October 2017

By Matt Sigler, PMI Technical Director

On June 22, 2016, President Barack Obama signed into the law the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (LCSA). The act provides new responsibilities and authorities to the EPA to improve chemical safety beyond the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that was signed into law by President Gerald Ford to regulate chemicals in commerce to protect public health and the environment.

Some of the key provisions in the LCSA are:

• Review of existing chemicals. EPA must conduct risk evaluations on existing chemicals to determine if they are either a “high priority” or “low priority.” For a chemical that is determined to be a “high priority” and poses an “unreasonable risk,” the EPA can ban, phase out or impose restrictions on such a chemical.
• New chemicals and significant new uses. EPA is required to affirm that a new chemical or significant new use will meet new risk-based safety standards before entering the marketplace.
• Preempting state actions. State actions taken before April 22, 2016, are preserved (i.e. California Proposition 65). However, a new action by a state on a chemical is on hold if the EPA is currently conducting a risk evaluation on the same chemical.
• Confidential business information (CBI) claims. EPA can require a manufacturer that claims CBI protection to substantiate such a claim and determine if such information should be protected from disclosure.
• Fees. The EPA is permitted to collect fees from manufacturers and processors, up to $25 million annually, for a range of implementation activities including reviewing test data and conducting chemical risk evaluations.

We are now a little over a year from when the LCSA was signed into law, and the EPA has accomplished the following:

• Finalized a process to conduct risk evaluations for existing chemicals. goo.gl/awzFk9
• Identified the first 10 chemicals for risk evaluations, including trichloroethylene (TCE) that is used for the machining of parts.goo.gl/769h8X
• Released guidance to assist interested parties in submitting draft risk evaluations to EPA. goo.gl/gSbNdV
• Finalized the TSCA Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Rule that requires industry to report chemicals that have been manufactured or processed in the U.S. over the past 10 years. goo.gl/aAyM8d

In regard to what is most relevant to PMI members at this time, it would be the TSCA Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Rule that was published in the Federal Register on August 11. (goo.gl/EVu5RG) In addition to what was previously stated, manufacturers must report chemicals within 180 days, and processors within 240 days, from when the rule was published in the Federal Register.

It should be noted that the EPA defines “process” to include: “the preparation of a chemical substance or mixture, after its manufacture, (1) in the same form or physical state as, or in a different form or physical state from, that in which it was received by the person so preparing such substance or mixture, or (2) as part of a mixture or article containing the chemical substance or mixture.”

PMI encourages each member to consult with legal representation to determine the impact of the LCSA on its individual business. For more information on the LCSA, visit goo.gl/XqyGMX.

By Kerry Stackpole, FASAE/CAE, PMI CEO/Executive Director

No one has to tell you the work of a leader is tough and challenging. Some weeks and days —heck, some hours —are a lot better than others. So how do you do it all? The daily rotation of in-office visitors, conference calls, e-mails, text messages, customer phone calls, presentations, regulatory compliance, investors, boards — big and little decisions all day long? And oh, let’s not forget the occasional real world “fire in your trash bucket” crisis.

For some leaders, this constant influx is managed by effective delegation and time management. Some is handled by prioritizing and persistently pushing ahead. Realizing that on some days you just aren’t going to be successful, that you’ll be stressed or worn-down, comes as part of the job. Probably not your favorite part, but still. The loneliness or isolation one can feel in a leadership role comes with the territory.

How do you stay in the game? It’s captured in a Latin word whose original meaning, “leaping back,” migrated to English as resilience – the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. The American Psychological Association and the Discovery Health Channel teamed up to offer a compass for the road to resilience:

• Make connections. Good relationships with close family members, friends, or others are important. Accepting help and support from those who care about you and will listen to you strengthens resilience. Assisting others in their time of need also can benefit the helper.
• Avoid seeing a crisis as an insurmountable problem. You can’t change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond. Try looking beyond the present to how future circumstances may be a little better. Take note of any subtle ways in which you might already feel somewhat better as you deal with difficult situations.
• Move toward your goals. Develop some realistic goals. Do something regularly — even if it seems like a small accomplishment — that enables you to move toward your goals. Instead of focusing on tasks that seem unachievable, ask yourself, “What’s one thing I know I can accomplish today that helps me move in the direction I want to go?”
• Take decisive actions. Act on adverse situations as much as you can. Take decisive actions, rather than detaching completely from problems and stresses and wishing they would just go away. As former GE Chairman Jack Welch was fond of saying, “Face reality as it is, not as it was, or as you wish it were.”
• Maintain a hopeful outlook. An optimistic outlook enables you to expect that good things will happen in your life. Focus on what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear.

It was Max De Pree, the former head of Herman Miller, the office furniture maker, who crystallized the essence of resilient servant leadership in his classic Leadership Is An Art. He wrote, “The first job of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” Under his leadership, Herman Miller was recognized for its excellence in management and innovation. Max DePree’s relationships with designers and architects put human-centered, problem-solving design at the heart of the company. I was saddened to learn Max DePree passed away on August 8. His work and legacy are shining examples of servant leadership and resiliency in motion.

Nobody does this work alone. At least not successfully. Every day, a small, extraordinary and dedicated team of colleagues make the work of meeting your needs more effective, more efficient, and more fun. I could not successfully do my work without their great efforts and commitment to success. It was Steve Jobs who made the insightful observation that “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

In my early go here at PMI, as I have moved about meeting members, regulators, elected leaders, lobbyists; sharing ideas with volunteers; learning and exploring, I am struck by the resilient nature of people in our industry. Serving on the association’s committees, they freely lend their expertise to the goals and aspirations of others. They are servant leaders and it shows in their results, experiences and achievements. I am thankful to all of them for their candor, compassion and generosity. They give PMI and by extension PMI members so much value. They have offered much encouragement and shared their own foibles with great humor and honesty.

Tough times come and go. Tough-minded servant leaders are here to stay. Your personal strategy for fostering resilience will make all the difference. The next step really is up to you.

From father to son to grandson, working in the plumbing industry – or working with policymakers who affect the industry – has seemed to have woven its way into the Gleiberman DNA. Danny Gleiberman, co-chair of PMI’s Water Efficiency and Sustainability Issue Committee, learned from his dad Manny, a small plumbing contractor in California, how every person in the chain – from customers to inspectors to local politicians – plays an important role in successfully navigating local plumbing codes.

Those early lessons helped draw the blueprint for Danny’s career today as manager of product compliance and government affairs at Sloan Valve Company. And his affinity for collaborating with policymakers on the legislative process has taken root in Danny’s son, Jack, an intern for U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu (D-Calif.).

“I really enjoy the policy side of this business for both Sloan and working on behalf of PMI over the past decade,” Danny said. “Transparency in policy making, creating stakeholder collaboration and gathering input from all involved ultimately leads to better educated officials and better legislation for the plumbing industry.”

He’s excited about working with PMI on what he describes as the “next step in the continuum on how our products impact the environment.” That next step, and an overall goal of the committee he co-chairs, is developing Product Category Rule (PCR) guidelines for water-using plumbing products, providing a consistent set of rules and calculations for disclosing how products are produced, how their lifecycles are assessed and how they impact the environment. The first set of guidelines for kitchen and bath vessels, including sinks, bathtubs and toilet bowls, was published about 18 months ago and was well received by PMI members.

“This will provide an apples-to-apples comparison that everyone in our industry can use to evaluate their products,” Danny said. “It also sends the right message, and is in line with PMI’s vision, that we want all our products to stand on their own in a transparent manner.”

Growing up and working in California made him keenly aware of the limited amount of water available, fueling his passion for the green building movement. After earning a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from UCLA, Danny learned all he could as deputy director of planning and building for a large California municipality before fully immersing himself in the plumbing industry.

His work at Falcon Waterfree Technologies, a California company specializing in indoor water conservation and water-free urinals, eventually led Danny to his current position at Sloan. “It makes sense I work for a company that was a pioneer in the green building movement,” Danny said. “The first thing I do when I go anywhere is head to the bathroom to see if they’re using Sloan products. That’s how much I love what I do.”

A founding member of his local chapter of the United States Green Building Council, Danny considers himself, along with PMI and its members, as a bridge builder, bringing together environmental groups, policymakers and the plumbing industry to improve infrastructure and conserve water through innovation and a focus on the future.

Outside the office, Danny spends time with his family volunteering to feed the homeless and stocking the food pantry at his local temple. He’s also an avid fan of the UCLA Bruins basketball and football teams, which he thought might throw a wrench into his dating life when he met his wife, Deborah, a theatre major at rival USC. “When we attended a UCLA game and she proceeded to read her design magazine, I knew we’d be okay,” Danny joked. Danny and Deborah, a successful and published interior designer, are raising daughters Mia, a high school senior, and Rose, an eighth grader, and enjoying seeing their son, Jack, learning the ropes as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C.

For organizations looking to gain visibility while supporting the plumbing manufacturing industry, there’s no better venue than the 2017 PMI Conference.

In addition to the usual high-value conference opportunities, this year’s President’s Dinner Honoring Barbara C. Higgens (goo.gl/FVV5f5 ) provides attendees with a special one-time opportunity to honor a great industry leader while contributing to initiatives that will make the plumbing manufacturing industry even stronger.

Conference Sponsorship Opportunities Still Plentiful

As of Ripple Effect’s publication date, BNP Media/Supply House Times, CSA Group, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), International Code Council (ICC), ICC-Evaluation Service (ICC-ES), NSF International, and TMB/Plumbing Engineer have recognized the incredible value of showcasing their services to top executives and technical experts who attend the annual PMI Conference. Join them as a PMI Conference sponsor! goo.gl/FVV5f5

The PMI Conference sponsorship line-up so far is:

• BNP Media/Supply House Times: Tabletop Display
• CSA Group: PMI Member Tabletop Display
• IAPMO: Badge Schedule
• ICC: Keynote Speaker Doc Hendley
• ICC-ES: Conference Lunch and Coffee Break
• NSF International: PMI Member Tabletop Display and Coffee Break
• TMB/Plumbing Engineer: Tabletop Display
• World Vision: Tabletop Display

Many more high-profile events and activities are available – cocktail receptions, keynote speaker, tabletops, winery tour and dinner, and more! Conference sponsorship packages include up to two conference registrations. Join the list of organizations who are putting their names and services in front of decision makers and influencers at the 2017 PMI Conference.

President’s Dinner Honoring Barbara C. Higgens

Few have done more to promote a dynamic vision of the future for the plumbing manufacturing industry than Barbara “Barb” Higgens, PMI’s former CEO and executive director who retired from service in June 2017. During her 19 years at the helm, Barb led the charge for new member services, advances in advocacy, committee and board development, prodigious partnerships, and limiting the never-ending challenge of regulatory oversight.

As of Ripple Effect’s publication date, Bradley Corporation, Delta Faucet Company, ICC-ES and TOTO USA have signed on to be dinner sponsors. All conference attendees and sponsors are invited to attend the President’s Dinner Honoring Barbara C. Higgens, which will be held on the first evening of the conference, Monday, November 13, 2017, at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Sonoma Wine Country, California. The event includes a reception, dinner, recognition ceremony and entertainment.

The benefits of sponsorship include:

• Positive Brand Association — Align your organization, staff and customers with an event highlighting the people of plumbing and the plumbing manufacturing industry brand in a way that attracts universal positive sentiment.
• Supporting PMI Communications and Public Relations Objectives — Leverage with the press the President’s Dinner Honoring Barbara Higgens and her extraordinary contributions to the industry to increase exposure for your organization.
• Targeted Visibility — Secure logo placements or mentions across all President’s Dinner Honoring Barbara Higgens and PMI Conference channels, distributed to press outlets, industry supporters and influencers around the country.
• Dinner Tickets – For registered conference participants, the dinner is included in their registration fee. For sponsors, dinner tickets are included in the sponsorship.

ICC Becomes PMI’s First Gold Sponsor

In addition to the conference sponsorship opportunities, PMI’s Gold and Silver Sponsorships (goo.gl/a3t2iF) provide options for reaching PMI’s influential membership on an ongoing basis. The International Code Council (ICC) recently became PMI’s first Gold Sponsor, giving this organization a wonderful opportunity to promote their services — either via SafePlumbing.org, Inside MY PMI or Ripple Effect. Including up to two registrations for the 2017 PMI Conference. Gold and Silver Sponsorships support the PMI mission by funding new initiatives. Contact Jodi Stuhrberg today at jstuhrberg@safeplumbing.org to talk about Gold and Silver Sponsorship opportunities!

By Shayne La Combre, Chair, World Plumbing Council

The World Plumbing Council (WPC) wants strong industry frameworks for plumbing industries, and we think better frameworks will result from plumbing industries learning from each other.

Will you help us in this effort?

The frameworks of plumbing industries can be categorised into four dimensions, which the WPC describes as the Four Pillars of Plumbing:

• Participation: primarily the training requirements to work in the industry
• Practices: standards and accountability in day-to-day work in the industry
• Products: features and quality of the materials, fittings and appliances used in plumbing work
• Protection: measures to minimise risks and provide redress when failures occur

The first step for this initiative is simple. The WPC is just asking for a clear description of the training requirements to participate in the plumbing industry in your country or jurisdiction. The WPC has a guideline for producing the descriptions but will be happy to receive a description in any form.

The second step is optional but should also be simple for many stakeholders in plumbing industries. The WPC asks you to state any changes you want regarding training requirements for your plumbing industry and to note any evidence or arguments supporting your wanted changes.

In other words, the first step asks you to give a straight factual picture of the current training requirements for your plumbing industry, and the second step asks you to state what you think the training requirements should be and why.

Through these two steps, the aim is to create a storehouse of per-country or per-jurisdiction case studies concerning training requirements to participate in plumbing industries.

After we have gained a collection of case studies for the participation (training-requirements) ‘pillar’, we will repeat the process to obtain case studies for the other three pillars.

The WPC is holding its first Four Pillars of Plumbing Forum, focused on training requirements, on October 19, 2017, in Abu Dhabi, in conjunction with the 2017 WorldSkills Competition. The initial phase of the Four Pillars program will culminate in the next World Plumbing Conference in September 2019, in Melbourne, Australia. The theme for the conference is: What’s the best way to build a plumbing industry?

Plumbing industries can get ideas for improving their industry frameworks by learning about the features of frameworks in other jurisdictions. We can jointly gather evidence and arguments that support establishing – and in some cases defending – strong frameworks for plumbing industries.

WPC members, and other organizations that contribute case studies, will be able to draw on this unique storehouse of knowledge. WPC members will also be able to obtain tailored information from the WPC secretariat drawn from analysis of the case studies.

The WPC does not think there is a one-size-fits-all ‘best’ plumbing industry framework. The economic, institutional and cultural environments of plumbing industries, and the scopes of plumbing industries, are too varied globally for there to be one ideal framework. But we do think better frameworks bring better outcomes, with the outcomes ranging from better availability of clean water and efficient sanitation services to better prosperity of plumbing businesses and better growth of strong plumbing industries.

If you are willing to help this initiative, whether by contributing a case study for one or more of the pillars or some other means, please contact the World Plumbing Council on secretariat@worldplumbing.org. In particular I encourage you to join us in Abu Dhabi for the WPC General Meeting + Four Pillars Forum event on October 19.

In line with American public opinion, PMI members want safe and efficient water infrastructure, fair international trade that creates American jobs, and tax reforms that encourage investment and create growth. A delegation of PMI member executives took to Capitol Hill on Sept. 13–14 to tell Congressional representatives about the important public health and economic roles their companies play while advocating for the EPA’s WaterSense program and pro-growth tax and trade policies during PMI’s annual Executive Forum and Fly-In.

PMI members attend the meeting each year to gain insights into economic trends from expert presenters and to strategize about how to further their interests within the current political environment. “The Fly In enables us to learn more about priority issues and brings about ‘ah ha’ moments through which you gain new insights,” said PMI Board President Pete Jahrling, director, product engineering/intellectual property, Sloan Valve Company. “I can report these learnings to my management, discuss what they mean to us, and plan how to gain the best advantage.”

“In slightly more than a decade, WaterSense has transformed water efficiency in the U.S. – saving 2.1 trillion gallons of water and $46.3 billion in water and energy bills,” said Kerry Stackpole, PMI CEO/executive director. “Plumbing manufacturers have developed 21,000 WaterSense-labeled product models, including toilets, showerheads and faucets. WaterSense is a federal program that works – it has achieved quantifiable water and energy savings, a rave review from the EPA inspector general, and bipartisan support.”

“This meeting provides a forum for PMI members to examine key, pertinent issues within our industry and to develop a collective vision of how to move the industry forward,” said Misty Guard, International Code Council vice president and PMI member.

“All the PMI members work to support the efforts of their individual companies. The Fly In allows us to share ideas and learnings with other member companies about legislative issues that we are all stakeholders in,” said Michael Miller, PMI board member and director of product partnerships, LSP.

See PMI’s WaterSense issue brief.
See PMI’s tax reform issue brief.
See PMI’s NAFTA issue brief.