WQA Aquatech USA to Focus on Hands-on, Practical Help

New flexible format highlights business education and fundamentals.

In 100 days, those in the water treatment field and those just joining will begin taking part in a new conference format that will offer more opportunity than ever for hands-on learning and education about running a business.

WQA Aquatech USA 2008, to be held in Las Vegas March 25–28, has been revamped to provide more practical education in a more accessible way, according to the Water Quality Association. Included will be more business education on topics such as marketing and hiring and functional programs about vital and new techniques.

“What we are offering is powerful take-away value,” said Peter Censky, executive director of WQA. “This conference is engineered to create and develop relationships, but also to pick up straightforward knowledge that can mean more business success starting the day after it is over.”

WQA Aquatech USA is the only residential, commercial, and industrial water show of its kind in North America and is growing every year. Next year, more than 5,000 individuals are expected to attend.

Organizers promise more interactive training on the conference’s expansive tradeshow floor. More than 350 companies will be presenting new products and technology, mingled with scores of sessions presented directly by WQA and by exhibitors. With a reworked schedule, programs will be more accessible, allowing attendees a “create your own menu” approach.

Among some highlights are:

• Fundamentals: Four down-to-earth “chemistry concepts” classes will help attendees make the right choices when specifying treatment technologies. Other fundamentals sessions will focus on disinfection technologies and equipment, UV, ozone, chlorine feed pumps, and pump basics.
• More hands-on learning: Learn directly from exhibitors while forming helpful relationships at the same time. The tradeshow floor will include mini hands-on training sessions presented by exhibitors and additional business and technical sessions in the WQA booth.
• Expanded business education: A variety of topics will appeal to everyone, and the speakers are those in the water industry or with small business expertise. Classes will now be offered throughout the conference to allow more opportunities to participate.

Finally, three keynote addresses will be offered throughout the conference. They are Big Ideas That Are Changing Everything, Making Ads Work, and Teach Them Not to Sell.

For WQA certified personnel, the show offers up to 2.55 CPD (continuing professional development) credits. That is more than a full cycle-worth of credits for many of the certifications that are offered.

For more information or to register for the conference, visit wqa-aquatech.com or call WQA’s convention department at 630-505-0160. Hotel rooms and flights are booking up fast. Please note, the educational conference runs all four days; the tradeshow exhibition runs three days, March 26–28.

GRUNDFOS IN RECORD ACQUISITION
CONTINUED AGGRESSIVE GROWTH IN THE U.S. MARKET

Effective December 1 2007, the Grundfos Group, with Headquarters in Denmark has acquired Peerless Pump Company. Peerless is a US based (Indianapolis, IN and five other North American facilities) manufacturer of pumps and fire protection systems. With more than 400 employees and annual sales of USD 110 million, Peerless is Grundfos’ largest acquisition to date. Grundfos continues its aggressive growth strategy in North America.

Carsten Bjerg, Group President and CEO of Grundfos Group, comments:
"Recently we have focused on growing our business globally, especially in Eastern Europe, Asia and North America. The US market has a significant growth potential and seen in that perspective the acquisition of Peerless is of great strategic importance to Grundfos. Combined with the continued expansion of our R&D facilities and production capacity in North America, this acquisition is crucial to strengthening our US market position.”

Today, Grundfos’ sales in North America are USD 300m. The US pump market alone is estimated to be USD 6bn, so the business potential for Grundfos is huge. With the latest acquisition, Grundfos expects to double sales within a four year period reaching USD 600m.

Søren Ø. Sørensen, Group Executive Vice President and Chairman of the Board of Grundfos in North America, says:
“Grundfos has had a presence in the US market since 1973 and over the last three years we have made a series of major investments in North America to accelerate our growth. With the acquisition of Peerless we extend our product range as well as our US sales organization significantly. We expect a lot from this deal and see great potential for globalization especially of the Peerless fire protection systems.”

Peerless’ products are high-end and the company is considered to be one of the two most recognized water pump brands in the U.S. according to a 2007 survey conducted by the US based Pumps and Systems Magazine. All members of the “Fortune 10” have purchased pumps from Peerless.

Dean E. Douglas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Peerless, comments:
“We see Grundfos’ acquisition of Peerless as an extremely positive move for our customers as well as for the future security and continued development of our employees, of Peerless Pump itself, and our world wide sales network. The synergies between our organizations are significant and will allow Peerless to accelerate the rapid growth we have enjoyed over the past few years.”

Mr. Douglas will continue in his present position as President and CEO of Peerless with reference to the Grundfos Group’s new Regional Managing Director, Jes Munk Hansen.

In 2004, the Grundfos Group announced its strategy for North America. Since then the Group has made a number of strategic investments on the continent:
2007: Acquisition of Peerless
2007: R&D office in Silicon Valley
2006: Dosing pump competence center in Georgia
2006: Acquisition of Paco
2005: Product development in Kansas
2005: Establishment of factory in Mexico (opens in early 2008)
2004: Establishment of new HQ in Kansas and significant sales force expansion

Over this period of time, employment has increased from 530 to more than 1,200 and sales have grown from USD 144m to 410m including the Peerless acquisition.

Mr. Sørensen says:
“Grundfos will continue the investments in the US. Over the past two years we have acquired two new companies in the US. We have also added investments in product development to our US activities and we consider R&D essential for an optimum integration of our three US product portfolios - Grundfos, Paco and Peerless.”

On an annual basis the Grundfos Group invests 4% of its sales in R&D.

Facts about the Grundfos Group
The Grundfos Group, with headquarters in Denmark, develops, sells and produces almost 16 million pumps a year. With more than 16,000 employees worldwide, the Group is represented by sales and production companies in 41 countries. In 2006 Grundfos’ turnover was more than USD 2.6bn (DKK 15.4bn).

Contact
For comments please contact:
Group Executive Vice President, Søren Ø. Sørensen
Phone: (+45) 20 30 42 56
E-mail: soesoerensen@grundfos.com

SLOAN VALVE WINS 2007 GREEN POWER LEADERSHIP AWARD

Sloan, the world's leading manufacturer of water-conserving plumbing systems, has been awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the Green Power Leadership Award for its Green Power Purchase. Sloan offsets 100% of the energy used in its Franklin Park, Illinois, facility with renewable energy.

"Our purchase of Renewable Energy Credits is a very important and valid part of our corporate mission toward sustainability," says Jim Allen, manager of Sloan's water-efficiency division and a LEED-accredited professional, "but it isn't the only thing we do. For example, we are dramatically reducing the energy we consume to light our facility. Our reductions will have a meaningful effect on our carbon dioxide emissions and reduce our carbon footprint."

The EPA presented Sloan with the Green Power Purchaser Award as part of a national competition that recognizes the leading market-based deployments of renewable energy technologies. Sloan Valve Company's purchase of 20 million kilowatt-hours of green power is a unique commitment coming from a family-owned plumbing equipment manufacturer. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of water-efficient plumbing systems, driven by a mission of conservation that has been in place since the company's founding more than 100 years ago. The firm has a long-standing commitment to green building and is an industry leader in developing sustainable products and technologies, such as waterfree urinals and solar-powered faucets.

"As we go forward, our REC purchase will continue to be important, but we believe more important will be the actual reductions in energy consumption that we, as a company, achieve through our various initiatives," Allen adds. "It's a long road, and we are on our first steps of the journey."

Sloan Valve Company has helped advance the overall market for green power by showing other manufacturers how they can be an integral part of green building efforts. The company recently supplied the Chicago Center for Green Technology with water-efficient plumbing fixtures to support
the center's goal of helping professionals and homeowners learn about the cost savings and environmental benefits of green technologies. Sloan labels its products with a visible "made with renewable energy" seal.

Moreover, about 89% of a Sloan Flushometer is made from brass casting alloy, 99% of which is from recycled sources, and is itself completely recyclable or reusable in remodel projects. In addition to purchasing wind-energy credits, Sloan is committed to reducing its energy consumption and reducing its impact on the environment.

Sloan Valve Company is the world's leading manufacturer of water-efficient plumbing systems and has been in operation since 1906. Headquartered in Franklin Park, Illinois, the family-owned company manufactures plumbing products and accessories for commercial, industrial, and institutional markets worldwide. For more information, contact Sloan Valve Company at 800-9-VALVE-9 (800-982-5839, ext. 5609) or visit www.sloanvalve.com.

50 Years of Product Ingenuity Turned a Modest Company into a Chief Resource

With products found in homes across America, Sioux Chief is a name widely recognized in the plumbing trade. This privately held, family-run manufacturing company, with its distinctive Indian head trademark, manufactures everything from water hammer arresters to pre-formed copper transitions for sweat, PEX, CPVC, and PVC systems, as well as drainage, support, testing, tools, specialties, and access products.
Since its founding in 1957, Sioux Chief’s goal has been to make plumbing installation easier, more effective, and efficient. Throughout five decades of operation, the company has developed high-quality products that solve installation and plumbing headaches.
For example, its unique Finish Line™ adjustable drainage system is designed for easy leveling after the concrete pour. Laundry and icemaker boxes are now easier to install with the new Ox Box™ over-the-stud installation. These products are just two examples of recent new product introductions.
Sioux Chief was founded by the late Martin E. “Ed” Ismert. The values that Ed Ismert instilled during the company’s humble beginnings continue to be the driving force behind the company’s growth and expansion. Those values are concern for the plumbing tradesman, a culture based on family, and a dedication to continuous improvement.
“I don’t think my father ever expected that we would grow to the size we are today,” said Joe Ismert, Sioux Chief President and CEO. “On the other hand, dad knew that if you treated your customers and employees right, everything else would work itself out. To this day, we never take either group’s loyalty for granted.”
During its modest origins in a 3,000-square-foot space and only two employees, Sioux Chief began by packaging and selling specialty hangers. The current plant, office, and warehouse, located just outside of Kansas City, Missouri, now occupies over 100 times the size of the company’s original location.
Joe and his brother, Mike Ismert, purchased Sioux Chief and took over operations in 1977 and put a major emphasis on sales and new product development. As many as 50 new products have been introduced since, and Sioux Chief holds over 25 product patents. The company is able to go from idea to finished product very rapidly because they design and build their own machines, tools, and dies. This way Sioux Chief is able to ensure that exact product tolerances are achieved. With such a prosperous past, Sioux Chief will continue to be a dominant industry brand for another 50 years.

Des Plaines, IL: Geberit AG has announced the following management changes.

Bill Christensen, CEO of Geberit North America/The Chicago Faucets Company, based in Des Plaines, IL, will relocate to the Geberit corporate office in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland, and lead marketing for Geberit.

Andreas Nowak will become the CEO of Geberit North America/The Chicago Faucet Company. Mr. Nowak is currently the Managing Director of Geberit's Austrian sales company.

"We believe that these changes in our organization will help further strengthen our global position as the leader in plumbing technology," said Albert M. Baehny, CEO of Geberit AG. "Chicago Faucets is an established brand in the North American plumbing market and we will continue to focus on growing our commercial portfolio.