share their collective wisdom with us.”

Members Meet PMI Leadership The council was provided an overview of PMI’s mission and strategic focus during a recent meeting with PMI CEO/ Executive Director Kerry Stackpole and the current and immediate past presidents of the PMI Board of Directors—Chip Way of Lavelle Industries

2024 National Standard Plumbing Code — Illustrated Edition Now Available ONTARIO, CA — The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) has released the 2024 edition of the National Standard Plumbing Code – Illustrated (NSPC).

An updated version of the 2021 NSPC, the book may be purchased from the IAPMO web store.

The 2024 NSPC provides the latest information about common materials, fixtures, devices and equipment systems used or installed in plumbing systems. This new edition is printed in the popular illustrated format, with comments and illustrations clearly shown as supplemental information. The illustrations and supplementary notes make it an indispensable training tool.

Significant changes to the 2024 NSPC include the following: • New provisions for all-gender toilet facilities • New provisions for adult changing stations • New standards for water closet compartments and urinal partitions • Wet venting section completely revised

• Air admittance valves moved to Chapter 12 • Appendix G, intended to promote safe and efficient water use in both residential and non-residential buildings, has been updated with revised excerpts from the 2020 Water Efficiency and Sanitation Standard (WE•Stand) • IAPMO’s Water Demand Calculator® included as a sizing option in Appendix G • New Appendix M addressing the impact of water temperature on the potential for scalding and Legionella growth • New Appendix N providing requirements for non-sewered sanitation systems • New Appendix O addressing

plumbing requirements for indoor horticultural facilities “The 2024 NSPC reflects the most recent changes in the plumbing industry concerning new products, installation procedures, and public health and safety, consistent with the code’s long tradition of establishing safety requirements for water supply and sanitation systems,” NSPC Committee Chairman Tom Pitcherello said.

First published in 1933, the NSPC is designed to ensure the proper installation of plumbing systems, providing local and state governments, code administration bodies, and the industry with a modern code to protect health and promote safety. In 2017, IAPMO and the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) executed an agreement transferring ownership of the NSPC to IAPMO. To view the complete monograph and approved changes to the 2024 NSPC from the 2022 NSPC Public Hearing, visit www.iapmo.org/nspc. Questions can be directed to the IAPMO staff at nspc@iapmo.org.

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and Sal Gattone of LIXIL. Teter then lead a discussion of challenges facing the industry, with council members naming supply chain challenges, tariffs and tax policy as among the factors impacting their businesses.

The Strategic Advisory Council will bring an extraordinary level of experience and insight to guide the strategic work of the association.

Stackpole provided an update on the state of PMI, emphasizing how PMI members benefit from the association’s advocacy effort. “PMI monitors roughly 135 key issues. Last year, that translated into more than 1,300 different legislative proposals and about 50 potential regulations,” he explained.

“Keeping track of these proposals enables PMI to advocate for our members at the federal, state and local levels of government.”

He discussed PMI’s current efforts to revive the research and development tax deduction, which supports plumbing industry innovation, as well as the association’s ongoing efforts to encourage the replacement of older, inefficient legacy products with water-efficient fixtures and fittings to save water.

The council is scheduled to gather next in June. “We are very solicitous of their involvement because we want to get their perspective,” Stackpole stated.

“And I think they appreciated the opportunity to hear and get a first-hand update from the leaders of the association while having the opportunity to provide their advice to us.”

FEBRUARY 2024 • 35

1/30/2024 3:15:23 PM

Industry News

DOL Issues Rule on Classifying Workers Employees or Independent Contractors ➤ Continued from page 3 and overtime pay, facilitates wage theft, allows some employers to undercut their law-abiding competition and hurts the economy at-large.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the rule provides guidance on proper classification and seeks to combat employee misclassification.

“Misclassifying employees as independent contractors is a serious issue that deprives workers of basic rights and protections,” explained Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “This rule will help protect workers, especially those facing the greatest risk of exploitation, by making sure they are classified properly and that they receive the wages they’ve earned.”

Judicial Precident

The rule separately rescinds the 2021 Independent Contractor Rule that the department believes is not consistent with the law.The new guidance aligns with longstanding judicial precedent on which employers have previously relied to determine a worker’s status as either an employee or independent contractor.

The new rule will preserve essential worker rights and provide consistency for entities covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. The new “independent contractor” rule restores the multifactor analysis used by courts for decades, ensuring that all relevant factors are analyzed to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor.

The rule addresses six factors that guide the analysis of a worker’s relationship with an employer, including: • Any opportunity for profit or loss a worker might have • The financial stake and nature of any resources a worker has invested in the work • The degree of permanence of the work relationship • The degree of control an employer has over the person’s work • Whether the work the person does is essential to the employer’s business • A factor regarding the worker’s skill and initiative.

In crafting the new rule, the department’s Wage and Hour Division considered feedback provided by stakeholders at forums in the summer of 2022 and during the comment period after the proposal’s announcement in October 2022. The final rule takes effect on March 11, 2024.

Statement from ABC Associated Builders and Contractors—a strong supporter of the 2021 final rule—released a statement from Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck opposing the new final rule.

“By undermining the flexible, independent work for millions of Americans, President Joe Biden’s DOL is choosing to move forward with a final rule that creates an ambiguous and difficult-to-interpret standard for determining independent contractor status,” Brubeck said. “Under the rule’s multifactor test, employers will now be forced to guess which factors should be given the greatest weight in making the determination. Instead of promoting muchneeded economic growth and protecting legitimate independent contractors, the final rule will result in more confusion and expensive, time-consuming,

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unnecessary and often frivolous litigation, as both employers and workers will not understand who qualifies as an independent contractor.

“Regrettably, the confusion and uncertainty resulting from the final rule will cause workers who have long been properly classified as independent contractors in the construction industry to lose opportunities for work.”

Statement from the UA

In marked contrast, United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) General President Mark McManus praised the final rule as a strong step to protecting fair wages for all workers.

“When President Trump made it easier to misclassify workers, unscrupulous contractors took full advantage and paid their workers less than they deserved,” McManus said. “Today’s action rescinds that anti-worker rule and ensures that all Americans have the labor protections they deserve, including fair wages, safe jobsites, and quality healthcare.

“The final rule from the Biden Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor will restore the ageold criteria for determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. Simply put: this rule will ensure the basic rights of all workers, consistent with the Fair Labor Standards Act.”

➤ www.contractormag.com 4/7/20 12:33 PM

1/25/2024 4:24:07 PM

Industry News

REHAU Celebrates its 75th Anniversary ➤ Continued from page 3 The year-long celebration is dedicated to exploring the company claim “Engineering progress. Enhancing lives.” and to uniting employees around the globe—across times zones, languages and geopolitical circumstances—in a common experience of the REHAU Way. “REHAU is now celebrating its 75th anniversary,” said Dr. Thomas Troeger, CEO of REHAU Americas. “Together with our customers, suppliers and employees, REHAU is looking back and drawing inspiration from the pioneering spirit and visionary power of our founder. But above all, the Group is looking forward to how we can create even better experiences for our customers.”

Foundation for Success

Helmut Wagner (right).

The foundation for the REHAU success story was laid by company founder Helmut Wagner in 1948 in the Bavarian town of the same name, when on the premises of the Franconian leather factory he, two other men and one machine began to replace conventional materials with polymers, thereby improving them. Building on the values of trust, reliability and innovation, he created a successful business. REHAU know-how and technical expertise is found in numerous applications and locations throughout the world: the Ariane rocket for space research, the turf heating in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium or the subway in Cairo, to name a few.

In 2000, sons Jobst Wagner and Dr. Veit Wagner took over the company as president and vice president, respectively, and consistently developed it further in the direction of today’s subgroups. In 2021, Jobst Wagner handed over the presidency to Dr. Veit Wagner and moved to the vice presidency.

With Nils Wagner as head of REHAU New Ventures, the third generation is represented in a leading position within the group. In 2021, the pioneering and visionary company founder Helmut Wagner passed away at the age of 95.

The REHAU Group Today, the REHAU Group is an international family of companies with 190 locations, more than 20,000 employees and an annual turnover of more than 4.5 billion euros. With Meraxis, REHAU New Ventures, RAUMEDIC, REHAU Automotive and REHAU Industries, the company unites five subgroups under one roof. The recipe for success is a pioneering spirit, a strong value-based foundation and the ability to adapt. In addition to thinking outside the box, the Group’s DNA includes a balance between experience and courage to take risks coupled with the will to continuously develop. Dr. Veit Wagner, president of the REHAU Group, is convinced: “Change provides fertile ground for new ideas and innovations that make us competitive in the long term.”

in Mexico: As a further milestone in internationalization, REHAU opened a production facility for the furniture industry in December in order to meet the increasing demand for REHAU products in North and Central America.

With sustainability firmly anchored in the strategic decision-making process, the company is shaping the future as sustainably as possible. As early as the 1950s, REHAU integrated polymer waste into its production processes. In the 1980s, the company initiated the development of concepts for disposal.

Today, circular economy, future-oriented energy supply and the promotion of diversity are key corporate topics for becoming even more sustainable. For example, REHAU is aiming to increase the quantity of recyclates in production to 20 percent by 2025.

More than half of REHAU window profiles already contain up to 75 percent recycled granulate. And by 2035, the company aims to have CO2-neutral production worldwide. This has already been implemented at certain locations.

Thus, for tomorrow’s generations, REHAU is working with a strong compass toward a sustainable and innovative future—in line with the claim “Engineering progress. Enhancing lives.”

REHAU has grown from a family-owned company into today’s family of companies.

REHAU extruded the first polymer window profile in 1958. In 1987, the company introduced the first compression-sleeve fitting for connecting pipes and has since sold a billion units. Today, every third car in Europe contains components from the polymer specialist and 248,550 miles (400,000 kilometres) of REHAU micro cable conduits connect people all over the world. By filing approximately 100 patents per year, REHAU is one of the top patent applicants in Germany.

A Sustainable Future Moving forward, the focus is on attractive markets with growth potential. To name two examples: the company is currently expanding in Africa, where it recently acquired a South African company, and

FEBRUARY 2024 • 37

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Industry News

Laars Heating Systems Announces Acquisition of Electro Industries ROCHESTER, NH — Laars® Heating Systems, a subsidiary of Bradford White Corporation and a leading US designer and manufacturer of boilers, water heaters, and pool heaters used in residential, commercial, and industrial applications, announced today that they acquired Electro Industries, Inc., based in Monticello, Minnesota. Electro Industries is a manufacturer of electric boilers, air-towater heat pump technology, electric duct heaters and controls.

Manufacturer expands its residential, commercial and industrial space heating portfolio as customer needs evolve.

“Electro Industries has developed a reputation for producing high-quality residential and commercial electric space heating solutions since its founding in 1974,” said Bruce Carnevale, president and CEO of Bradford White Corporation. “We are excited to welcome the employees of Electro Industries into the Bradford White family and incorporate their trusted products into the Bradford White portfolio.”

This acquisition will expand Laars’ residential, commercial and industrial space heating portfolio,

38 • FEBRUARY 2024

furthering Laars’ commitment to meet the growing needs of customers as state and local electrification policies and regulations continue to evolve throughout North America.

“We are extremely excited that Electro Industries will become part of Bradford White Corporation, where their resources and market reach will allow the legacy of our family business to continue to grow for years to come,” said Krista Smith-Larson, president of Electro Industries.

“Laars Heating Systems and Electro Industries share similar commitments to American manufacturing, quality, and customer care,” said John Seefeldt,

CEO of Electro Industries. “Joining with Laars Heat ing Systems will enhance our capabilities, allowing us to better serve our current customers while extending our offerings to a broader audience.”

This acquisition of Electro Industries includes all 2303CO_AnacoHusky_MKPL.indd 1 company assets, including the Electro Industries facility in Monticello, increasing Laars Heating Systems US manufacturing presence. Electro Industries will be organized as a division of Laars Heating Systems, a subsidiary of Bradford White Corporation.

For more information about Laars® Heating Systems, visit www.laars.com.

Make sure you are in front of key decisionmakers

OSHA Civil Penalty Amounts Adjusted for Cost-of-Living in 2024 WA S H I N G T O N , D C — T h e U S Department of Labor announced changes to Occupational Safety and Health Administration civil penalty amounts based on cost-of-living adjustments for 2024.

In 2015, Congress passed the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act to advance the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain their deterrent effect. Under the Act, agencies are required to publish “catch-up” rules that adjust the level of civil monetary penalties and make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation no

later than January 15 of each year. This year, January 15 falls on a federal holiday. Therefore, new OSHA penalty amounts will become effective Jan. 16, 2024.

OSHA’s maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations will increase from $15,625 per violation to $16,131 per violation. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $156,259 per violation to $161,323 per violation.

Visit the OSHA Penalties page and read the final rule for more information.

Contact Steve Suarez at

ssuarez@endeavorb2b.com to include your company in the next Marketplace section.

➤ www.contractormag.com 2102CO_House_MKPL.indd 1

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Software Showcase

software spotlight LSA MESSAGE LEADS INTEGRATION from Scorpion allows clients to benefit from faster response times as the recent updates consolidate all communication threads within the platform, ensuring a unified view for each customer or lead. It also boosts responsiveness scores by sending an auto-response to any message leads a client receives.

This helps to increase local services ad exposure since users searching on Google will be able to see average response times displayed as part of the ad. These updates come on the heels of Google’s latest updates to the way LSAs are displayed and ranked.

Scorpion WWW.SCORPION.CO

▲ REDTEAM FLEX CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT is a cloud-based

▲ IGUIDE 3D VIRTUAL

solution, now with preconstruction functionality and enhanced, collaborative features. The capabilities support a workflow designed to enable those running Construction Management at Risk projects and those looking to streamline their suite of preconstruction software tools. Step-bystep guided workflow provides a central place for all preconstruction tasks.

let contractors ditch the measuring tape. Contractors can replace manual measurement to shorten project timelines. The system uses 360° lidar technology to capture millions of measurements in minutes and then use the data to generate a 3D virtual tour, DWG floor plan and photos.

RedTeam Software WWW.REDTEAM.COM

AI from Elecosoft is the result of a partnership with Nodes & Links planning co-pilot platform. This collaboration will provide greater reliability, more accurate program forecasting and improve risk management. Any Asta Powerproject file can now undergo automatic analysis, forecasting and simulation.

Elecosoft WWW.ELECOSOFT.COM

PURCHASING WIZARD from Successware allows users to create purchase orders based upon restocking requirements (min/max or usage) or task parts lists. It automatically creates an item list that identifies all the items to be ordered.

The list is then used as the basis for creating purchase orders.

Successware WWW.SUCCESSWARE.COM

40 • FEBRUARY 2024

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▲ SUPPLYHOUSE.COM is an online distributor of plumbing, heating and HVAC products. The site offers HVAC, PEX, radiant heat, hydronic heating and plumbing supplies. Shop more than 200,000 products from 450-plus brands .SupplyHouse.com

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customers the ability to plan the most efficient route in minutes with the push of a button. Users have access to real-world scenarios around time windows, technician schedules, vehicle capacity, traffic patterns and servicetype prioritization.

and Service Finance Co. allows HVAC, plumbing, electrical and other home service contractors to instantly present multiple lending options at competitive rates for their customers without leaving the Sera app — while they are on customers’ premises, which helps close more sales.

Sera Systems WWW.SERA.TECH

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an all-in-one HR platform providing the tools you need to hire, pay, and manage your team. Sync timesheets or timesheets/reimbursable expenses from Jobber to Gusto. Reimbursable expenses are automatically synced to HR platform as soon as they are added in Jobber.

PROGRAM now includes XOi’s AIbased, tech-focused smart solution.

This allows Simpro users to enhance technician experience, generate immediately actionable insights and drive revenue and profitability. Users can document each jobsite, register assets, create step-type workflows and checklists and much more.

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Editorial

by Steve Spaulding EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

70 Years of Plumbing Innovation

A

s I was doing my homework in preparation for CONTRACTOR’s 70th Anniversary year I was struck by how much the plumbing industry—an industry as old as civilization—has been changed by advances in technology in the span of this publication’s history.

The digital revolution that brought computing power first to the desktop and then to mobile devices changed how everyone does business. For the plumbing industry those changes were first felt in the back office—accounting, inventory, scheduling & dispatch, system design— but now the smartphone is probably a technician’s most essential tool.

(Speaking of which, on pg. 32 columnist Matt Michel has some valuable advice for evaluating field service management software. On pg. 40 is the latest version of our Software Showcase.)

The smartphone is like having the manual for every piece of equipment you could conceivably encounter right in your pocket, only better: the entire service history of a particular unit, ev-

erything a given customer has ever done with your company, all linked by a QR code and stored on the cloud, right there for the technician to see.

Now Artificial Intelligence has arrived on the scene. Currently it is mostly being used booking appointments, but soon it will be doing a lot more, particularly when it comes to troubleshooting.

optimize their own flow rates. Boilers can be controlled remotely. Everything is connected, and more and more smart systems are talking to each other and involving a human only when necessary.

For all the advances in digital technology there has been so much more. In the late 1950s, most indoor water piping systems were comprised of galvanized steel.

The last seven decades have seen incredible advances in plumbing technology.

But much of the digital revolution is behind the scenes. There is a microchip in almost everything these days. For anyone who works in fleet management that means a wealth of telematics data to improve performance, maintenance, scheduling and driver training.

More specifically for the plumbing industry, it has meant a revolution in controls. Where before systems relied mainly on gravity, pressure and mechanical settings, now circulators can

Plastic piping systems, such as ABS, PVC and CPVC were introduced in the 1960s, then PEX piping in the 1970s.

On the tools side, about the biggest thing to hit the plumbing business has been press tools. Yes, brazing is an essential skill that will always be needed, but when you see one worker with only a few hours training able to make a series of connections in a day that would normally take a four-person crew, it’s impossible not to see the

technology as a game changer.

Water heating appliances have come as far from the cast-iron boilers of the 1950s as, well, a Tesla is from the first Ford Thunderbird or Buick Skylark. The first condensing boilers were developed in the Netherlands in the 1970s.

While the first tankless water heaters were developed (by Stiebel-Eltron) in 1929, they didn’t make inroads in the North American market until the 1990s.

Heat pumps have been around since the 1850s, but it was Japanese-engineered inverter-driven compressors that really gave them a boost in the 1970s.

I could go on. Trenchless pipe repair.

Low-flow fixtures. The Water Demand Calculator. The pace of change shows no sign of slowing. Which means education and training are an essential part of every plumbing business.

Luckily, there are plenty of training resources to be had. Manufacturers, especially, want their products to perform as advertised. If you can’t travel to them, they will in many cases find ways to travel to you.

ADVERTISER INDEX Advertiser

Website

Page

Advertiser

Website

Page

A.O. Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.hotwater.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Liberty Pumps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . libertypumps.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

AB&I Foundry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gotiron.us. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

PHCC-GLAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . flowexpousa.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Anaco-Husky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . choosehusky.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Progressive Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . progressivecommercial.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Bradford White. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.bradfordwhite.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

SFA Saniflo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . saniflo.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Charlotte Pipe & Foundry. . . . . . . . . charlottepipe.com/oakboro-foundry. . . . . . . . 25

Shortridge Instruments, Inc. . . . . . . www.shortridge.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 37

Chicago Faucets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.chicagofaucets.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC

SoCal Gas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . statewide-waterheating.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Cintas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cintas.com/contractormag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

supplyhouse.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . supplyhouse.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

ECR International/Dunkirk. . . . . . . . www.dunkirk.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC

The Best Postcards . . . . . . . . . . . . . thebestpostcards.com. . . . . . . . . . . polybagged

FloLogic Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . flologic.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Vesta DS, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.vestahws.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

General Pipe Cleaners. . . . . . . . . . . www.drainbrain.com/xpodplus . . . . . . . . . . IFC

Watts Water Technologies, Inc.. . . . . www.watts.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

InSinkErator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . insinkerator.emerson.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Woodford Mfg. Co.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.woodfordmfg.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

SALES CONTACTS

Intellihot Green Technologies Inc. . . www.intellihot.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

42 • FEBRUARY 2024

2402CO_42_Editorial-Ad Index.indd 42

Associate Publisher & Midwest Bill Boyadjis 973-829-0648 bboyadjis@endeavorb2b.com South & West: Senior Manager, Business Development, Randy Jeter 908 Electra • Austin, TX 78734 512/263-7280 Cell: 512/426-9145; Fax: 913/514-6628 rjeter@endeavorb2b.com East Coast: Senior Manager, Business Development, Brian Sack 16 Abilene Lane • Manalapan, NJ 07726 Cell: 732/629-1949; bsack@endeavorb2b.com Classifieds/inside sales: Media Account Executive, Steve Suarez 10955 Lowell Avenue • Overland Park, KS 66210 Cell: 816-588-7372 Office: 941-259-0867 ssuarez@endeavorb2b.com Director of Sales, Buildings & Construction Group Joe Agron 941-200-4778 • jagron@endeavorb2b.com

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