President's Message

      Is it too early to hope that Spring may finally be upon us? I certainly hope not! I would like to bring greetings on behalf of the Edmonton CIPH Region Board and I hope everyone is having a good year so far. There are a lot of differing opinions on what exactly we are looking at for 2017 in terms of our economy and if things are going to finally turn around for Alberta. I think everyone wants to be cautiously optimistic and hope that things are going to start to look up.

     This past year we’ve had a great program to offer the membership with lots of good information on the economy and more. Here are some of the highlights as well as upcoming events in the near future. Regarding the Alberta economy, on March 9th we had the pleasure of hearing from Todd Hirsch from ATB Financial. Todd gave a great presentation showing, in his opinion, how Alberta is tentatively starting to recover from the past couple of years. He shared that while it’s going to take a while hopefully we will have some modest growth to look forward to.

     At the meeting, we also had Ralph Suppa, the President/ General Manager for the CIPH, and Bill Palamar, the CIPH National Chairman in attendance. Bill talked about the work that the CIPH is doing to try and harmonize the provinces when it comes to code adoption. This has great benefit to manufacturers, wholesalers, and contractors alike with consistent rules for consistent products.

     During the same meeting the CIPH Edmonton Region Board was given the CIPH Outstanding Region of the Year award for 2016 in recognition of the work that was done with the Edmonton Catholic School Board with the plumbing apprenticeship program. Two individuals who have given their time and energy to the plumbing industry throughout their careers were also given awards by the CIPH: Donna Cowan (Bartle & Gibson) received a Lifetime Service Award for her 40+ years in the plumbing industry while Jerry Dunn (Bartle & Gibson) received a 50 Year Service Plaque for his lifetime of dedication to our industry. These are amazing achievements, congratulations Jerry and Donna!

     March 11th marked World Plumbing Day and there were many great tweets and posts on LinkedIn in support of this event. The CIPH Edmonton Region also received a proclamation from the City of Edmonton in recognition of this important day. It is very interesting to think about the amount of water that we use in our everyday lives. To that point the CIPH has been tweeting a whole series of “Did you know” items in recognition of Canada’s 150th birthday. If you have Twitter you should subscribe as there is some great information! For example, did you know that the average Canadian uses 329 liters of water a day? Back to my earlier point, that is a lot of water!

     In the month of January, I had the pleasure of attending the JDC West business competition with Mike Stringer (Stringer Sales), Joe Howdle (Canplas), and Josh Pedersen (Bartle & Gibson). The CIPH sponsored this event to help get the message out there that the plumbing industry has a lot of opportunity for these bright young people. It was amazing talking to these university students from all over western Canada about their future career aspirations. Many of them, like perhaps ourselves, may not have initially thought about the plumbing industry. I am hoping we created some awareness for these young people in joining our industry and making it stronger. Succession planning is one of the most important items for a company to consider as it prepares for the future.

     In February we had Erin O’Neill come and speak to us at our region breakfast meeting. Erin is a Registered Professional Planner with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Erin was a very good speaker and extremely well informed about Fort McMurray and the devastation that occurred in that region last year. She spoke about the challenges during the fire and after the fire in trying to get people safely back to their homes. It is still mind boggling to think about the amount of people that were evacuated in such a short time span. The good news is that the rebuilding process is moving ahead full steam and Fort McMurray is on track for an eventual recovery from this disaster.  

     In April we have an upcoming business meeting featuring Chad Banman from Sandler Training. Chad is going to be talking to us about leadership with the interesting topic of “The Adversity Quotient – Quitters, Campers, and Climbers”. We also have our annual golf tournament on May the 10th at the Ranch along with our AGM. Another important item to put into your calendar is the Industry Dinner on October 16th followed by the CIPH Roadshow on October 17th at the River Cree.

     I sincerely hope you can join us for these great events and more as your Region board works hard to bring value to the membership. If you have any suggestions for events or content please feel free to reach out to myself or any of our board members.

Joseph Meier (Bartle & Gibson)           CIPH Edmonton Region President.

  Joseph Meier (Bartle and Gibson) Edmonton Region President
Donna Cowan (Bartle and Gibson) receives a life time service award for her 40 years in the industry. CIPH Board Chair Bill Palamar presents while Region President Joseph Meier looks on.
Jerry Dunn (Bartle and Gibson) receives a 50 year award for his service to the industry. CIPH Board Chair Bill Palamar presents while Region President Joseph Meier looks on.
T odd Hirsch, Chief Economist at ATB Financial, presents on Alberta's economy. 
Maureen Shenher of Edmonton Catholic Schools talks to the membership about the great partnership with CIPH.
CIPH Board Chair Bill Palamar presents the 2016 Outstanding Region of the Year Award to Joseph Meier and the Edmonton Region Board
(L to R) Luke Parke (Points West Marketing), Dave Hughes (NAIT), Garry Resch Jr. (Emco), Graham Faulder (Emco), Mike Stringer (Stringer Sales),  Scott Coxford (Spectrum Sales), Linda Wood Edwards (Region Coordinator), Joseph Meier (Bartle and Gibson), Bill Palamar (CIPH Board Chair), (missing Joe Howdle, Canplas Industries)
Chad Banman, Sandler Training






Half price for U-40s and First Timers!
CIPH Edmonton Region
Business Meeting #4
April 13, 2017
5 - 8 pm
Rig Hand Distillery
2104 - 8 Street, Bay B
Nisku, Alberta  T9E 7Y9

Distillery Tour and Tasting PLUS...

Speaker: Chad Banman, Sandler Training  

Topic: The Adversity Quotient: Quitters, Campers, and Climbers

When faced with life and business challenges many people stop short before they have tested their limits and contributed their utmost. Some individuals simply quit.  
  • How well do you withstand adversity?
  • Who will overcome adversity and who will be crushed?
  • Who will exceed expectations of their performance and potential and who will fall short?
  • Who will give up and who will prevail?
There are three types of people we encounter along our journey up the mountain. These individuals have different responses to the ascent and as a result enjoy varying levels of success and joy in their lives. Successfully dealing with adversity is a learned skill – understanding how you and your people handle adversity is the beginning of the learning. When the going gets tough quitters give up, campers entrench, and climbers dig in for the ascent.

First we will do a tour and tasting of our region's own distillery. Snacks and networking will follow the presentation.

Edmonton Region Golf Tournament
May 10, 2017
8 am Tee Off
The Ranch Golf and Country Club
 
AGM : to be held at lunch

A G E N D A  
  1. Call to Order
  2. Approval of Minutes April 14, 2016 
  3. Reports
    1. President
    2. Treasurer
  4. 2017/2018 Board Elections*
  5. Looking Forward
  6. Presentations
  7. New Business
  8. Adjournment
*If you are interested in serving on the Edmonton Region board please get in touch edmonton@ciph.com

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Edmonton Catholic School Board Update  

      Back in May of 2015, the CIPH Edmonton Region Board was approached by the Edmonton Catholic School District with regard to them starting up a Plumbing Apprenticeship Program for Grades 10–12 at Archbishop O’Leary High School Here in Edmonton. The idea was that students in grade 10 would be able to start their first year apprenticeship program in the plumbing trades and have their first year apprenticeship done by the time they graduated grade 12. Most of the training would even be done at the school, with only about 6 hours of time spent offsite at the Alberta Pipe Trades College.
     The plan was an ambitious one; they had a little over a year to set up a complete program, including revamping an existing classroom for this project, and they were looking for some help from industry!
     For most of 2016, CIPH Edmonton, with help from our members, met with the ECSD on numerous occasions to offer both advice when asked, and to offer equipment for the course. CIPH Edmonton saw this project as an important way to connect our industry with youth, and also as a way to give back. Our member companies generously donated a large amount of materials to be used for teaching the students going forward.
     Our partnership with ECSD on this project was presented to the National CIPH Board at the annual Summit of Regions in Ontario last year by Joseph Parenteau, and as a result, CIPH Edmonton was named Outstanding Region of The Year in 2016 for the work we have done with ECSD!
     The most exciting part of the program has begun, with the first intake of students starting their apprenticeship on February 1, 2017. When fully operational, the program is designed to take 60 students per year into the program.
     While the program has started, the official launch with various levels of government and the partners has yet to happen. This will be held on April 10 at 9 am at Archbishop O’leary High School (8760 - 132 Avenue). If you plan to attend, please RSVP by April 03 (courtney.naccarato@ecsd.net). Come join the Celebration!

Joe Howdle (Canplas Industries)

SPOTLIGHT on
BARTLE and GIBSON

      Bartle & Gibson was founded by two Canadian businessmen who wanted to focus on relationships with customers and suppliers. In 1944 Charlie Bartle of Victoria, BC, and Cecil Gibson of Vancouver, BC, each started a store in their respective city, and Bartle & Gibson opened its doors for the first time.

     1951 marked the company’s first expansion, with a branch opening in Edmonton, Alberta. Over the next 20 years Charlie and Cecil would see their business expand to cover most of Western Canada, including Calgary, Yellowknife, and Surrey. A service expansion in 1983 added electrical products to the distribution portfolio.

     Today Bartle & Gibson consists of 31 branches spread throughout Western Canada, which are supplied by 3 main distribution points. Our continued growth and expansion is due in no small part to our dedication to provide exceptional service to all our clients, suppliers, and employees. We continue to be the privately owned, 100% Canadian organization that our customers have come to trust since 1944.

CIPH Edmonton Region welcomes new member
Grand Prairie Regional College
and their designate Brett Dillman.
ABC 2017
Join us on June 25-27, 2017 as we celebrate Canada's 150th Anniversary at the Delta Ottawa City Centre at ABC 2017! This year's conference theme is "Making History Together". Conference registration opened in early January 2017. Members planning to attend the conference are encouraged to book accommodations now.

CIPHEX Roadshow 2017 Dates
St. John’s, Newfoundland        September 21          
   
Edmonton, Alberta                   October 17      (Industry Dinner October 16)          
Regina, Saskatchewan             October 19         


CIPH Women's Network
The purpose of the CIPH Women’s Network is to support the professional development of women within Canada’s plumbing and heating industry, and to enhance member companies’ opportunities to attract, develop, and retain more high-performing female employees. 
The Network will do this by offering a variety of programs and events to women employed by CIPH members, such as:
  • Skills Development
  • Industry Education & Training
  • Professional & Personal Goal Achievement
  • Networking events
  • Mentorship
  • Leadership opportunities within the Network and CIPH
Industrialization of the Construction Industry
March 28th,  April 4th, April 11th, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET

     The Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH) and the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC) are pleased to offer in partnership a three part webinar series on the “Industrialization of the Construction Industry”. The construction industry is reaching an inflection point, beyond which things may never look or be the same again.  Like many industries, the construction industry is under constant pressure to improve productivity, reduce cost and waste. While the productivity in the manufacturing industry has improved by four hundred percent over the last century, the construction industry’s productivity has stayed flat, if not negative. One main reason for the improvement of the manufacturing and other industries’ productivity is due to the “Industrialization”. At the same time, shifts in the market and disruptive innovations caused new players to emerge serving new customers and expanding the market. In this presentation, Dr. Perry Daneshgari will explain the three forces leading to the construction industry’s inflection point:
Week 1 - March 28, 2017: Industrialization of Construction® – What is happening and how to get ready for it.
Week 2 – April 4, 2017: Disruption of the Construction Industry - How will it happen and what should you do about it?
Week 3 – April 11, 2017: Shift in the Construction Market – How to deal with the new realities.

Who Should Attend? Contractors, Distributors, and Manufacturers who need to understand how the construction sector is changing and how you can best position your company to address these changes.