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Richard DiToma Plumbing Business |
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Dan Foley From the Field |
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Bob "Hot Rod" Rohr Green Systems |
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Ellen Rohr Business Expert |
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Bristol Stickney Solar Solutions |
EMCOR Group, Inc. has acquired Mechanical Services of Central Florida, Inc. (MSI), a mechanical mobile services company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1974, MSI employs approximately 350 technical and service personnel utilizing over 100 service vehicles in the central and southwestern Florida regions. MSI provides a full array of mechanical services including 24-hour, 365-day mobile response and preventive maintenance, on-site building operations and maintenance services as well as hvac and plumbing construction and retrofit services. Additionally, MSI offers services specifically focused on evaluating, commissioning, controlling and rehabilitating HVAC systems in new and existing buildings. The 2008 revenues are expected to be approximately $40 million.
Also, EMCOR announced that it had acquired Professional Mechanical Contractors, LLC (PMC), a fire protection and fire sprinkler contractor headquartered in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
With over 25 years of industry experience, PMC is a leading Connecticut provider of fire protection services and fire sprinkler systems. PMC offers complete fire protection design, installation and 24/7 repair services throughout Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
EMCOR Services New England Mechanical (NEMSI) recently was named one of the “Best Places to Work” in Connecticut. The annual program to recognize the state’s top employers is sponsored by the Hartford Business Journal, the Connecticut Better Business Bureau, and Best Companies Group.
“Being named one of the best places to work in Connecticut for the second year in a row is indeed an honor,” said Dana Finnegan, president of EMCOR Services New England Mechanical. “It is testimony to a corporate culture at EMCOR that places a special emphasis on the well-being of employees, reflecting an attention to professional development, as well as a strict adherence to stringent safety practices in the field.”
Whether you are a burner technician, plumber, sales- person, home inspector, oil truck driver — HAOHSM (National Association of Oilheating Service Managers) invites you to attend its 55th annual convention and trade show, May 18-22 at the new Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford, Conn.
Classes will be offered for those in management or sales. The new NORA (National Oilheat Research Alliance) deliverable, an Internet-based Fuel Savings Analysis Calculator will be introduced. Bob Hedden will teach attendees how to use this valuable sales tool.
Meet Paula Dayton, Sippin Energy. Besides working as an accountant for one of the local oil companies, Dayton is a Certified Personal Trainer and licensed massage therapist. She currently is training for the April 2008 Fitness & Figure Competition in New Haven. She’ll share with you ways to control stress on the job and she’ll teach you some techniques and touch upon better nutrition.
If you are in the plumbing field and work with burners only occasionally, you might want to take advantage of Basic Burners 101; this 3-hour class will introduce attendees to the workings of the three major burners -- Beckett, Carlin and Riello. Factory reps will teach you proper installation of their burners, service, and how to maintain their individual burners. For those that don’t work with burners on a daily basis, it is a great opportunity for you to learn more about oil burners and meet the people that make the burners.
Don’t forget about the tabletop trade show -- you’ll get to view the latest in heating technologies. Talk with factory reps that will be on hand to answer questions and share the many products their companies offer.
For those of you that are interested about education or the nora certification program, naohsm has a host of classes that can earn you upward of three ceus. All you need to do is register so that naohsm can anticipate attendance.
For free registration, visit www.naohsm.org.
Proposed moratorium on gas taxes should be DOA
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) called Senator John McCain’s proposal for a temporary moratorium on gas taxes “irresponsible and short-sighted.”
Based on the Bush administration’s budget projections, AGC estimates that Senator McCain’s proposal for a “gas tax holiday” from Memorial Day to Labor Day would cost the Highway Trust Fund (htf) $8.5 billion. McCain’s proposal comes at a time when the HTF is already bleeding red ink. The proposed revenue cut would reduce federal highway funding to states by as much as 80%. A “gas tax holiday” would require massive cutbacks in transportation improvements nationwide, which would have far-reaching impacts throughout the economy.
“Senator McCain’s proposal will hurt consumers and is bad economic policy,” said AGC’s Chief Executive Officer Stephen E. Sandherr. “This proposal is not guaranteed to lower gas prices and ignores the real causes for the price increases.”
McCain’s proposal would further undermine states’ efforts to address safety, congestion, deteriorating infrastructure and economic development needs. Specifically, states and localities could face significant reductions in spending for transportation planning, highway and bridge repairs, public transit, clean air programs and most importantly highway safety. Also, without a predictable flow of Federal transportation funds, states and localities will have to defer vitally-needed transportation projects, which will increase their costs and result in safety concerns.
“A gas tax moratorium threatens billions of investment dollars and also puts at risk 295,000 transportation construction and related jobs,” added Sandherr. “It’s a bad idea at a time when the U.S. economy is heading in the wrong direction.”
HD Supply launches exclusive proprietary brands
HD Supply, a wholesale distributor focusing on serving the supply needs of professional customers in the infrastructure and energy, maintenance, repair and improvement and specialty construction markets, launched two new proprietary brands, Seasons and Brigade. The Seasons brand will be carried on products such as kitchen and bath fixtures and ceiling fans, ultimately used by consumers, while Brigade will be carried on heavy duty products such as tools and hardware, ultimately used by professional contractors on the job.
To ensure the integrity of proprietary branded products, HD Supply has implemented rigorous screening processes to ensure both the supplier and product meet specific requirements. Independent third-party audits of suppliers are conducted to confirm business practices are socially and environmentally responsible, and that production capacity, process capabilities and quality assurance systems dependably deliver a consistent product. Thorough product testing, conducted by expert third parties, assesses safety, performance and adherence to exact specifications. HD Supply also carries extensive liability and warranty coverage on all its proprietary branded products.
In other news, HD Supply Waterworks, an HD Supply business that distributes a complete line of water, sewer, fire protection and storm drain products to serve the needs of contractors and municipalities in the water, wastewater, storm and fire protection markets, announced it has finalized the purchase of D&M Fabrication, Inc. D&M Fabrication, Inc., located in Lodi, Calif., specializes in fabricating fire protection systems for distributors and contractors who design, sell and/or install systems for end users.
PMI signs memorandum with CIPH
Barbara C. Higgens, executive director of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI), and Ralph Suppa, president and general manager of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at PMI ’s Spring Meeting April 1 in California. The document is intended to establish a framework for cooperation between the two not-for-profit trade groups, thus formalizing an already productive 10-year relationship.
Based in Toronto, CIPH includes manufacturers, wholesaler distributors, master distributors, manufacturers’ agents and allied companies that manufacture and distribute plumbing, hydronic heating, industrial, waterworks and other mechanical products.
“The MOU expresses our mutual commitment to create an organized and systematic approach for voluntarily exchanging information and materials on common educational, technical, scientific, legislative and regulatory matters that affect the plumbing industry worldwide,” said Higgens. “We will do this through publications, reports, association conferences and industry meetings.”
Higgens also noted that pmi and ciph will continue to exchange invitations to their respective annual conferences, and bring together in-kind and additional resources as required to facilitate communications between the two associations. The two associations expect to develop a work plan to identify specific events and activities to achieve the purposes of this MOU.
PMI has forged similar agreements with two other associations outside the United States:
PMI also participates in The European Committee of the Valve Industry, or CEIR, a federation of national manufacturer associations, representing virtually the entire valve and fitting production in Europe.
“The world marketplace has changed dramatically since the 1970s, when PMI emerged from the old Plumbing Brass Institute,” Higgens remarked. “That is why PMI revised its bylaws several years ago to attract non-U.S.-based companies to our ranks and to begin an ongoing dialogue with our counterparts around the globe. By working together, we hope to assure the growth and expansion of the plumbing industry worldwide.”
