A. O. Smith announces executive changes

A.O. Smith Corp. announced the retirement of Paul Dana, senior vice president — global operations, effective April 1, and Sam Carver, vice president — North American manufacturing, has been named his successor.

In his new role, Carver will help expand global operations and build on the strong foundation Dana and his team have established, the company noted. Carver joined A. O. Smith in 2006 as plant manager at the McBee, South Carolina, facility, and has served in various roles throughout his tenure. He was promoted to vice president — North American manufacturing in 2011.

“Sam has been a driving force behind the development and launch of the A. O. Smith Operating System across our North America Water Heating business,” said Kevin Wheeler, chairman, president and CEO. “Additionally, he is a true champion of talent development, and believes that investing and developing people can improve overall productivity and provide growth opportunities for our employees within the organization.”

Dana’s career with A. O. Smith began in 1998 when he was hired as plant manager for residential water heater operations in Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Over the course of his career, he relocated numerous times and took on greater roles and responsibilities, including vice president — product engineering, president of APCOM and most recently in 2015, when he was named to his current role.

“Paul has proven to be an invaluable resource to the organization with his vast knowledge of our business, global experience and his passion to make things better,” Wheeler said. “We thank Paul for his dedication, dynamic leadership and unwavering commitment to his team and our organization.”

Carver and Dana will work closely over the next few months to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.

Healthy Handwashing Survey reveals declining pandemic results

Unfortunately, as the pandemic has worn on, Americans seem to be backsliding on their handwashing habits. According to the Healthy Handwashing Survey conducted in January by Bradley Corp., 57% of Americans are washing their hands six or more times a day. That’s quite a drop off from the 78% of Americans who were washing that frequently when the survey was conducted in April of 2020.

The lackadaisical approach is a stark contrast to the 81% of Americans who say they are concerned about contracting the coronavirus, Bradley noted. Case in point, just 53% say they wash their hands after returning from a trip outside the home. Last April, 67% were washing after venturing out. In addition, just 38% are currently reminding family members to wash their hands compared to 54% last year.

“Handwashing has been shown to be a simple, safe and effective way to reduce the transmission of viruses and bacteria, including the virus that causes COVID-19,” said medical microbiologist Michael P. McCann, Ph.D., professor of biology, Saint Joseph’s University. “It is essential that everyone maintain high levels of personal hygiene, and that we not relax our guard now that vaccines are becoming available. Washing our hands, wearing masks and practicing social distancing are all easy things that we can and must do as we try to overcome this virus and return to a more normal way of life.”

The annual Healthy Handwashing Survey from Bradley Corp. queried 1,050 American adults Jan. 11-13, about their handwashing habits, concerns about the coronavirus and flu and their use of public restrooms. 

The survey found the length of time Americans are sudsing up has also taken a dive. In January, 67% said they were scrubbing their hands for 20 seconds or longer compared to 77% percent who were washing that long in April 2020. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends spending at least 20 seconds to lather up, scrub and rinse.

SupplyHouse.com opens new distribution center

SupplyHouse.com, an e-commerce company that sells plumbing and HVAC supplies, announced it is opening a new distribution center in Farmers Branch, Texas, this spring. This will be the fourth distribution center the company has added since its inception in 2004. It’s most recent distribution center was added in 2018 in Reno, Nevada. The Dallas addition will bring the company’s total fulfillment space to 742,000 square feet.

The company is expected to hire 30 employees for order fulfillment within the 177,320-square-foot building in Dallas.

With this new distribution center, SupplyHouse.com will improve delivery times by one to two days in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.

“When our operations begin in Dallas, Texas, we’ll be able to service 57% of our customers within one day and 97% of our customers within two days,” said Eric Sherman, operations captain at SupplyHouse.com. “We’re excited to get started and looking forward to having a presence for our customers in the local Dallas area.”

Watts welcomes new product manager

Watts announced Shashwat Nath has joined the company as senior product manager, shutoff valves. He has overall responsibility for the strategy, new product development and product management of Watts’ solutions for ball valves and butterfly valves, as well as its range of AquaLock, ANKA and APEX plumbing system fittings.

Nath brings to Watts extensive experience in product management for large product portfolios across several industry verticals. He also has extensive experience related to IoT systems, both hardware and software.

Jarboe’s acquires Pacific Plumbing

Jarboe’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, a provider of plumbing and HVAC services that serves the greater Louisville, Kentucky area, announced its acquisition of Pacific Plumbing, a plumbing service provider that has operated around Louisville for 10 years. The acquisition comes as Jarboe’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling continues its focus on expanding its team in Kentucky.

“Pacific Plumbing operates with the customer as the top priority,” said Jacob Huck, president of Jarboe’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling. “It is this commitment to making the customer experience a positive one each and every time, which can be difficult in the plumbing industry, that drew us to the company. We’re looking forward to continuing to provide that exemplary level of customer service to those Pacific Plumbing served.”

Jack Graham, owner of Pacific Plumbing, will be integrated into the Jarboe’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling team.

“I have always valued turning first-time customers into repeat customers,” Graham said. “Jarboe’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling has a long list of customers who come to them year after year, and that’s a testament to their ability to provide great customer service and expertise. I know Pacific Plumbing’s existing customers will continue to receive only the best, and I’m thrilled about that.”

BOND Brothers announces promotion

BOND Brothers, a family of companies providing the Northeast with construction management and general contracting services, promoted Tony Bond to president and CEO, a position from which he will oversee the strategic growth and planning of the BOND family of companies, including BOND Building, BOND Civil & Utility, and the newly created BOND Mechanical. Tony Bond replaces Edward A. Bond Jr. as CEO, who will be staying on as chairman of the board for BOND, and Robert Murray, who held the position of president of BOND for the past 10 years and will stay on as an advisor to the board.

“Tony has played a critical role in the expansion of our services and capabilities across the Northeast footprint, and I am delighted to welcome him as BOND’s new CEO, ushering in a new chapter for the company’s long and storied history,” Edward Bond, Jr. said. “As BOND continues to expand into new markets and geographies, Tony’s vision, and ability to deliver on long-range objectives will be essential to ensure the company continues to grow with a core focus on safety, client satisfaction and people development. This an incredibly exciting time for BOND, and the entire team is grateful to have him in this new role.”