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.
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.
It’s been a record-breaking year for horror. Extreme weather in 2011 resulted in 12 events exceeding the billion-dollar mark in damages, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
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.
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.
This week has been full of great news and good works, so we’re excited to give a shout out to three of our wonderful clients today and celebrate some amazing achievements.
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.
We’re doing extra laps and push-ups today in honor of our friend Hank Darlington who pushed off this morning on his Maine to Florida bike ride. Hank will be averaging more than 70 miles a day for the next 26 days.
In other words, averaging his age in mileage every day.
We want to take a nap on our couches just thinking about it.
Hank is ready to roll
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.
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.
When you were sick, Mom advised steamtherapy, firing up the vaporizer and serving bowls of hot soup to help open up clogged nasal passages. When you were a teenager, Mom advised holding a towel over a steaming pot of water to moisturize and clarify the skin.
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.
Devin Abellon, business development manager, Uponor Engineering Services, is now presenting a course that was recently approved for one (1) continuing education hour by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
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.
On June 26, Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau and Nita Killebrew, wife of the late Twins Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, were onsite with various members of the community to help celebrate the grand opening of Harmon Killebrew Field, a new ballpark for the South Metro Miracle League for special-needs children. Representatives from Uponor, a Grand Slam Sponsor of the ballpark, along with their families, also participated in the event.
The Harmon Killebrew ballpark, located in Lakeville’s King Park on Dodd Boulevard, is a barrier-free, handicapped- and wheelchair-accessible baseball and softball field designed with a cushioned, rubberized playing surface especially for special-needs children. The new ballpark, which has been four years in the making, broke ground last September.
Click here to read more and download the press release and hi-res images.
Grundfos Pumps Corporation today announced that it will voluntarily cut in half the amount of potable water used to irrigate its 27-acre Fresno campus during 2011, with plans to eliminate the practice entirely by the end of 2012.
As a result, the global pumps and pumping systems manufacturer will save roughly 3 million gallons of potable water during 2011 - enough to fill four Olympic-sized swimming pools. In 2013, the facility plans for all campus irrigation to be supplied by reclaimed water.
To achieve a reduction of this scale, the company will redesign its entire campus master plan to utilize “water-wise” plant material; a new “smart” irrigation system; and water harvesting systems and techniques to replace existing potable water.
The aggressive plan bolsters existing sustainability programs already in place at the 180,000 square-foot manufacturing facility, including the addition of a seven-acre solar array, use of energy-efficient lighting, air compressors, pumps, fans and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
Click here for more information on this announcement, including a press release and downloadable hi-res photographs, visit:
On Monday, June 20, the entire Grundfos Pumps organization worldwide will participate in a daylong, “What Unites Us” event that will begin the process of working with a new set of six newly revitalized corporate values: Sustainable; Open and Trustworthy; Focused on People; Independent; Partnership; and Relentlessly Ambitious.
On this day, all 17,000 employees at Grundfos operations worldwide, including Grundfos North America in Olathe, Kansas, will attend 1,200 workshops to discuss what the values mean and how they are used. During the workshops, all employees will have the opportunity to tell their own versions of the six revitalized core values via text messages, photos and video uploads on a global value website.
In North America, approximately 1,500 Grundfos employees will participate in “What Unites Us” values day activities in Fresno, Calif.; Brookshire, Texas; Indianapolis, Ind.; and Allentown, Pa.; as well as in Canada, Mexico and in Olathe.
Click here to view the full press announcement regarding Grundfos’ values day activities and to download hi-res images.
The new 342,000-square-foot LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., seats more than 18,000 fans for soccer games and over 25,000 for concerts. When all those folks — or at least a large fraction of them — head for the restrooms during halftime and at intermission, the plumbing system in this new facility can get quite a workout. To ensure that sufficient water pressure is available to operate all the fixtures in the stadium properly, the mechanical engineer on the project chose to install a Grundfos BoosterpaQ Hydro MPC System, consisting of three vertical multi-stage CR pumps, to handle the “worst-case” flow capacity of 1,200 gallons per minute.
Click here to learn more about the project and the decision by the mechanical engineering firm, U.S. Engineering Company, to install the Grundfos pump system.
American Standard Brands also had some good news recently: their innovative FunBath tub conversion kit was awarded the 
Hank is ready to roll
