Mark Owens (left) of American Standard Brands awarded the company's 2011 Top Sales Award to Tom Leonard (right) of W.T. Leonard & Associates, recognizing the firm's outstanding sales growth and performance.

American Standard Brands recently honored W.T. Leonard & Associates for outstanding sales achievement and performance in 2011. This top sales award for 2011 was presented by Mark Owens, central regional business manager for American Standard, to Tom Leonard, president of W.T. Leonard & Associates, in recognition of the firm’s continuous growth in sales and successful execution during the past year.

“We congratulate Tom Leonard and his team on a fantastic effort in 2011,” Owens said. “The Midwest territory – consisting of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Central/Southern Illinois – showed consistently strong growth throughout the year. The groundwork laid by W.T. Leonard in each of these states positions this company to hit new levels of growth well into the future.”

For more information on this announcement, view the complete press release on the American Standard top sales award or email us.

The installations – 71 toilets, 96 faucets, and 55 showerheads – were completed by Georgia’s first licensed GreenPlumber®, Nick Marine of Marine Plumbing in Marietta, GA. Individually, the faucets and toilets were rated to save 20% more water than standard fixtures, and the low flow showerheads used were rated to save 20-40% of water use.

The retrofit was found to be an unqualified success, based on monthly measurements of water use recorded before and after installation of the new fixtures. Serenbe households saved an average of 20% more water, and homeowners in the older development of Chastain Lakes saved 25% more water on average. These neat percentages aside, calculating the real water savings from the retrofit was difficult because of the many factors involved in a household water bill. For example, if a household a few extra loads of laundry to do that month, or a weekend houseguest, the total water savings could have easily appeared smaller than they actually would be over time.

Low flow toilets and faucets often get a bad rap for supposedly offering poor performance, but that was the point of this experiment: the retrofit was designed to demonstrate that conserving water doesn’t have to feel like a sacrifice. Across the board, participants raved about their new plumbing fixtures. “We absolutely LOVE our new fixtures. Our showerheads seem to have better water pressure and we are conserving water now, which we weren’t before,” reported Serenbe homeowner Dallas Nevins, two months after installation. Neighbor Sarah Richards agreed, noting that, “For the first time ever, I can say that I love my toilets.”

Join the Green Chix community to learn more water conservation tips.

Lisa Jones, showroom manager at Dahl Decorative Kitchen & Bath in Glenwood Springs, Co., and winner of the Grand Prize in the Mr. Steam® Passport to Bora Bora Rewards Program for 2011.

Mr. Steam, makers of high quality steam showers and towel warmers for residential and commercial use, recently announced the winners of the Mr. Steam Passport to Bora Bora Rewards Program for 2011. Lisa Jones, showroom manager at Dahl Decorative Kitchen & Bath in Glenwood Springs, Co., won the Grand Prize: a four-night vacation for two to Bora Bora, including round-trip airfare and a guided tour.

The grand prize announcement was the culmination of the fifth annual, seven-month incentive program, designed to encourage showroom personnel and sales associates to engage the Mr. Steam brand while actively promoting its various offerings. Ten other showroom managers from around the country received prizes as part of this sales incentive program.

To qualify, a trained, registered participant had to sell a Mr. Steam product and then return the Rewards Incentive Form to the company. From May through November of last year, Mr. Steam randomly selected a Passport to Rewards Program winner each month, issuing him or her a gift certificate to a spa in their area. Winners have included:

• For May, Sheri Phillips of Moore Supply, Tomball, Texas.
• For June, Becky Joslin of Dahl Decorative K&B, Glenwood Springs, Colo.
• For July, Stephanie Arpino, Bender Showrooms, Waterbury, Conn.
• For August, Wendy Roberts, Standard Plumbing Supply, Layton, Utah.
• For September, Dena Harden, Plumbing Distributors Inc. Atlanta, Ga., ($250 gift certificate) and Leslie Young, (iPad®) Centerville Winnelson, Centerville, Ohio.
• For October, Andre Gallegos, (Spa gift certificate) My House Plumbing, Valencia, Calif., and Vincent Bollander, ($500 cash prize), Singac Supply Co., Cedar Grove, N.J.
• For November, Brittany Dolinar ($250 spa certificate) Lake Erie Winnelson, Cleveland, Ohio and Lauren Henry, ($1,000 prize) Davis & Warshow, New York, N.Y.

For more information on this announcement, view the complete Mr. Steam press release or email us.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal recently unveiled a program designed to attract a new generation of skilled building trades, called Go Build Georgia, patterned after Alabama’s Go Build Alabama, right down to the website design. As a recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, experts are predicting a tremendous need for trained construction workers in the coming years. Of the nation’s current construction workforce, one third is age 50 or over. As baby boomers begin to retire, they will leave tremendous numbers of vacant jobs. The Construction Labor Research Council estimates that 95,000 new workers will be needed each year for the next decade to fill these positions.

Uponor trains contractors.

We are privileged to know and work with a great number of smart, highly skilled trade professionals. The question is, how do we make sure there is a next generation of well-trained plumbers, builders and HVACR technicians?

Take it beyond Career Day. We’ve heard of contractors connecting to high school students by donating relevant supplies and equipment for classroom presentations, and even working with local suppliers to bring in tools and damaged equipment for practice. Many school systems in the U.S. have little or no budget for these types of programs, so schools are often very happy to receive such support.

Don’t forget the administrators and staff! Some contractors sponsor lunches with school guidance counselors to educate them about the many opportunities available in the trades.

Provide public support for trade education. The Go Build Alabama campaign is apparently funded by fees paid by firms who hire skilled workers. Georgia has not yet finalized its funding for Go Build Georgia, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  Promoting the return of shop classes at the high school level can spark interest and enthusiasm in trade careers, while expanding access to updated vo-tech facilities can provide a considerably lower-cost alternative to a four-year degree.

Construction is one job that can never be outsourced, and having a wealth of working, skilled trade professionals is something that benefits absolutely everyone. Here’s hoping that both public and private support for trade education will continue to increase in the coming years.

As a composite deck cleaner, Wet & Forget is effective and simple to use, with no scrubbing.

Today, we are excited to announce a new client: Wet & Forget makes it so easy to remove mold, mildew, algae, and moss stains from outdoor surfaces without bleach, powerwashing or scrubbing.

Environmentally gentle, simply “wet it and forget it” on decks, patios, concrete, roofs and more. A trusted product in Australia and New Zealand for 30 years, Wet & Forget is now available nationally in the U.S. for the first time.

For media information–plus other amazing before and after photos–visit our media page for Wet & Forget.

To learn more about where to buy, visit the Wet & Forget store locator. You can also follow @wetandforget on Twitter and like Wet and Forget on Facebook.

The following YouTube video featuring Wet & Forget president Brett Perry is a great demonstration of how easy the product is to use. Brett is available for media interviews – just contact us to arrange.

The previous record was nine events in 2008, as evidenced in the chart below.

“In my weather career of four decades, I’ve never seen a year quite like 2011,” says Jack Hayes, director of the National Weather Service, on a video posted on the NOAA Extreme Weather 2011 microsite. “I can’t remember a year in which we experienced record-breaking extremes of nearly every conceivable type of weather.”

Climate change?  Hayes says we need to gear up for more extreme weather and I choose to believe him:

I was spooked by the late April tornadoes that destroyed homes and lives an hour north of us in Georgia, as well as Hurricane Irene, making landfall just south of my hometown on the Jersey Shore. John noted that 2011 was the second wettest year on record for Chicago, which had its two wettest years on record over the past four: 2008 with 50.86 inches, 2011 with 49.41, including that 20-inch snowstorm last February that stranded many of our industry friends at the AHR Expo in Las Vegas.

But the record-breaker I can’t get out of my mind is the Joplin, MO tornado. Who can fathom an EF5 tornado—the highest wind speeds known to man—so large and moving so slowly that some survivors experienced the calm of the eye.  That awful day in May resulted in more than $6.5 billion insured losses, with total losses greater than $9.1 billion, NOAA reports.

That’s just in losses that can be rebuilt. The Joplin tornado eventually caused about 160 fatalities, adding to the tally of more than 600 lives lost to natural disasters in the US this year.  One of the first Joplin fatalities was a teen driving home from his high school graduation. In a Hummer.  The single greatest loss of life in one location was at a Joplin nursing home. The Joplin Globe newspaper later editorialized that such facilities really should have safe rooms.

Agreed.  Also agreed that similar investments “behind-the-walls” is money well-spent, whether it is for safe rooms, home fire sprinklers, fire-resistant roofing, secured garage doors, flexible gas and water line connections and pretty much any of the suggestions the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends to protect homes and buildings as part of its Building Science Branch.

It’s a case of pay now, or pay later. Hitting 12 billion-dollar-plus disasters is not a record we want to break. Our industry New Year’s resolution: build safer and more sustainable homes and buildings.

First of all, we’re pleased to announce that Uponor’s Pro Site, UponorPro.com, has earned the “Outstanding Website” award in the Web Marketing Association’s 2011 competition. Congratulations to the Uponor Team for this great win!

American Standard Brands also had some good news recently: their innovative FunBath tub conversion kit was awarded the Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval for Fall 2011. We definitely would’ve wanted one of those tubs when we were kids.

Last but certainly not least, we were thrilled that Mr. Steam raised over $1,000 for the Decorative Plumbing & Hardware Association’s scholarship fund through Hank’s Ride. Many thanks to everyone at Mr. Steam for their time and generosity, and also to Hank for the pedal power.

In other words, averaging his age in mileage every day.

We want to take a nap on our couches just thinking about it.

Hank and our client, Mr. Steam, want us to get off our couches, however, and start actively pursuing wellness. Which is why Mr. Steam partnered with the Decorative Plumbing & Hardware Association (DPHA) to deliver regular updates on Hank’s progress, along with fitness tips from Fun and Fit, to get us all up and moving.

Follow along with Hank’s ride on the Mr. Steam Steamtherapy Facebook page or following the Twitter hashtag: #hanksride.

Hank and Mr. Steam are also working to raise money for the DPHA Scholarship Foundation, which provides two $3,000 scholarships to a child or grandchild of DPHA member companies for post-secondary education.

O’Reilly/DePalma kicked in $100. Surely you can do $10, $25, $50 or even a $100? It’s uber-convenient with Pay Pal and you don’t even need an account.

This contribution is tax-deductible as a charitable contribution, since DPHA is recognized as a section 501(c)(3) organization with the IRS.

And now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to get our workout done today.

As with most things in life Mom knew best. “Unlike the dry heat of most saunas, steam soothes the nasal passages and respiratory tract, relieves congestion and clears the sinuses,” says Andrew Weil, m.d., the author of “8 Weeks to Optimum Health.”

If you’re planning on a bathroom remodel anytime soon, you can achieve health and beauty advantages of a steam room right in your own home for a lot less than you might expect.  “I have long recommended steamtherapy for its health benefits and use it frequently myself,” Dr. Weil continues. “It relaxes mind and body and neutralizes stress.”  Learn more here.

Abellon’s course, “Embedded Tube Radiant Systems to Maximize LEED^® Points” focuses on hydronic radiant application and design concepts that can be used as part of an overall energy-efficient strategy for heating and cooling a structure. Key topics of the training include radiant heat transfer fundamentals, construction methods, piping and control strategies, and energy modeling. To sign up for the course, search course number 0090006344 on the USGBC website at http://www.usgbc.org.

Click here to view the full press release and a hi-res image.