Industry News

Trusted manufacturers will present their high-efficiency, high-performing products at Canada’s top mechanical and plumbing event in Toronto March 22-24

Bradford White Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of water heaters, boilers and storage tanks, will showcase innovative products offered by its Bradford White Water Heaters and Laars® Heating Systems brands at the Canadian Mechanical and Plumbing Exposition (CMPX) in Toronto March 22-24.

“Professionals in our rapidly evolving industry are looking for the kind of reliable, high-efficiency and high-performance solutions Bradford White is known for,” said Neal Heyman, director of marketing for Bradford White. “CMPX is one of Canada’s biggest and best events for plumbing and mechanical professionals, and we’re looking forward to connecting with them to share first-hand demonstrations of our proven and trusted products.”

Representatives from Bradford White Water Heaters and Laars Heating Systems will be available at Booth 517 during CMPX, along with the following products:

• Bradford White AeroTherm® Series Heat Pump Water Heater: With 50-, 65- and 80-gallon capacity units available, the Bradford White Water Heaters ENERGY STAR®-certified AeroTherm® Series offers value, efficiency and versatility. AeroTherm® Series water heaters are easy to install and maintain and feature the AeroTherm® integrated smart control panel plus five operating modes (heat pump, hybrid, hybrid plus, electric and vacation).

• Bradford White ElectriFLEX HD™: With available advanced features such as rugged Incoloy® low-watt density elements, field conversion kits to fit demanding application needs, Bradford White’s proprietary Vitraglas® lining with Microban® antimicrobial product protection, and a Hydrojet® sediment reduction system, ElectriFLEX HD™ water heaters are designed for heavy-duty commercial applications.
• Bradford White Infiniti® GR Tankless Water Heaters: The ENERGY STAR®-certified Infiniti® GR tankless water heater offers energy efficiency, high performance and cutting-edge features, including a robust stainless steel heat exchanger, high temperature setting of 180 degrees, cascade rack installation and multiple venting options.
• Bradford White eF Series® Ultra High Efficiency Commercial Gas Water Heater: The ENERGY STAR®-certified eF Series® Ultra High Efficiency Gas Water Heaters feature BMS integration, protective powered anodes, thermal efficiency up to 97%, ICON HD® controls, direct spark ignition, three-pass fire-tube heat-exchanger system, and an installed T&P relief valve.
• Laars FT Series Floor Boiler and Combi: The Laars® FT Series floor standing condensing boiler comes in combi or heat only models. This powerhouse comes equipped with built-in low loss header, top connections, multiple access panels for easy install and a stainless-steel heat exchanger for ultra-high efficiency. The combi offers industry-leading 6-plus gallon first-minute DHW delivery.
• Laars FT Series Commercial Wall Hung Boiler: FT Series commercial wall-hung boilers are available in 301 and 399 MBH sizes, have a stainless steel firetube heat exchanger, 10:1 turndown, and 95%-plus efficiency. These robust boilers can be wall-hung or floor mounted, common-vented and are BMS compatible.
• Laars LT Series Tankless Water Heater: Ideal for residential or light commercial applications with a high temp output setting (185 degrees) and the ability to cascade up to 16 units. The newest member of Laars’ water heating lineup, the LT Series has 0.95 AFUE, a unique SS heat exchanger design with 15-year warranty, and gas-fired models that are capable of meeting Title 24 requirements.

CMPX is one of North America’s largest trade shows for the mechanical and plumbing industry. Attendees can source products, information, equipment and applications for industry professionals who want one-on-one access to the latest information and hands-on opportunities to come face-to-face with tomorrow’s trends.

For more information about CMPX, visit https://www.cmpxshow.com/.

For more information about Bradford White Water Heaters, visit https://www.bradfordwhite.com.

For more information about Laars Heating Systems, visit https://www.laars.com/.

New integration marks CallRail’s commitment to expanding investment across the home services category

CallRail, the AI-powered lead intelligence platform, today announced an integration with Jobber, the leading provider of operations management software for home service businesses. With this integration, mutual customers—such as landscapers, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and painters—will get a better understanding of the performance of their acquisition channels and gain deeper insights into those leads to win more business without having to leave the Jobber platform.

By connecting to the CallRail app in the Jobber app marketplace, service pros will be able to see how potential leads discovered their business, the connection between the marketing sources and keywords that led to booked jobs, and view the communications history each lead had with their business.

“Teaming up with Jobber continues our longstanding commitment to supporting home service professionals as the only lead intelligence software directly integrated into technology that services pros are already using everyday,” Marc Ginsberg, CallRail CEO, said. “Our technology automatically surfaces actionable insights from calls and highlights the marketing activities that are bringing those leads. Now, these insights are available within the Jobber platform and connected with job-specific data to help service pros know what’s bringing their most profitable jobs.”

While the home service category continues to see a steady demand for services, advertising costs have increased significantly, causing many businesses to rely on lower cost lead generation services. The partnership will specifically enable mutual customers to easily access unprecedented details about customer journey, from lead to job, as well as unparalleled access to customer conversation data through CallRail’s Conversation Intelligence® platform. This will be especially important in 2024 as service pros will need to consider alternative ways to grow revenue and save on costs according to the latest Jobber Home Service Economic Report.

“Spending money on marketing can be intimidating for home service businesses, which often operate on tight budgets where every dollar counts,” said Sam Pillar, CEO and co-founder of Jobber. “These entrepreneurs want assurance that their hard-earned dollars are being invested efficiently. At Jobber, we want to take the guesswork out of running a successful home service business and provide the right tools for service pros to win work faster. This integration with CallRail is a great example of how we are doing that.”

“Marketing is critical to the success of our home services business, but wasting money on ads that don’t bring in leads can be detrimental,” said Branden Sewell, Owner of Seal Pro Painting. “Knowing where leads are coming from helps me know which marketing strategies are working effectively, and which ones need to be adjusted or scrapped. It saves time, money, and allows our business to focus on what matters most: booking jobs and getting paid.”

To learn more about how home service pros can make the most of this partnership, visit: https://callrail.com/blog/jobber-integration-easier-lead-management

The leading provider of immersive skilled trades training joins the ranks of Nvidia, YouTube, Taco Bell and more

Interplay Learning has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024. The leading provider of immersive skilled trades training ranks #6 in the Applied AI category.

Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024 list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations. These organizations are setting new standards and achieving remarkable milestones in all sectors of the economy. Alongside the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, Fast Company recognizes 606 organizations across 58 sectors and regions.

“At Interplay, we believe in the power of training to not only improve people’s lives but to transform businesses and tackle key issues like the skilled labor shortage,” said Doug Donovan, Interplay Learning’s founder and CEO. “By using innovative technology like AI and VR to train skilled trades workers, we’re helping individuals find paths to rewarding careers and providing businesses with powerful tools to drive long-term growth.”

As demand for home services continues to surge, skilled trades businesses remain understaffed and struggle to hire workers. Interplay is addressing this industry challenge by providing innovative training solutions to help companies ramp workers faster and retain them longer. Interplay’s most recent innovation is SAM (Skill Advisor and Mentor), the first AI-powered mentor for learning and skill development in the skilled trades. SAM helps learners when they are training in Interplay’s award-winning platform by answering questions, encouraging critical thinking, fostering deep understanding, and accelerating the learning process.

SAM’s unique ability to help people gain skills faster and learn more efficiently is just one example of how Interplay’s innovative training solutions are empowering employers, educational institutions, and workforce development organizations with tools to solve the skilled labor gap and reimagine the way they approach workforce development.

Interplay’s digital training platform allows learners to practice high-demand, hands-on skills in a safe environment so companies can hire people with no experience and get them to be job-ready and productive faster. The use of virtual reality (VR) and simulation-based training provides businesses with a competitive edge and serves as a recruiting tool for them to attract a more diverse pool of workers and retain them longer with cross-skilling and career advancement – all important advantages in an industry dealing with a significant labor shortage. In addition, Interplay can act as a world-class mobile learning center, providing access to transformational career training to underserved communities throughout the world.

The World’s Most Innovative Companies stands as Fast Company‘s hallmark franchise and one of its most anticipated editorial efforts of the year. Fast Company’s editors and writers identified the companies driving progress around the world and across industries, evaluating thousands of submissions through a competitive application process. The result is a globe-spanning guide to innovation today, from early-stage startups to some of the most valuable companies in the world.

“Our list of the Most Innovative Companies is both a comprehensive look at the innovation economy and a snapshot of the business trends that defined the year,” said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “We saw extraordinary innovation across the board in 2023, but we also saw a handful of clear patterns: the growing footprint and impact of AI, the triumphant return of live events, and great leaps forward in climate tech. We face daunting challenges on many fronts, but the solutions we celebrate in MIC give me plenty of hope about the future.”

To learn more about Interplay Learning’s ongoing commitment to innovation and the transformation of skilled trades training, visit Interplay Learning.

More than two years since the launch of its industry-leading podcast “The Fix,” Oatey Co. is continuing to advance the conversation around the skilled trades through an exciting lineup of podcast guests in 2024. “The Fix,” which aims to shed light on the significance of the skilled trades, elevates the voices of many thought leaders and influential organizations that share a commitment to educating, inspiring and empowering the next generation of trade professionals.

Already this year, “The Fix” co-hosts Katherine Lehtinen and Doug Buchan have been joined in conversation by several compelling guests. Lori Tschol, co-founder of Women in Plumbing and Piping (WiPP) and owner of Eagle Pipe Heating and Air, joined The Fix in January to share her unconventional journey into the trades and the proactive measures WiPP is taking to champion women. Earlier this month, Scott Caron, master electrician and co-host of  “This Old House,” discussed his journey to becoming a master electrician and highlighted the pivotal role of trust, perseverance, and a supportive network in the trades.

Raising the bar for dynamic and community-oriented podcasting, Oatey also hosted its first live podcast show in January at the WWETT trade show in Indianapolis. Chris Price, president of the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation, chatted with Katherine Lehtinen and special guest co-host Danielle “Twig” Browne (@thelittlestplumber) about his organization’s efforts to foster the next generation of trades industry leaders, including K-12 and adult programs, plus creating opportunities for those who are overcoming hurdles like poverty and criminal backgrounds.

Listeners can look forward to a full slate of additional guests and topics in the coming year, including conversations with representatives of Women in Manufacturing, Explore the Trades and the Treasure Coast Builders Association.

“Each episode of ‘The Fix’ is much more than a conversation – it’s a connection and a commitment from Oatey to take action in supporting the pipeline of skilled trades talent,” says Katherine Lehtinen, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Oatey and co-host of ‘The Fix.’ “We are very intentional in following up with each of our guests to explore a further partnership, such as financial contributions, training support, in-person collaboration and beyond.”

New this year, listeners and followers can support “The Fix” initiative by purchasing Oatey-branded gear at www.oateyswag.com – each order helps fund donations and partnerships that champion the next generation of skilled trade professionals.

For the latest episode updates and more information, visit https://www.oatey.com/podcasts.