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There are now eight companies under the Bradford White Umbrella – four of which have been added within the past year and a half. With a company history dating back to 1881, Bradford White has built a strong reputation of providing quality, American-made heating products.

Headquartered in Ambler, Pennsylvania, the company has manufacturing operations in Middleville and Niles, Michigan; Monticello, Minnesota; Uxbridge, Massachusetts; and Rochester, New Hampshire,FloLogic’s assembly operation is in Morrisville, North Carolina and Bradford White Corporation’s Canadian headquarters, state-of-the-art distribution center and training facilities to support customers across Canada is in Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada.

Plumbing & Mechanical sat down with Bruce Carnevale, CEO of Bradford White, just after its most recent acquisition of Bock Water Heats, to learn the strategy behind this aggressive expansion approach.

PM: Summarize your recent acquisitions and why each one has been an important part of Bradford White’s strategic plan.

BC: Each acquisition was made with our customers’ evolving needs in mind. Energy preference for water and space heating, the demand for higher efficiency products as well as IoT connected products have been growing trends and regulatory requirements in our industry. The convergence of meeting our customers’ needs and following these trends drove our ambition and strategy in making the acquisitions that we did.

Most recently, we acquired Bock Water Heaters, the industry leader in oil-fired water heating, and a manufacturer of a broad range of commercial and specialty water heating and storage products. The addition of Bock to our family of companies allows us to provide our customers with oil-fired water heaters and large, high input commercial condensing gas fired water heaters. In 2024, we acquired FloLogic, a North Carolina-based manufacturer of premium plumbing leak detection and automatic shut off solutions for homes and commercial buildings. This was a unique acquisition for us and FloLogic’s robust IoT platform presents great opportunities to potentially leverage for other Bradford White products. We recognize this is a growing category and an important one to our core customers including reps, wholesalers, and contractors.

Prior to FloLogic, we acquired Heat-flo, a Massachusetts-based company that designs, engineers and manufactures high-quality stainless steel indirect water heaters and hydronic storage products for residential and commercial applications. When our customers needed an electric boiler solution, we acquired Electro Industries, a Minnesota-based manufacturer with proven competencies in electric boilers, air to water heat pump technology, electric duct heaters, and controls. And prior to that, when our customers needed expanded commercial electric solutions, we acquired Keltech, a manufacturer known for its robust commercial electric tankless water heating solutions.

Each of these acquisitions increased our manufacturing capabilities in America and allows us to offer our customers an expanded portfolio of our Built to be the Best® products and solutions. Bradford White is the strongest it has ever been financially, and we remain debt-free even after these back-to-back acquisitions.

PM: When thinking of making an acquisition, how does BW ensure it is the right fit and the right time?

BC: Every acquisition is driven by our commitment to supporting our customers and their success. Acquiring these companies has expanded our product portfolio, US manufacturing footprint and our team of employees. We are taking a much longer-term view of market dynamics than we ever have before and hiring talented people to carry out our vision. Through these strategic acquisitions and significant investments in R&D, product development, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and talented employees, we have positioned ourselves to be able to serve our customers no matter how the industry evolves. We’re also a relationship-based company and take great pride in our strong industry partnerships.

Most of our acquisitions begin as a customer relationship. For example, Bock was a valued supplier as well as a customer for decades, and over the course of that time, our strong business relationship evolved into friendships at multiple levels in each organization. We were thrilled to then take it a step further and welcome the Bock family into ours. In keeping a close eye on mid-long term market trends and regulations, we’re able to leverage our longstanding relationships to best position our customers and the corporation for future success in meeting market and regulatory requirements.

PM: What are your goals with these acquisitions? How do these acquisitions help Bradford White fill needs in today’s marketplace?

BC: Change is inevitable, and whether it’s driven by technological advancements, regulatory requirements, or customer preferences, we are taking every step to be prepared so that our foundation, which is serving our customers like no one else can or will, is stronger than ever before. Each of our recent acquisitions were driven by the needs of our customers. When our customers needed commercial electric solutions, we acquired Keltech and when we needed an electric-boiler solution, we acquired Electro Industries.

With a forward-thinking mentality in 2017, we anticipated the electrification trend and acquired the production assets from the heat pump water heater operations of GE Appliances (GEA), a Haier company. We moved those assets to our manufacturing facility in Middleville, MI and our vision of the future paid off as we are now well positioned to take on a leadership role in the heat pump space. The goal of each acquisition is to continue to grow and evolve Bradford White and elevate the game for our customers.

PM: What can customers expect from these brands that now operate under Bradford White’s umbrella?

BC: Customers can expect the same high-quality, Built to be the Best® products they’re accustomed to. Each company we acquired is very much aligned with Bradford White’s culture and values. For example, Bock Water Heaters, our most recent acquisition, uses the tagline, “Built Like a Bock,” which touts the robustness of their products and aligns very well with our own “Built to be the Best®” philosophy.

Integrating new brands is always a process, but we are starting with companies that have a solid foundation and strong commitment to manufacturing high-quality products, to serving their customers, and a dedication to American craftsmanship. Additionally, all the companies we’ve acquired have technological advancements and innovations, whether it be the production process or the products themselves, that enhances and diversifies our product offering as they’re integrated. For instance, FloLogic brings a very robust IoT platform to our portfolio and opens up opportunities for us to leverage that for other products within the Bradford family. Additionally, Heat-flo’s vast experience and expertise in stainless steel tank and heat exchanger manufacturing is an important core competency for our company.

Integrating new brands is always a process, but we are starting with companies that have a solid foundation and strong commitment to manufacturing high-quality products, to serving their customers, and a dedication to American craftsmanship.

PM: How do these acquisitions impact the way BW goes to market and the channels BW serves?

BC: When you look at residential and commercial plumbing and HVAC, we have a competitive edge in these channels because of the acquisitions we’ve made. There’s no doubt our electric powered product offering, air to water heat pump product offering, high efficiency gas products, and IoT-based product offering are stronger than ever before. In addition, we’ve developed solid partnerships with new manufacturers’ representatives and strengthened our relationship with existing rep partners by now offering an expanded product and technological portfolio. Another significant impact of our most recent acquisition of Bock Water Heaters is that we re-entered a market that we previously exited, oil-fired water heating. We’re excited to see what new innovations we can offer in that space.

PM: What does the future look like for Bradford White as it continues to grow? Are there any exciting things coming down the pike that you can tell us about?

BC: Our industry is changing faster than ever, and so are we. We are continuing to evolve and grow our product portfolio as we integrate the new additions to the Bradford White family of companies. We have exciting product launches in the works and look forward to sharing our latest innovations and expanded offerings that will continue to elevate our customers’ experiences and set them up for future success.