Hirsch Pipe & Supply announced it has acquired Hemet Valley Pipe & Supply. This is the 25th Hirsch Pipe & Supply store in Southern California and the first store in Riverside County.
“Hirsch is excited about this opportunity to join together with the Hemet Valley Pipe & Supply team and to work alongside former owner David Holt and his staff,” Hirsch President and CEO Bill Glockner said. “Bringing our people together allows us to continue our shared legacy of providing excellent customer service. It also allows Hirsch to extend our store network further into the Inland Empire so we can continue to provide more locations and products to the Southern California plumbing community.”
When asked about the acquisition, former owner of Hemet Valley Pipe & Supply, David Holt said, “This expansion allows us to provide our valued customers with more inventory and a deeper variety of products along with reinforcing Hemet’s long commitment to a complete line of septic and wastewater treatment products.”
Dakota Supply Group announced plans to open a new branch in Burnsville, Minnesota in March 2022. It will be DSG’s 13th location in Minnesota and its 46th across six states. The new facility will be located at 250 River Ridge Circle North in Burnsville with convenient access from Interstate 35W and Highway 13.
The new facility will serve the plumbing, HVAC and electrical needs in the southern portion of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area, including the communities of Apple Valley, Eagan, Savage and Bloomington. DSG announced in August a new location near Rogers to support the growth in the northwest metro area.
“We’re excited to announce another new location in the metro. It’s a further commitment from DSG to our current and future customers in the area,” said Clark Marshall, Minnesota general manager. “We are saving customers valuable travel time to get the materials they need.”
Winsupply has completed the purchase of Clinton, Iowa-based HVAC distributor Clausen Supply. Clausen Supply is one of the best-established HVAC distributors in the eastern Iowa region, Winsupply noted.
The previous owner, Jon Clausen, will be exiting the company immediately after close.
The HVAC distribution and sheet metal fabrication will be taken over by Guy Pauley, who has 29 years of wholesaling experience and has spent the last four years at M. Cooper Winsupply. The location will continue to do business as Winsupply Clinton IA Co., and have the following legal name: Winsupply Clinton IA Co.
Rheem has acquired Friedrich Air Conditioning from Monomoy Capital Partners, effective Aug. 30. Friedrich is an industry leader in high-end air conditioning solutions and will be a standalone business unit within the Rheem Global Air business.
“Growth by acquisition is part of our ongoing strategy,” said Chris Peel, president and CEO of Rheem. “The addition of Friedrich to the Rheem family of brands will complement our existing business lines, increase our commercial and residential air-conditioning offerings, and expand our presence in the hospitality and multifamily segments of our market.”
Friedrich’s room air-conditioning solutions are designed for use in homes, hotels and multifamily buildings, among other applications. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Fredrich’s manufacturing facilities are located in Monterrey, Mexico, with distribution centers based in Texas and New Jersey.
“Rheem’s innovation, commitment to quality and dedication to sustainability align perfectly with Friedrich,” said Chuck Campbell, CEO at Friedrich. “Additionally, Rheem’s history of investing in and strongly supporting its business units gives us great promise for our future together.”
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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Elkay will donate 101 Elkay ezH2O bottle filling stations at select city sites and nonprofits through a partnership with the city, Chicago Park District and Elevate to reduce plastic waste and expand cleaner, healthier drinking water throughout the south and west sides of Chicago. The units also include a lifetime supply of filters.
The bottle filling stations will be installed on Chicago’s south and west sides in the city’s parks, buildings and community centers and will bring access to clean drinking water across locations that need it most while helping reduce single-use plastic waste. This donation coincides with Elkay’s milestone of the production of the 1-millionth ezH2O bottle filling station, which was installed in Chicago’s Garfield Park neighborhood late last month.
"Delivering clean, drinkable water to all of our neighborhoods remains one of my administration's highest priorities," Lightfoot said. "Thanks to this incredible partnership, we will be able to reach this goal by expanding our residents' access to filtered water as well as reaffirm our commitment to driving resources into our south and west sides. I am extremely grateful for Elkay and Elevate's generosity and look forward to working with them to build a brighter, cleaner and more equitable Chicago."
City sites will have the bottle filling stations installed by the AIS union and include select parks and libraries, the Department of Family Support Services and select sites from the Chicago Housing Authority and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities.
"It’s an honor to be able to serve the city in which Elkay was founded and contribute to a cleaner environment and healthier Chicago community for generations to come,” said Ted Hamilton, president of Elkay Plumbing. "We’re thrilled to be a part of this journey with the City of Chicago and Elevate. These installations will bring access to clean drinking water to locations that need it most, from schools to parks to youth centers and facilities."
Chicago’s south and west side communities have been advocating for improved access to safe, reliable and clean drinking water for years. With the onset of COVID-19, many residents were left with even more limitations to access water from parks and other public facilities.
“There has never been a better time to provide high-quality touchless water stations bringing healthy, safe and affordable access to clean water to communities on Chicago’s south and west sides,” said Anne Evens, CEO of Elevate. “We’re proud to partner with Elkay, the city of Chicago, and the Chicago Park District to make this possible.”
The installation of Elkay’s bottle filling stations began this summer and will continue to be installed in locations of need throughout the fall.
RLS, manufacturer of the Rapid Locking System line of flame-free press-to-connect fittings for HVAC and refrigeration systems, is moving into a new 80,000-square-foot multipurpose facility in St. Louis, Missouri, which will serve as its corporate headquarters and will include a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, training center and showroom.
RLS will be relocating manufacturing from Shelbina, Missouri, where it has been sharing a plant with its sister company Cerro Flow Products. Both are part of the Plumbing and Refrigeration sector of Marmon Holdings, a Berkshire Hathaway company. All RLS operations are planned to be consolidated into the new building by the end of 2021.
“We’re very excited to have manufacturing, office staff and training all under one roof,” said Paul Schubert, president of RLS. “The larger, upgraded facility will significantly increase our production capacity to meet the growing demand for our products, and the new training center will allow us to regularly educate HVAC/R contractors and distributors on our patented press technology, which is easily identified by our unique double circular press and flares.
“As more and more contractors discover the many benefits of using press fittings over the traditional brazing process, they continue to choose the time-tested and field-proven technology provided by RLS. As a result, we are continuing to invest in the facilities, equipment and people needed to meet demand.”
BrassCraft Manufacturing Co., a manufacturer of quality rough plumbing products sold to professionals under the BrassCraft brand, announced a nationwide sweepstakes in honor of the company’s 75th anniversary. The sweepstakes, open to professional plumbers and contractors in the United States, will run for 75 days, from Sept. 1 to Nov. 15, and result in 10 winners pocketing $7,500 for a total of a $75,000 cash giveaway.
“For 75 years, we have worked to provide leading quality solutions that embody true craftsmanship,” said Mike Roberts, vice president of marketing and product development at BrassCraft. “We’ve achieved the brand and market leadership we have today because of the pros who share our commitment to quality and trust us with their name and reputation. This milestone is a reason to celebrate our brand, the pros who’ve gotten us here and the trade that drives us both.”
Any licensed plumber, HVAC technician or contractor in the United States can enter for their chance to win the sweepstakes at www.brasscraft.com/75th. Proof of eligibility is required. No purchase is necessary. Official rules can be found on the website.
Anniversary celebrations will extend on the company’s social media platforms (@BrassCraft, Facebook and Instagram) with prize giveaways and spotlights promoting tradesmen and women.
“At BrassCraft, we believe plumbing is a craft — one of the few we have left. We work hard every day to enable the craft, respect it, and put the pros who practice it at the forefront of our work every day,” Roberts said. “It’s our privilege and a responsibility to be trusted by pros. We want to take this moment to say thank you.”