Bob Pagano, CEO, Watts
North Andover, Mass.—Watts Water Technologies celebrated its 150-year anniversary in style this past week as nearly 300 past and current employees, trade press and local dignitaries gathered to celebrate the long-continued success of the company. Keynotes from Chris Jameison, Senior Vice President and General Manager, and Bob Pagano, CEO, and a special presentation from Tim Horne, Director Emeritus, Watts Water Technologies kicked off the event.
The goal for Watts moving forward—to paraphrase Jameison— is to “improve comfort, safety and quality of life” for its customers. Pagano echoed that sentiment emphasizing safety, water conservation and energy efficiency as key tenets for the company.
Tim Horne
Horne regaled the audience of stories of his great grandfather breaking ground, mock home explosions and company growth. What started as a $15,000 investment with the purchase of the company from Joseph E. Watts, a machinist who emigrated to Lawrence, Mass., by Burchard Everett “B.E.” Horne, the company grew exponentially over the years due to expansion through acquisitions, and innovations such as the introduction of the T&P relief valve and entering the backflow market among others, for example. The company stayed in the Horne family for three generations where it is now in good hands, run capably by current CEO Pagano. The company is now worth more than $2+ Billion. Yes, that’s with a B. “Anniversaries are actually more about the future than the past,” says Horne.
The trade media experienced cutting-edge technologies with access to six stations manned by Watts/Bradley experts in what was called the 2024 New Innovations Tour.
Phil Jagelski, Senior Technical Instructor and Instructional Designer, Bradley/Watts gives a tour of the Bradvan, while showing Bradley’s Eyewash Station, wash basin, and an impenetrable storage locker, for example.
Oh, before all of that, media members were granted an exclusive tour of one of the “Bradvans,” one of six of Bradley Corp.’s mobile units that traverses the United States. Backstory, Watts acquired Bradley—a veteran manufacturer of commercial washroom and emergency safety solutions, serving the commercial and industrial end markets for more than 100 years—in 2023.
Three vans feature Bradley commercial, more architectural products, while the other three vans feature Bradley’s Safety Industrial Solutions such as the Halo Swing Activated Faucet Eyewash.
Stop 1 saw the future for Watts technology in its Nexa intelligent water management system. Coming very soon, this sensing technology empowers building owners and operators with unmatched insight and control, improving system efficiency, mitigating the risk of water damage, and conserving water and energy to provide the best occupant experience possible.
Stop 2 on the Innovation Tour featured Watts’ Smart Strainer, which prevents suspended particles and debris from damaging downstream equipment. Integrated differential pressure monitoring proactively alerts users to pressure drops, helping to prevent system damage, avoid downtime, and ensure consistent flow.
Nate Kogler talk about Bradley’s Commercial Washroom and Emergency Safety and Industrial Solutions.
Stop 3 was the inclusion of Bradley products, which featured The Elvari™ Collection of washroom accessories seamlessly blends style and substance for a modern, commercial washroom experience. The Halo™ Swing Activated Faucet Eyewash space-saving design combines best-in-class critical safety equipment for swift emergency response. Elegance meets efficiency with the Verge® with WashBar® WB2 1-Station, providing a touchless, all-in-one solution for washing, rinsing, and drying hands.
The Verge with touchless WashBar WB2 1-Station is so slick, and it just makes sense—clean, rinse and dry your hands all in one place.
Shashwat Nath demos the Intellidation 2.
Stop 4 featured the The IntelliStation® 2 loT-enabled Digital Mixing Valve, which offers significantly improved performance over traditional thermostatic mixing valves, ensuring consistent water temperatures in low and high-demand situations. IntelliStation 2 seamlessly integrates with Nexa for enhanced system insight and control and comes available in pre-piped
configurations for unique installations.
Stop 5 a highly unique investment of Ultra High-Purity Piping (UHP), which offers clean room piping for ROID, manufacturing, and cooling processes. Molded from highly-durable Kynar® PVDF resin, all piping is made-to-order in North America, ensuring short lead times for faster system build-outs.
Stop 6, the last stop on the Innovation Tour, featured Leak Defense’s BuildAlert™ product, which provides 24/7 job site leak protection, providing protection against flooding even when you’re offsite. With remote monitoring and control, you can prevent costly water damage claims and avoid project delays.
