Winsupply opens
new Tennessee location

Winsupply has opened Winsupply of East Tennessee in Seymour, Tennessee. The new company is located just southeast of Knoxville near the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The company serves HVAC and plumbing contractors throughout east Tennessee.

Logan Hale is the president of Winsupply of East Tennessee. Hale previously was in HVAC distribution in the Knoxville area and in Georgia. He is a University of Tennessee graduate, who fell in love with the area and returned there to accept this ownership opportunity with Winsupply.

“We’re very impressed with Logan as a young leader and with his knowledge and experience in wholesale distribution,” said Rob Ferguson, president of Winsupply Local Company Group. “East Tennessee, including Knoxville and the surrounding area, is experiencing rapid growth and we feel Logan and his team will serve it well.”

Hale is investing in substantial ownership of the new Winsupply company in Seymour. In the Winsupply co-ownership business model, Winsupply has majority equity in each of its locations, while local company presidents like Hale, and sometimes employees, own substantial equity. In addition to local decision-making, they also share uncapped financial rewards and risks of ownership.

F.W. Webb acquires Connecticut distributor

F.W. Webb Co. announced the acquisition of Western Connecticut wholesale-distributor, Danbury Plumbing and HVAC Supply Co. The Danbury location is now operating as F.W. Webb, and as part of the transaction, the business’s Creative Bath will open as a Frank Webb Home retail showroom.

“This acquisition increases our presence in Connecticut and means that we can now support more contractors across the state with our large inventory and dedicated customer service,” said Jeff Pope, F.W. Webb president. “We look forward to building off of Danbury’s strong reputation as a trusted and reliable supplier.”

Danbury Plumbing and HVAC Supply Co. is an established supplier of plumbing, heating and HVAC products. For more than 100 years, it has been serving contractors in Connecticut’s Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven counties. Danbury’s service area has also expanded into parts of New York’s Westchester and Putnam counties. Its 6,000-square-foot kitchen and bath retail showroom, located in nearby Brookfield Connecticut, has been in business for nearly 45 years.

“I'd like to thank my loyal customers for their business over the past 25-plus years since I took over the company,” Danbury owner TJ Hunt said. “It has always been more than a business to me. It has allowed me to work with customers hand-in-hand and form many meaningful partnerships. Although the company names will be changing, I can assure you that the faces and service will remain the same.”

This acquisition marks the company’s eighth wholesale location in Connecticut and sixth Frank Webb Home showroom in the area. In the fall, F.W. Webb opened a 22,000-square-feet wholesale location in Norwich, Connecticut that serves the state’s central and eastern regions.

The Granite Group opens seventh new branch in last two years

Concord, New Hampshire-based The Granite Group announced the opening of its newest branch located at 25 Walts Way in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

Housed at a newly renovated facility in the South County of
Rhode Island, the Narragansett branch is by Branch Manager Nate Grenier. Grenier has been with The Granite Group for 20 years, and is one of the most respected and well-liked team members in the company, The Granite Group noted. He most recently worked as the operations manager for The Granite Group’s branch in Westerly, Rhode Island.

“Combined with our existing branches in Lincoln and Westerly, this new branch gives us the ability to efficiently service all of Rhode Island as well the bordering towns of Bristol County in Massachusetts,” The Granite Group Chief Operating Officer Chris Ploss said. “In addition to being extremely adept at customer service, Nate Grenier is a skilled 20-year veteran of the industry with an in-depth knowledge of the people and the businesses in the region. We know he is going to do a fantastic job leading our Narragansett team.”

Narragansett is the seventh new branch opened by The Granite Group over the last two years.

NIBCO promotes Martin to executive vice president

The NIBCO Board of Directors recently announced the appointment of Ashley Martin as executive vice president, effective immediately. Reporting to NIBCO President and CEO Steve Malm, Martin continues in her role as corporate officer and executive leadership team member; and serves as member of the NIBCO Board of Directors, a position she has held since 2018. She is responsible for maximizing the company’s operating performance and achieving its financial goals.

“Ashley’s business acumen, industry connections and experience have prepared her well,” said Malm in announcing Martin’s appointment. “Her innate leadership qualities and strategic vision will successfully propel NIBCO forward into its fifth generation.”

Ashley Martin

Since joining NIBCO in 2012, Martin has held a variety of positions, including senior vice president, sales; vice president of wholesale sales; general manager of PEX; and director of distribution and transportation. Martin co-founded the American Supply Association Women in Industry group in 2013. She served a two-year term as chairperson, beginning in 2016.

Martin received her bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Notre Dame, and holds a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in strategy and operations management from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Viega donates press tools to Texas relief efforts

Viega has donated 10 press tools to help restore plumbing to Texans affected by last month’s killer freeze. The 10 new Viega Pressgun Picco 6 tools, and ProPress and PureFlow jaws were given to Plumbers Without Borders, a nonprofit that is coordinating volunteer efforts to repair and replace plumbing systems damaged by a week-long deep freeze in Texas.

“Access to clean, flowing water is essential to life,” said Sean Debnath, vice president of sales and marketing at Viega. “We’re happy to put the Pressgun Picco 6 tools in the hands of contractors doing everything they can to restore water to affected Texans.”

“We certainly appreciate all the support we have received from Viega because it’s a great product and there’s a real need,” said Domenico DiGregorio, president of Plumbers Without Borders.

The Seattle-based nonprofit is working with charities Water Mission and the Austin Disaster Relief Network to restore water in Texas’ capital and suburbs.   

"The Viega tools are being distributed to plumbers who don’t have their own press tools," DiGregorio said, adding, “They are going to be a big help. Viega and other companies have really stepped up to help.”

About 90 volunteer plumbers from as far away as Florida, Ohio and Minnesota have driven trucks and trailers to Texas to help millions without water, DiGregorio said. Others are scheduled to arrive mid-month to help with work that he estimates will take months to complete.

Watts acquires Silicon Valley provider
of wireless water security solutions

The Detection Group, a provider of wireless water security
solutions and wireless water leak detection for commercial buildings, has joined the Watts family of brands.

Incorporating cutting-edge technology, its Trident Wireless water leak detection system allows for 24/7/365, real-time detection and notification of the precise location of water leaks in any size or age building — and is the gold standard for water leak detection, Watts states.

“TDG addresses a key pain point for commercial and multifamily building owners, that being rising insurance costs due to water leaks,” Watts CEO Robert J. Pagano said. “TDG represents another offering to bundle into our company’s overall suite of smart and connected products, which continues to represent a larger share of our sales. We welcome the TDG team to Watts.”

Obituary: Tom Bailey, Bailey Sales
Seattle, Washington

Thomas Robert Bailey, "Tom," was born in Seattle, Washington on Jan. 8, 1945, to Robert and Catherine Bailey. He grew up in the Beacon Hill community of Seattle with his
parents and younger brother, Bill Bailey. He graduated from Cleveland High School in 1963, and went on to receive a tradesman degree in tool and die making and apprenticed with the Boeing Airplane Co. Soon after graduation, he started working for his father at Bailey Sales, an independent manufacturers’ representative company. When his father died, he took over the family business.

Tom Bailey

Bailey joined AIM/R as a rep member early on in the 1980s, and always believed in the organization as a way to further the professionalism of any rep agency. A few years later, his brother, Bill, joined him, and they ran the family business together. In 1972, he began dating his soon-to-be wife, Deana Macri. They wed in April 1977. Tom built their family home together on Three Tree Point where they raised their two children — Cecily and Mica Bailey. 

Thirty-six years later, he retired and sold Bailey Sales. In 2017, Tom became a grandpa. He loved spending time with his family, racing go-karts, salmon fishing, restoring cars and building items in his shop. He is greatly missed, and his legacy continues, AIM/R noted.

In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations to The Tom Bailey Memorial Fund, which will provide financial support to a student pursuing a tradesman degree. If interested in donating, please contact Rick Root at rickr@fsm-rep.com or his daughter Mica Bailey via email at domenicabailey@gmail.com for details.

Compiled by Mike Miazga miazgam@bnpmedia.com