Economic data gathered for Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) show that the plumbing manufacturing industry provides 464,370 jobs and $26 billion in wages to American workers. The total economic impact of these jobs and wages within the U.S. is $85.5 billion and results in $11.2 billion in business taxes paid to federal, state and local governmental entities.

Collected by research firm John Dunham & Associates (JDA) on behalf of PMI, the data include jobs and wages directly provided by plumbing manufacturers, as well as jobs and wages provided by industry suppliers and re-spent income.

PMI CEO and Executive Director Kerry Stackpole and JDA Partner Sean Reilly will be available to discuss the industry’s economic impact before and during the PMI Conference, to be held Nov. 5-8 at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park. Reilly will present the economic data to the conference participants at 2:40 p.m. on Nov. 7.

“These economic impact data demonstrate the important role of the plumbing manufacturing industry,” Stackpole said. “Our industry generates jobs and wages in manufacturing, wholesale and retail, as well as throughout the supply chain, and creates a tax base that funds schools and other public services.”

The study’s data can be viewed via a web-based tool that generates plumbing manufacturing industry economic data tables and reports, which can be tailored to show national data or data by state, congressional district, state house district, or state senate district.

Conference schedule 

Issues to be covered include municipal water use, water-efficient products, home building, trade and tariffs, media, Legionella, sustainability and more. Media are invited to cover all conference sessions. The association’s member business meetings (board, committees and membership meeting) are closed to the press.

Nov. 6: Change management, municipal water use, water-efficient products, home building, trade and tariffs

The day’s activities will begin at 8:30 a.m. with opening remarks from PMI leadership and Thom Singer, who will serve as the conference master of ceremonies.

Jack Uldrich, a futurist and author, will speak on technology, change management and leadership at 9 a.m. Following him will be Warren Tenney, executive director, Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA) at 10:20 a.m. Pete DeMarco, executive vice president of advocacy and research, IAPMO, and chair of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group for ISO/PC 316, Standard for Water Efficient Products – Rating, will speak at 11 a.m.

A home builders panel is scheduled for 1 p.m., featuring Connie Wilhelm, CEO, Home Builders Association of Central Arizona (HBACA); Bob Flaherty, division president, Toll Brothers; Phillippe Lord, chief operating officer and executive vice president, Meritage Homes; David Viger, regional president, Richmond American Homes; and Andy Warren, president, Maracay Homes (a division of Tri-Pointe).

At 2:50 p.m., a session on commerce topics with a focus on trade issues will include Yvonne Orgill, chief executive, Bathroom Manufacturers Association, U.K. (BMA); Marisa Walker, senior vice president, infrastructure, Arizona Commerce Authority; and Salim Bhabhrawala, senior international trade specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Nov. 7: Media, Legionella, government affairs, WaterSense, sustainability

Tara Lohan, deputy editor, The Revelator, Center for Biological Diversity, and former managing editor, Water Deeply, will speak at 8:30 a.m. Joseph A. Cotruvo, Ph.D., president, Joseph Cotruvo & Associates, will present about Legionella prevention at 9:30 a.m.

A session on advocacy and government affairs topics will follow at 10:50 a.m., with PMI government affairs consultants Jerry Desmond and Stephanie Salmon, and Jim Buster, CEO, Southwest Resource Strategies. At 1 p.m., Veronica Blette, chief, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense Program, will present.

A session on water efficiency and sustainability topics with Markus Lenger, CEO, CleanBlu Innovations, will begin at 1:30 p.m. Sean Reilly, partner, John Dunham & Associates, will talk about the PMI economic impact data at 2:40 p.m. Thom Singer will close the day with a 4 p.m. presentation.

Nov. 8: Technical topics and media panel

The final morning of the conference will feature two tracks beginning 9:30 a.m. — the technical track and the outreach/communications track.

The technical track will feature Patrick Gurian, associate professor, Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Department, Drexel University; Andrew Whelton, Ph.D., associate professor of civil, environmental and ecological engineering, Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University; and Peter Mayer, principal, Water Demand Management 

The outreach/communications track will feature a media panel with Tara Lohan, deputy editor, The Revelator, Center for Biological Diversity, and former managing editor of Water Deeply; Ashlei Williams, editorial director, Plumbing Engineer, and CMO, PHCP Pros; Jen Anesi-Brombach, chief editor, Plumbing & Mechanical; and Bret Jaspers, senior field correspondent, KJZZ and Arizona Public Media.

To register for next week's event, visit www.safeplumbing.org.