ROLLING MEADOWS, ILL. — Members of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute elected the 2010 board president, officers and board members at the 2009 Fall Meeting, Oct. 11-14, Arlington, Va. The theme for the meeting was "Shaping the Legacy for a Sustainable Future," reflecting the growing mindset of efficiency and sustainability in the plumbing manufacturing industry.

A variety of industry professionals spoke at the meeting, including John Wicks, merchandising vice president of Home Depot Inc.; Michelle Desiderio of the National Association of Home Builders Research Center; Don Abraham of Social Technologies; Michael Colopy, a foreign affairs specialist; and Bill McElnea of the Department of Commerce.  

Yvonne Orgill of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association presented an update on the state of plumbing manufacturing in the United Kingdom; Marsha Mazz of the U.S. Access Board offered an update of the Americans with Disabilities Act; and Barbara Lippiatt of the National Institute of Standards and Technology explained how to measure Building for Environmental Economic Sustainability performance.

A roundtable discussion on issues related to plumbing product certification also took place at the meeting. Representatives of various certification bodies engaged in a panel discussion on topics such as mutual acceptance of test data, green product certification and certification of products in compliance with new prescriptive lead laws. The panel included Terry Burger, Canadian Standards Association; Shahin Moinian, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, Research and Testing; Jay Peters, International Code Council; Robert Hill, National Association of Home Builders Research Center; Jeremy Brown, NSF International.; Norman Hester, Truesdail Laboratories; Tom Bowman, Underwriters Laboratories; Timm Schaeffer, Intertek; and Tom Palkon, Water Quality Association.

At the meeting, Lee Mercer, director of product compliance for Moen Inc., was elected board president. He succeeds 2009 PMI President Walt Strader, who will continue to serve as PMI’s immediate past president.

Also elected to serve on the 2010 PMI Executive Committee was William Ball, vice president of WCM Industries Inc., as first vice president; Jack Krecek, vice president and general manager of the commercial business unit for Elkay Manufacturing Co., as second vice president; and Stewart Yang, vice president of engineering global faucets department for Kohler Company, as treasurer. 

Newly elected directors include Casey Hayes, director of engineered solutions for Haws Corp., and John Watson, director of technical services for Sloan Valve Company.

Returning directors at large include Jeff Baldwin, engineering manager for T&S Brass and Bronze Works Inc.; Fred Fraisse, vice president of sales for NEOPERL Inc.; and Tim Kilbane, national sales manager for Symmons Industries Inc. There is one vacant seat on the PMI Board yet to be filled by appointment.